midnight
Fires of straw had been lighted in the middle of the principal street to give light to the multitude , and we could see from where we were , that the houses were full of people and the streets so full of horses and baggage that they could not move a step . We knew that the Prussians might come at any moment , and that they would have cannon ; and that it would be better for us if we went round the village than to be taken prisoners altogether . This was why we turned to the left across the grain fields with a great many others . We crossed the Thy in water up to our waists , and toward midnight we reached Quatre-Bras . We had done well not to stop at Genappe , for we already heard the roar of the Prussian cannon and musketry near the village . Great numbers of fugitives came along the road , cuirassiers , lancers , and chasseurs . Not one of them stopped .