The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Volume III (of 8)

time that it lasted, which saved a hundred and fifty thousand men from certain death. Hunger, the terrible cold, forced marches in the snow without boots, over bad mountainous roads, had caused us fr

rst of January, there remained only twenty-two pale, thin, ragged

ed for. We all gained fresh life, and those who had been rich and happy before the war, declared that they had never experienced a

n check, and the latter had their revenge by ravaging the Franché Comte. Sometimes we heard that they had approached quite clos

disgraceful and irritating to know that within two or three leagues of us, the Germans were victorious and insolent

e had been a sub-lieutenant in the Zouaves, was tall and thin, and as hard as steel, and during the whole campaign he had cut out the

? Does it not almost drive you mad to know that those beggarly wretches are walking about as masters in our mountai

you manage

st six months, and got out of woods that were guarded by very different men from the Sw

t shall we do in Fran

will get them over

all run the risk of doing the Swiss an injury, if Manteuffel

sians; that is all I care about. If you do not wish to do as I do, well and good; onl

mind, we felt obliged to promise to go with him. We liked him too much to leave him in