“That will be best,” the sergeant said.  “We did hear something of how you were made captain.  Turenne was good enough to tell the colonel, and so some of it came down to us, but of course it was very little.  The men would like to hear all about it and about this battle at Rocroi, at which, of course, you must have in some way distinguished yourself to be appointed colonel at your age.”

Hector gave him a full account of the battle.  “The special thing for which I was promoted,” he said, at the finish, “was that, the night before, it struck me that there might be an ambush set in the copses in the hollow between the two armies.  So far as I could see, no efforts whatever had been made either to occupy the woods or to find out if the enemy had done so; so I went with my servant, who is a capital fellow, and we made our way into them, and discovered a regiment of musketeers hidden there.  Of course I reported the fact to General Gassion, and he told the prince.  So, before attacking the enemy’s lines, the prince charged right along the wood and destroyed the musketeers there.  If he had not done so, they would have taken him in rear when he was hotly engaged with the Spaniards, and might have changed the fate of the battle.”

“Certainly they might,” the sergeant said.  “A volley from a thousand muskets from the rear would well shake even the best cavalry.  It was a happy thought of yours indeed.”

“Any merit there is in it was due to Turenne, who had carefully instructed me in everything that could be of importance when two hostile armies faced each other; and as he would never have dreamt of retiring to rest before having every place where an enemy could conceal himself carefully searched, it seemed to me a matter of course that it should be done.  However, General Gassion and the prince were both good enough to consider that the service was a vital one, and as soon as the battle was over the prince gave me my promotion.”

“And it was well earned, lad, well earned.  And now about that affair at Turin.”

“It could not have been better done, Hector,” the old soldier said in high delight when the story was told.  “I used to think that you spent more time than was necessary in reading over accounts of battles and sieges, but I see that the time was well spent.  You may be sure that I will be with you at seven tomorrow morning,” he added as Hector rose to leave, “though I expect I shall have a heavy night of it here, for there will scarcely be a man in the regiment who won’t come round and stay to hear the news.  I warrant that by this evening there will not be a sou remaining out of the money you have left for them.”