human
And they would seize us in the rear. Are these fellows not hiding in all the woods, have they not spies everywhere among the inhabitants? Our march, which would be immediately betrayed, would be the signal for them to follow us, and we, shut up between two fires, could go neither forward nor backward. Impossible! We will not leave our posts, but we must be doubly on our guard, tonight. Who knows how far the plans and the connections of these bands may extend? Perhaps they design to make a second attack here, and upon us.
gpt
But yet we cannot calmly look on and see our men march unsuspecting to certain destruction,
human
No! said the major decidedly.
gpt
The messenger must go. And even were the mountains tenfold more impassable, some possible way must be found.
human
Herr Major, I know a way out of this difficulty.
gpt
And what is it, Lieutenant Fernow?
human
We have often enough reconnoitred the mountains. I know them perfectly. You are aware that a week ago I, with five men, undertook a _reconnoissance_ around L. which at that time was occupied by the enemy. We ventured too far, we were pursued by some twenty, attacked and at last dispersed.
gpt
Yes.--Well?
human
After a few shots, with Corporal Braun, who already had a ball in his arm, I threw myself into a side defile where they lost trace of us. The others escaped in another direction. As we pressed on, we found a narrow path half concealed in a thicket; this we took, as it seemed to lead in the direction of S. It rose gradually to the summit of the mountain, and then ran, for the most part hidden in the forest, along the crest, and at last sank precipitously, to the entrance of that narrow, impassable defile, which lies a quarter of an hour's distance from here to the right of the valley. We had for some minutes wound through dense shrubbery, and then we stood suddenly upon that projecting rocky plateau of the mountain-road, where stands a large, solitary fir-tree. From there we reach L. in a short time.