Walter Schnaff's Adventure
Ever since he entered France with the invading army Walter Schnaffs hadconsidered himself the most unfortunate of men. He was large, haddifficulty in walking, was short of breath and suffered frightfully withhis feet, which were very flat and very fat. But he was a peaceful,benevolent man, not warlike or sanguinary, the father of four childrenwhom he adored, and married to a little blonde whose little tendernesses,attentions and kisses he recalled with despair every evening. He likedto rise late and retire early, to eat good things in a leisurely mannerand to drink beer in the saloon. He reflected, besides, that all that issweet in existence vanishes with life, and he maintained in his heart afearful hatred, instinctive as well as logical, for cannon, rifles,revolvers and swords, but especially for bayonets, feeling that he wasunable to dodge this dangerous weapon rapidly enough to protect his bigpaunch.And when night fell and he lay on the ground, wrapped in his cape besidehis comrades who were snoring, he thought long and deeply about those hehad left behind and of the dangers in his path. "If he were killed whatwould become of the little ones? Who would provide for them and bringthem up?" Just at present they were not rich, although he had borrowedwhen he left so as to leave them some money. And Walter Schnaffs weptwhen he thought of all this.At the beginning of a battle his legs became so weak that he would havefallen if he had not reflected that the entire army would pass over hisbody. The whistling of the bullets gave him gooseflesh.For months he had lived thus in terror and anguish.His company was marching on Normandy, and one day he was sent toreconnoitre with a small detachment, simply to explore a portion of theterritory and to return at once. All seemed quiet in the country;nothing indicated an armed resistance.But as the Prussians were quietly descending into a little valleytraversed by deep ravines a sharp fusillade made them halt suddenly,killing twenty of their men, and a company of sharpshooters, suddenlyemerging from a little wood as large as your hand, darted forward withbayonets at the end of their rifles.Walter Schnaffs remained motionless at first, so surprised and bewilderedthat he did not even think of making his escape. Then he was seized witha wild desire to run away, but he remembered at once that he ran like atortoise compared with those thin Frenchmen, who came bounding along likea lot of goats. Perceiving a large ditch full of brushwood covered withdead leaves about six paces in front of him, he sprang into it with bothfeet together, without stopping to think of its depth, just as one jumpsfrom a bridge into the river.He fell like an arrow through a thick layer of vines and thorny bramblesthat tore his face and hands and landed heavily in a sitting posture on abed of stones. Raising his eyes, he saw the sky through the hole he hadmade in falling through. This aperture might betray him, and he crawledalong carefully on hands and knees at the bottom of this ditch beneaththe covering of interlacing branches, going as fast as he could andgetting away from the scene of the skirmish. Presently he stopped andsat down, crouched like a hare amid the tall dry grass.He heard firing and cries and groans going on for some time. Then thenoise of fighting grew fainter and ceased. All was quiet and silent.Suddenly something stirred, beside him. He was frightfully startled. Itwas a little bird which had perched on a branch and was moving the deadleaves. For almost an hour Walter Schnaffs' heart beat loud and rapidly.Night fell, filling the ravine with its shadows. The soldier began tothink. What was he to do? What was to become of him? Should he rejointhe army? But how? By what road? And he began over again the horriblelife of anguish, of terror, of fatigue and suffering that he had ledsince the commencement of the war. No! He no longer had the courage!He would not have the energy necessary to endure long marches and to facethe dangers to which one was exposed at every moment.But what should he do? He could not stay in this ravine in concealmentuntil the end of hostilities. No, indeed! If it were not for having toeat, this prospect would not have daunted him greatly. But he had toeat, to eat every day.And here he was, alone, armed and in uniform, on the enemy's territory,far from those who would protect him. A shiver ran over him.All at once he thought: "If I were only a prisoner!" And his heartquivered with a longing, an intense desire to be taken prisoner by theFrench. A prisoner, he would be saved, fed, housed, sheltered frombullets and swords, without any apprehension whatever, in a good, well-kept prison. A prisoner! What a dream:His resolution was formed at once."I will constitute myself a prisoner."He rose, determined to put this plan into execution without a moment'sdelay. But he stood motionless, suddenly a prey to disturbingreflections and fresh terrors.Where would he make himself a prisoner and how? In What direction? Andfrightful pictures, pictures of death came into his mind.He would run terrible danger in venturing alone through the country withhis pointed helmet.Supposing he should meet some peasants. These peasants seeing a Prussianwho had lost his