should not go to waste, but it was only so much hot water, and the
uncooked meat was like leather to their teeth. Chouteau growled and
grumbled, almost mutinously. Jean had to exert all his authority to
make the men hasten their preparations. What was the great urgency
that made it necessary for them to hurry off like that? What good was
there in hazing people about in that style, without giving them time
to regain their strength? And Maurice shrugged his shoulders
incredulously when someone said in his hearing that they were about to
march against the Prussians and settle old scores with them. In less
than fifteen minutes the tents were struck, folded, and strapped upon
the knapsacks, the stacks were broken, and all that remained of the
camp was the dying embers of the fires on the bare ground.

There were reasons, of importance that had induced General Douay's
determination to retreat immediately. The despatch from the
_sous-prefet_ at Schelestadt, now three days old, was confirmed; there
were telegrams that the fires of the Prussians, threatening
Markolsheim, had again been seen, and again, another telegram informed
them that one of the enemy's army corps was crossing the Rhine at
Huningue: the intelligence was definite and abundant; cavalry and
artillery had been sighted in force, infantry had been seen, hastening
from every direction to their point of concentration. Should they wait
an hour the enemy would surely be in their rear and retreat on Belfort
would be impossible. And now, in the shock consequent on defeat, after
Wissembourg and Froeschwiller, the general, feeling himself
unsupported in his exposed position at the front, had nothing left to
do but fall back in haste, and the more so that what news he had
received that morning made the situation look even worse than it had
appeared the night before.