At that moment he came in.
"Here, monsieur," the colonel said to him, "these are the young men I spoke of.... See if they require your services."
Charras wanted to refuse, but Lieutenant-Colonel Duriveau signed to him to allow it, and took the colonel and major away into an adjoining room. The surgeon-major first dressed Lothon's head; the bullet had penetrated to the bone, which it had twisted and left bare. He must have been bewitched to be out of his bed after receiving such an injury. The surgeon wanted to bleed the wounded man, but to this he positively objected.
"I may at any moment require the use of both my arms," he said, "so leave them intact.... My head is quite bad enough without other hurt!"
Then came Charras.
"Good gracious, monsieur," said the surgeon-major, "you had a lucky escape! An inch or two more to the left and you would have had the artery severed."
"And to think," Charras said, pointing to Lothon, "that it was that brute who did it for me with his François sword!"
"Come," said Lothon, "there you go, crying out about your blessed artery which is not even scratched!... I did not know you were as soft as that!"
Charras began laughing, when Lieutenant-Colonel Duriveau entered.
"All is going right," he whispered to Charras. "I will not leave you for a minute until you are outside the town."