way, an unprotected Prussian, would kill him as if hewere a stray dog! They would murder him with their forks, their picks,their scythes and their shovels. They would make a stew of him, a pie,with the frenzy of exasperated, conquered enemies.If he should meet the sharpshooters! These sharpshooters, madmen withoutlaw or discipline, would shoot him just for amusement to pass an hour; itwould make them laugh to see his head. And he fancied he was alreadyleaning against a wall in-front of four rifles whose little blackapertures seemed to be gazing at him.Supposing he should meet the French army itself. The vanguard would takehim for a scout, for some bold and sly trooper who had set off alone toreconnoitre, and they would fire at him. And he could already hear, inimagination, the irregular shots of soldiers lying in the brush, while hehimself, standing in the middle of the field, was sinking to the earth,riddled like a sieve with bullets which he felt piercing his flesh.He sat down again in despair. His situation seemed hopeless.It was quite a dark, black and silent night. He no longer budged,trembling at all the slight and unfamiliar sounds that occur at night.The sound of a rabbit crouching at the edge of his burrow almost made himrun. The cry of an owl caused him positive anguish, giving him a nervousshock that pained like a wound. He opened his big eyes as wide aspossible to try and see through the darkness, and he imagined everymoment that he heard someone walking close beside him.After interminable hours in which he suffered the tortures of the damned,he noticed through his leafy cover that the sky was becoming bright. Heat once felt an intense relief. His limbs stretched out, suddenlyrelaxed, his heart quieted down, his eyes closed; he fell asleep.When he awoke the sun appeared to be almost at the meridian. It must benoon. No sound disturbed the gloomy silence. Walter Schnaffs noticedthat he was exceedingly hungry.He yawned, his mouth watering at the thought of sausage, the good sausagethe soldiers have, and he felt a gnawing at his stomach.He rose from the ground, walked a few steps, found that his legs wereweak and sat down to reflect. For two or three hours he again consideredthe pros and cons, changing his mind every moment, baffled, unhappy, tornby the most conflicting motives.Finally he had an idea that seemed logical and practical. It was towatch for a villager passing by alone, unarmed and with no dangeroustools of his trade, and to run to him and give himself up, making himunderstand that he was surrendering.He took off his helmet, the point of which might betray him, and put hishead out of his hiding place with the utmost caution.No solitary pedestrian could be perceived on the horizon. Yonder, to theright, smoke rose from the chimney of a little village, smoke fromkitchen fires! And yonder, to the left, he saw at the end of an avenueof trees a large turreted chateau. He waited till evening, sufferingfrightfully from hunger, seeing nothing but flights of crows, hearingnothing but the silent expostulation of his empty stomach.And darkness once more fell on him.He stretched himself out in his retreat and slept a feverish sleep,haunted by nightmares, the sleep of a starving man.Dawn again broke above his head and he began to make his observations.But the landscape was deserted as on the previous day, and a new fearcame into Walter Schnaffs' mind--the fear of death by hunger! Hepictured himself lying at full length on his back at the bottom of hishiding place, with his two eyes closed, and animals, little creatures ofall kinds, approached and began to feed on his dead body, attacking itall over at once, gliding beneath his clothing to bite his cold flesh,and a big crow pecked out his eyes with its sharp beak.He almost became crazy, thinking he was going to faint and would not beable to walk. And he was just preparing to rush off to the village,determined to dare anything, to brave everything, when he perceived threepeasants walking to the fields with their forks across their shoulders,and he dived back into his hiding place.But as soon as it grew dark he slowly emerged from the ditch and startedoff, stooping and fearful, with beating heart, towards the distantchateau, preferring to go there rather than to the village, which seemedto him as formidable as a den of tigers.The lower windows were brilliantly lighted. One of them was open andfrom it escaped a strong odor of roast meat, an odor which suddenlypenetrated to the olfactories and to the stomach of Walter Schnaffs,tickling his nerves, making him breathe quickly, attracting himirresistibly and inspiring his heart with the boldness of desperation.And abruptly, without reflection, he placed himself, helmet on head, infront of the window.Eight servants were at dinner around a large table. But suddenly one ofthe maids sat there, her mouth agape, her eyes fixed and letting fall herglass. They all followed the direction of her gaze.They saw the enemy!Good God! The Prussians were attacking the chateau!There was a shriek, only one shriek made up of eight shrieks uttered ineight different keys, a terrific screaming of terror, then a tumultuousrising from their seats, a jostling, a scrimmage and a wild rush to thedoor at the farther end. Chairs fell over, the