barbarously as the french army behaved on its advance to smolensk, things were even worse as they left the ruined town behind them and resumed their journey towards moscow. it seemed that the hatred with which they were regarded by the russian peasantry was now even more than reciprocated. the destruction they committed was wanton and wholesale; the villages, and even the towns, were burnt down, and the whole country made desolate. it was nothing to them that by so doing they added enormously to the difficulties of their own commissariat; nothing that they were destroying the places where they might otherwise have found shelter on their return. they seemed to destroy simply for the sake of destruction, and to be animated by a burning feeling of hatred for the country they had invaded.
since the days of the thirty years' war in germany, never had war been carried on in europe so mercilessly and so destructively. as he saw the ruined homes or passed the bodies of peasants wantonly shot down, julian wyatt regretted bitterly that he had not been content to remain a prisoner at verdun. battles he had expected; but this destruction of property, this warring upon peaceful inhabitants, filled him with horror; his high spirits left him, and he no longer laughed and jested on the march, but kept on the way in the same gloomy silence that reigned among the greater part of his companions. when half way to moscow a fresh cause of uneasiness manifested itself. the russians no longer left their towns and villages for the french to plunder and burn, but, as they retreated, themselves applied fire to all the houses, with a thoroughness and method which showed that this was not the work of stragglers or camp-followers, but that it was the result of a settled plan. at last news came that the russians had resolved to fight a pitched battle at borodino, and the spirits of the army at once rose.
napoleon halted them for two days, in order that they might rest and receive provisions from the baggage trains following. on the 4th of september they marched forward as before, in three columns, preceded by murat's cavalry, which brushed aside the hordes of cossack horse. half-way to gratz, a russian division stoutly held for some time a height up which the road wound, but after some sharp fighting was forced to retreat.
the russian position at borodino was a strong one. the right was covered by the rivulet of kolocza, which was everywhere fordable, but ran through a deep ravine. borodino, a village on the banks of this rivulet, formed their centre, and their left was posted upon steeply rising ground, almost at right angles with their right. borodino itself—which lay on the northern side of the kolocza—was not intended to be held in force. the rivulet fell into the river moskwa half a mile beyond borodino. field-works had been thrown up at several points, and near the centre were two strong redoubts commanding borodino and the high-road. other strong works had been erected at important points.
boridono
plan of the battle of borodino.
considerably in advance of the general line of the position a strong work had been erected; this it was necessary to take before the main position could be attacked, and at two in the afternoon of the 5th, napoleon directed an assault to be made upon this redoubt. it was obstinately held by the russians. they were several times driven out, but, as often, reinforcements came up, and it was captured by them; and finally, after holding it until nightfall, they fell back to their main position, the loss having been heavy on both sides. the next day was spent by napoleon in reconnoitring the russian position and deciding the plan of attack. finally he determined to make a strong demonstration against the village of borodino, and, under cover of this, to launch his whole army upon the russian left wing. on the morning of the 7th, napoleon posted himself on an eminence near the village of chewardino. near the spot, earthworks were thrown up during the night for the protection of three batteries, each of twenty-four guns. davoust and ney were to make a direct attack on the enemy's left. poniatowski was to endeavour to march through the woods and gain the rear of the russian position. the rest of the force were to keep the russian centre and right in check. the imperial guard formed the reserve.
on the russian side bagration's army formed the left, beningsen's the centre, and barclay's the right. the french force numbered about 150,000, the russian from 80,000 to 90,000. the french had a thousand guns, the russians 640. at six in the morning of the 7th of september the french batteries opened fire along the whole line, and the russians at once replied. the roar of artillery was incessant, and ere long the rattle of musketry swelled the din, as davoust launched the division of desaix, and ney that of campans, against three small redoubts in front of the russian position. impetuous as was the assault, the russians received it with unflinching courage; two of the russian generals were wounded, but the assault was repulsed. ney moved up another division, and after severe fighting the redoubts were carried. they were held, however, but a short time, for woronzow led forward his grenadiers in solid squares, and, supporting the advance by a charge of cavalry, recaptured them, and drove the french back across the ravine in front of them.
there was now a short pause in the attack, but the roar of artillery and musketry continued unbroken. poniatowski now emerged from the wood, and fell upon the russian left rear, capturing the village of outitska. touchkoff, a brother of the general who had been captured at loubino, who commanded here, fell back to a height that dominated the village and the ground beyond it, and maintained himself until mid-day. on the french left, where the viceroy beauharnois commanded, the advance was stubbornly opposed, and the french artillery was several times silenced by the guns on the eminence. at last, however, the russians were driven across the rivulet, and the french occupied borodino. leaving a division of infantry to protect his rear, the viceroy crossed the stream and advanced against a great battery in front of the village of gorki. davoust and ney remained motionless until nine o'clock, as napoleon would not forward the reinforcements they had asked for until he learned that poniatowski had come into action, and that the viceroy had crossed the stream and was moving to the attack of the russian centre. now, reinforced by the division of friant, they moved forward.
