Belle-Rose — page 194: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A CITY WON. : | 183 on his stomach; the discharge passed over his head. “In the midst of the dusk and the obscurity the enemy had seen nothing. “Stand up!’’ exclaimed Belle-Rose, in a voice of thunder, and he rushed forward, followed. close by his brother and Déroute. The Spaniards, surprised, were killed upon the spot or disarmed. There were ten of them in the vault. At the first fire only three were left standing. Belle-Rose hastened to wall up the opening with stones and rubbish; he at- tached the petard, unrolled the match, and ordered Déroute to bring back his little troop. When it had repassed the ditch, Belle-Rose set fire to the match and moved away, but not before having seen the sulphur and powder sparkle. Déroute was upon the side of the.ditch, going and coming regardless. of the shots fired at him from the rampart by those leaving it. ‘‘Eh,’’ he cried to Belle-Rose, as soon as he saw him, ‘can’t you walk faster?”’ “And you,’’ replied Belle-Rose, ‘‘can’t you stay farther away?’ Both moved away rapidly, but at the end of a hundred steps Belle-Rose felt the soil tremble under their feet. ‘‘Down!’” he cried to Déroute, and seizing him by the arm, he forced him to lie down near him in a depression in the sround. A frightful detonation resounded immediately; a cloud _ of powder-smoke obscured the air, and a thousand frag- ments of stone fell around them. When they stood up ninety feet of wall was stretched flat; the ditch was filled by the débris and a large breach was opened in the side of the bastion. The garrison had decamped. A corps of soldiers whom Monsieur de Naucrais was holding in reserve rushed forward as soon as the mine had ex- - ploded, and installed themselves in the fort without striking a blow. Monsieur de Luxembourg rode toward the scene of action, followed by his officers. As he was passing along he met Belle-Rose running toward the ram- part, his clothes in disorder; and covered with powder. “Ah! it is you, Gr inedal?”’ said Monsieur de Luxem- bourg; ‘“‘stop a second to tell me the name of the soldier who set fire to the match.”’ “Eh!” exclaimed Déroute, “this soldier is an tensa ‘ r6 Ah! !? ? ‘*And this officer is my lieutenant. ’’ GOmicboo <S GO