Page:A French Volunteer of the War of Independence.djvu/45

Rh if they passed the boundary,—a big chestnut tree, which I can still see in my mind's eye.

The castle is a square building, having at the north-west comer a very large tower, at the end of the courtyard on the right hand side. All the walls are very high; that part of the castle which looks towards the faubourg of Vaize is to the north-east, and is only accessible on that side by a road cut in the hill for the purpose of bringing up wood, wine, and other provisions and necessaries, which are all brought on the backs of mules. Whenever anything of this kind arrives, the entire guard turns out under arms, and, as long as the gates are open, half the soldiers stand outside, and the other half just inside, the gateway. But by observing as much as I could, I was able to form some idea as to the nature of the ground on that side, which had hitherto been unknown to me, I having arrived by the gate which overlooks the fiver Saône, by which, as I have said before, escape was impossible.

After having mounted the rock, I was