for an hour the russians held their advanced works, and then were forced to fall back; and the french, following up their advantage, crossed a ravine and occupied the village of semianotsky, which had been partially destroyed on the previous day by the russians, so that if captured it would afford no cover to the french. it was but for a short time that the latter held it. coming up at the head of his grenadiers, touchkoff drove them out, recrossed the ravine, and recaptured the advance works they had before so obstinately contested. in turn the french retook the three redoubts; but, again, a russian division coming up wrested the position from them, and replanted their flag there. napoleon, seeing that no impression could be made on the russian left, now sent orders to the viceroy to carry the great redoubt before gorki. in spite of the difficulties presented by the broken ground, the three french divisions pressed forward with the greatest gallantry, and, heedless of the storm of grape poured upon them, stormed the redoubt. but its late defenders, reinforced by some battalions from doctorow's corps, dashed forward to recover the position, and fell with such fury upon the french that the regiment that had entered the redoubt was all but annihilated, and the position regained, while at the same moment two regiments of russian cavalry fell upon reinforcements pressing forward to aid the defenders, and threw them into disorder.
the viceroy now opened fire on the redoubt with all his artillery, inflicting such loss upon the defenders that it was soon necessary to relieve them with a fresh division. ney, finding it impossible to carry and hold the three redoubts in front of him, directed junot to endeavour to force his way between the main russian left and touchkoff's division; but he was met by prince eugene's russian corps, which brought his advance to a standstill. junot's presence there, however, acted as a support to poniatowski, who, covered by the fire of forty pieces of cannon, advanced against touchkoff's division. for a time he gained ground, but the russian general, bringing up all his troops, assumed the offensive, and, driving poniatowski back, recovered the lost ground. the brave russian leader, however, was mortally wounded in the fight. it was now twelve o'clock, and so far the french had gained no advantage. napoleon felt the necessity for a decisive effort, and concentrating his whole force, and posting 400 guns to cover the advance, sent it forward against the russian left.
the russians, perceiving the magnitude of the movement, despatched large reinforcements to the defenders, and at the same time, to effect a diversion, sent the greater portion of their cavalry round to menace the french rear at borodino. three hundred russian guns opposed the four hundred of the french, and amidst the tremendous roar of the guns, the great mass of french infantry hurled themselves upon the russians. for a time no impression could be made, so sternly and fiercely did the russians fight, but bagration, their commander, with several other generals, were badly wounded and forced to retire. konownitsyn assumed the command, but the loss of the general, in whom they placed implicit confidence, told upon the spirits of his troops, and konownitsyn was forced to abandon the three redoubts, and to take up a new position behind semianotsky, where he re-established his batteries and checked the progress of the enemy.
a portion of the french cavalry now made a desperate attempt to break through the russian left, but two regiments of the imperial guard, throwing themselves into squares, maintained their position until five regiments of russian cuirassiers came up and forced their assailants back. at this critical moment the great mass of russian cavalry that had been sent round to attack the viceroy fell upon his rear, drove his cavalry into the village with great loss, and pressed the infantry so hard that the viceroy himself had to take refuge in one of his squares. having thus succeeded in distracting the enemy's attention, arresting his tide of battle, and giving time to the russians to reform and plant their batteries afresh, the russian cavalry withdrew. the viceroy recrossed the stream again, and prepared to make another attack upon the great bastion he had before captured, and the whole line again advanced. while the viceroy attacked the great redoubt in front, murat sent a division of his cavalry round to fall upon its rear, and, although swept by artillery and infantry fire, the brave horsemen carried out their object, although almost annihilated by the fire of the defenders of the redoubt.
the french infantry took advantage of the attention of the defenders being diverted by this attack, and with a rush stormed the work; the four russian regiments who held it fought to the last, refusing all offers of quarter, and maintaining a hand-to-hand conflict until annihilated. the russian artillery, in the works round gorki, swept the redoubt with their fire, and under its cover the infantry made repeated but vain attacks to recapture it, for their desperate bravery was unavailing against the tremendous artillery fire concentrated upon them, while the french on their part were unable to take advantage of the position they had gained. napoleon, indeed, would have launched his troops against the works round gorki, but his generals represented to him that the losses had already been so enormous, that it was doubtful whether he could possibly succeed, and if he did so, it could only be with such further loss as would cripple the army altogether.
