Atala. — An Indian taie by Chateaubriand

1. Martigny. — A small town in the canton of Valais, Switzerland.

2. Que c'étaient des enfants qui venaient faire du dégât dans son clos. — That it was children who came and plundered his orchard. Aller faire le dégât is a military term, meaning to go and plunder, to commit déprédations. For the use of c'étaient in the plural, see Grammar, p. 111, § 3.

3. Vers les onze heures. — Towards eleven o'clock. The s of les must not be linked to the o of onze.

4. Tiens. — Imperative of tenir. To be translated by any exclamation of astonishment that renders the feelings of the speaker ; as, why ! what ! how ! bless me ! is it possible ! Later in this pièce we twice find tiens employed in making or urging an offer. It is also used simply to attract attention, hark, hark ye. See XVIL, 11.

5. Et se jeta aplat ventre contre tare. — And threw himself flat upon the ground.

6. Et se mit a y faire une consommation. — And began to make a meal there. Se mettre a is to set about, to begin. A common but secondary meaning of consommation, from which the author hère starts, is given by Littré as, ce qu'on a bu ou mangé dans un café.

7. En homme qui s'y connaît. — Like a man who understood such matters. Se connaître a means to be a good judge of, to understand well; je m'y connais, I understand my business, I know what I'm about.

8. A nous deux l'ours: deux hommes valent mieux qu'un. — "VW11 hunt the bear together ; two men are better than one.

9. C'est selon. — That is according to circum stances, or that dépend?. In this common expression some word as le cas is understood.