“That’s what will give the bouillon a flavor!  Ah, you didn’t know that, sacree andouille!  You shall have the pope’s nose; you’ll see how tender it is.”

The squad roared with laughter at sight of Lapoulle’s face, who swallowed everything and was licking his chops in anticipation of the feast.  That funny dog, Loubet, he was the man to cure one of the dumps if anybody could!  And when the fire began to crackle in the sunlight, and the kettle commenced to hum and bubble, they ranged themselves reverently about it in a circle with an expression of cheerful satisfaction on their faces, watching the meat as it danced up and down and sniffing the appetizing odor that it exhaled.  They were as hungry as a pack of wolves, and the prospect of a square meal made them forgetful of all beside.  They had had to take a thrashing, but that was no reason why a man should not fill his stomach.  Fires were blazing and pots were boiling from one end of the camp to the other, and amid the silvery peals of the bells that floated from Mulhausen steeples mirth and jollity reigned supreme.

But just as the clocks were on the point of striking nine a commotion arose and spread among the men; officers came running up, and Lieutenant Rochas, to whom Captain Beaudoin had come and communicated an order, passed along in front of the tents of his platoon and gave the command: 

“Pack everything!  Get yourselves ready to march!”

“But the soup?”

“You will have to wait for your soup until some other day; we are to march at once.”

Gaude’s bugle rang out in imperious accents.  Then everywhere was consternation; dumb, deep rage was depicted on every countenance.  What, march on an empty stomach!  Could they not wait a little hour until the soup was ready!  The squad resolved that their bouillon 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.