When he had finished he tore a piece of cloth from the coat of the soldier and thrust it into his mouth to gag him.
The grenadier had a harder time with his enemy, who was the bigger of the two men, but he, too, mastered him, and presently both prisoners lay helpless, bound and gagged.

The two Frenchmen rose and stared at each other, a merry twinkle in the eyes of old Bullet-Stopper, a very puzzled expression in those of the young soldier.
"Well, here's our disguise," said the old soldier.
"Quite so," interposed the officer.

"But what shall we do with these two ?" "Nothing simpler.

Knock them in the head after we have found out what we can from them, and----" But Marteau shook his head.
"I can't murder helpless prisoners," he said decisively.
"If you had seen what they did to us in Russia you wouldn't have any hesitation on that score," growled the grenadier.

"I had comrades whom they stripped naked and turned loose in the snow.