Hullin turned round at this moment and saw Dame Lefévre, who was standing a few paces off, and listening attentively.
"What! were you there, Catherine?" said he. "Our affairs are beginning to take a bad turn."
"Yes, I understand: there are no means of renewing our provisions."
"Our provisions," said Brenn, with a strange smile. "Do you know, Dame Lefévre, for how long we have enough?"
"Why, for a fortnight," replied the brave woman.
"We have enough for a week," said the smuggler, emptying the ashes of his pipe upon his nail.
"It is the truth," said Hullin; "Marc Divès and I believed in an attack on the Falkenstein; we never thought the enemy would dream of beleaguering it like a fortified place. We have been mistaken!"
"And what are we going to do?" asked Catherine, turning quite pale.
"We are going to reduce every one's rations to half. If in a fortnight Marc does not arrive, we shall have nothing more--and then we shall see!"
So saying, Hullin, Catherine, and the smugglers, with heads bowed down, took their way back by the gap. They had just set foot on the descent, when at thirty paces above them appeared Materne, who was scrambling, quite out of breath, through the ruins, and clinging to the bushes to get along quicker.
"Well," exclaimed Jean-Claude, "what's going on, old fellow?"
"Ah! there you are--I was looking for you. An officer from the enemy's camp is advancing along the wall of the old _burg_, with a little white flag; he seems as if he wishes to speak with us."
Hullin, immediately continuing his way towards the declivity of the rock, saw, in effect, a German officer standing on the wall, and who seemed to be waiting till they made a sign to him to ascend. He was within two gun-shots; farther off were stationed five or six soldiers, with grounded arms. After having inspected this group, Jean-Claude turned and said:
"It is an officer, who comes, no doubt, to summon us to surrender the place."
"Let them send a shot at him!" exclaimed Catherine; "it's the best answer we can make him."
All the others appeared of the same opinion, except Hullin, who, without making any observation, descended to the terrace, where the rest of the volunteers were.
"My children," said he, "the enemy sends us an envoy. We do not know what they want of us. I suppose it is a summons to lay down our arms, but it is possible it may be something else. Frantz and Kasper will go to meet him; they will bandage his eyes at the foot of the rock, and lead him here."