"No, wait; the horses lost foothold and the infantry would drown. There must be some better ford near by."
"You think so, general?"
"Damn it! I'm sure."
"Then you know the river?"
"Never saw it before."
"Then why--?"
"Ah! captain, it is easy to see that you didn't go through the great war, as I did,--that war of savages, in which we had to go by induction. These Vendéan fellows were not posted here on this side of the river in ambuscade at the moment when we came up on the other: that is clear."
"For you, general."
"Hey! bless my soul,--clear to anybody! If they had been posted there, they would have heard the guide and killed him or captured him before we came; consequently the band were on our flank as we came along."
"That is probably so, general."