men knocked the womendown and walked over them. In two seconds the room was empty, deserted,and the table, covered with eatables, stood in front of Walter Schnaffs,lost in amazement and still standing at the window.After some moments of hesitation he climbed in at the window andapproached the table. His fierce hunger caused him to tremble as if hewere in a fever, but fear still held him back, numbed him. He listened.The entire house seemed to shudder. Doors closed, quick steps ran alongthe floor above. The uneasy Prussian listened eagerly to these confusedsounds. Then he heard dull sounds, as though bodies were falling to theground at the foot of the walls, human beings jumping from the firstfloor.Then all motion, all disturbance ceased, and the great chateau became assilent as the grave.Walter Schnaffs sat down before a clean plate and began to eat. He tookgreat mouthfuls, as if he feared he might be interrupted before he hadswallowed enough. He shovelled the food into his mouth, open like atrap, with both hands, and chunks of food went into his stomach, swellingout his throat as it passed down. Now and then he stopped, almost readyto burst like a stopped-up pipe. Then he would take the cider jug andwash down his esophagus as one washes out a clogged rain pipe.He emptied all the plates, all the dishes and all the bottles. Then,intoxicated with drink and food, besotted, red in the face, shaken byhiccoughs, his mind clouded and his speech thick, he unbuttoned hisuniform in order to breathe or he could not have taken a step. His eyesclosed, his mind became torpid; he leaned his heavy forehead on hisfolded arms on the table and gradually lost all consciousness of thingsand events.The last quarter of the moon above the trees in the park shed a faintlight on the landscape. It was the chill hour that precedes the dawn.Numerous silent shadows glided among the trees and occasionally a bladeof steel gleamed in the shadow as a ray of moonlight struck it.The quiet chateau stood there in dark outline. Only two windows werestill lighted up on the ground floor.Suddenly a voice thundered:"Forward! nom d'un nom! To the breach, my lads!"And in an instant the doors, shutters and window panes fell in beneath awave of men who rushed in, breaking, destroying everything, and took thehouse by storm. In a moment fifty soldiers, armed to the teeth, boundedinto the kitchen, where Walter Schnaffs was peacefully sleeping, andplacing to his breast fifty loaded rifles, they overturned him, rolledhim on the floor, seized him and tied his head and feet together.He gasped in amazement, too besotted to understand, perplexed, bruisedand wild with fear.Suddenly a big soldier, covered with gold lace, put his foot on hisstomach, shouting:"You are my prisoner. Surrender!"The Prussian heard only the one word "prisoner" and he sighed, "Ya, ya,ya."He was raised from the floor, tied in a chair and examined with livelycuriosity by his victors, who were blowing like whales. Several of themsat down, done up with excitement and fatigue.He smiled, actually smiled, secure now that he was at last a prisoner.Another officer came into the room and said:"Colonel, the enemy has escaped; several seem to have been wounded. Weare in possession."The big officer, who was wiping his forehead, exclaimed: "Victory!"And he wrote in a little business memorandum book which he took from hispocket:"After a desperate encounter the Prussians were obliged to beat aretreat, carrying with them their dead and wounded, the number of whom isestimated at fifty men. Several were taken prisoners."The young officer inquired:"What steps shall I take, colonel?""We will retire in good order," replied the colonel, "to avoid having toreturn and make another attack with artillery and a larger force of men."And he gave the command to set out.The column drew up in line in the darkness beneath the walls of thechateau and filed out, a guard of six soldiers with revolvers in theirhands surrounding Walter Schnaffs, who was firmly bound.Scouts were sent ahead to reconnoitre. They advanced cautiously, haltingfrom time to time.At daybreak they arrived at the district of La Roche-Oysel, whosenational guard had accomplished this feat of arms.The uneasy and excited inhabitants were expecting them. When they sawthe prisoner's helmet tremendous shouts arose. The women raised their 10arms in wonder, the old people wept. An old grandfather threw his crutchat the Prussian and struck the nose of one of their own defenders.The colonel roared:"See that the prisoner is secure!"At length they reached the town hall. The prison was opened and WalterSchnaffs, freed from his bonds, cast into it. Two hundred armed menmounted guard outside the building.Then, in spite of the indigestion that had been troubling him for sometime, the Prussian, wild with joy, began to dance about, to dancefrantically, throwing out his arms and legs and uttering wild shoutsuntil he fell down exhausted beside the wall.He was a prisoner-saved!That was how the Chateau de Charnpignet was taken from the enemy afteronly six hours of occupation.Colonel Ratier, a cloth merchant, who had led the assault at the head ofa body of the national guard of La Roche-Oysel, was decorated with anorder.
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