“I am the last who will return,” he shouted with all the strength he had left. “The others have been killed.”
“Where are the hornets?” asked the queen.
“At the lindens!—Listen, listen,” he stammered in mortal terror, “the air hums with the wings of the giants.”
No sound was heard. It must have been the poor fellow’s terrified imagination, he must have thought he was still being pursued.
“How many are there?” asked the queen sternly. “Answer in a low voice.”
“I counted forty.”
Although the queen was startled by the enemy’s numbers, she gave no sign of shock.
In a ringing, confident voice that all could hear, she said:
“Not one of them will see his home again.”
Her words, which seemed to sound the enemy’s doom, had instant effect. Men and officers alike felt their courage rise.