"You saw absolutely nothing?" asked the general.
One grenadier alone came forward, holding in his hand a cotton cap.
"I found this," he said.
"Where?"
"Hooked to a bush."
"That's our guide's cap," said the general.
"How do you know?" asked the captain.
"Because the men who attacked him would have worn hats," replied the general, without the slightest hesitation.
The captain was silent, not daring to ask further; but it was evident that the general's explanation had explained nothing to his mind.
Dermoncourt understood the captain's silence.