at three o'clock napoleon, whose whole army, with the exception of the imperial guard, had been engaged, felt that nothing further could be done that day, and ordered the battle to cease. he had gained the three redoubts on the russians' left and the great redoubt captured by the viceroy, but these were really only advanced works, and the main position of the russians still remained entirely intact. at night the french retired from the positions they had won, to those they had occupied before the battle begun, retaining possession only of the village of borodino. the loss of the combatants during the two days' fighting had been nearly equal, no less than 40,000 men having been killed on each side, a number exceeding that of any other battle in modern times. napoleon expected that the russians would again give battle next morning, but kutusow, contrary to the opinion of most of his generals, decided on falling back. beningsen, one of his best officers, strongly urged him to take up a position at kalouga, some seventy miles to the south of moscow. the position was a very strong one. napoleon could not advance against moscow, which was in a position to offer a long and determined resistance, until he had driven off the russian army. at kalouga they could at any moment advance on to his line of communication, cut off all his supplies, and isolate him from france.
the advice was excellent, but kutusow, who was even more unfitted than barclay for the post of commander-in-chief, refused to adopt this course, and fell back towards moscow, followed by the french. the sufferings of the latter had already become severe—the nights were getting very cold, the scarcity of food was considerable, the greater part of the army was already subsisting on horse-flesh, the warm clothing, which was becoming more and more necessary, was far in the rear, their shoes were worn out, and it was only the thought that they would have a long period of rest and comfort in moscow, that animated them to press forward along the fifty miles of road between borodino and that city.
julian had passed through the terrible battle unscathed. it seemed to him, when fighting had ceased for the day, that it was almost miraculous a single man should have survived that storm of fire. while the fight had actually been going on, the excitement and the ardour of battle had rendered him almost insensible to the danger. with the soldiers as with their generals the capture of the three small redoubts became, as the day went on, a matter on which every thought was bent, every energy concentrated; it was no longer a battle between french and russians, but a struggle in which each man felt that his personal honour was concerned. each time that, with loud cheering, they stormed the blood-stained works, they felt the pride of victory; each time that, foot by foot, they were again forced backwards, there was rage in every heart and a fierce determination to return and conquer.
in such a struggle as this, when men's passions are once involved, death loses its terror; thickly as comrades may fall around, those who are still erect heed not the gaps, but with eyes fixed on the enemy in front of him, with lips set tightly together, with head bent somewhat down as men who struggle through a storm of rain, each man presses on until a shot strikes him, or he reaches the goal he aims at. at such a time the fire slackens, for each man strives to decide the struggle, with bayonet or clubbed musket. four times did julian's regiment climb the side of the ravine in front of the redoubts, four times were they hurled back again with ever-decreasing numbers, and when at last they found themselves, as the fire slackened, masters of the position, the men looked at each other as if waking from some terrible dream, filled with surprise that they were still alive and breathing, and faint and trembling, now that the exertion was over and the tremendous strain relaxed. when they had time to look round, they saw that but one-fourth of those who had, some hours before, advanced to the attack of the redoubt of chewardino remained. the ground around the little earthworks was piled thickly with dead frenchmen and russians, and ploughed up by the iron storm that had for eight hours swept across it. dismounted guns, ammunition boxes, muskets, and accoutrements were scattered everywhere. even the veterans of a hundred battles had never witnessed such a scene, had never gone through so prolonged and terrible a struggle. men were differently affected, some shook a comrade's hand with silent pressure, some stood gazing sternly and fixedly at the lines where the enemy still stood unconquered, and tears fell down many a bronzed and battle-worn face; some sobbed like children, exhausted by their emotions rather than their labours.
the loss of the officers had been prodigious. eight generals were killed and thirty wounded, and nearly two thousand officers. the colonel and majors of julian's regiment had fallen, and a captain, who was but sixth on the list when the battle began, now commanded. between three o'clock and dusk the men were engaged in binding up each other's wounds, eating what food they carried in their haversacks, and searching for more in those of the fallen. few words were spoken, and even when the order came to evacuate the position and retire to the ground they had left that morning, there was not a murmur; for the time no one seemed to care what happened, or what became of him. once on the ground where they were to bivouac, fresh life was infused into their veins. the chill evening air braced up their nerves; great fires were lighted with brushwood, broken cartridge-boxes, and the fragments of gun-carriages and waggons; and water was brought up from the stream. horse-flesh was soon being roasted, and as hunger and thirst were appeased, the buzz of conversation rose round the fires, and the minds as well as the tongues of men seemed to thaw from their torpor.
"well, comrade, so you too have gone through it without a scratch," julian's friend, the sergeant, said to him. "well, you will never see such a fight again if you grow gray in the service. where are those who scoffed at the russians now? they can fight, these men. it was a battle of giants. no one could have done more than we did, and yet they did as much; but to-morrow we shall win."
"what! do you think we shall fight again to-morrow?"
"that is for the russians to say, not for us. if they stand we must fight them again. it is a matter of life and death for us to get to moscow. we shall win to-morrow, for napoleon will have to bring up the imperial guard, 20,000 of his best troops, and the russians put their last man into the line of battle to-day, and, never fear, we shall win. but i own i have had enough of it. never before have i hoped that the enemy in front of us would go off without a battle, but i do so now. we want rest and quiet. when spring comes we will fight them again as often as they like, but until then i for one do not wish to hear a gun fired."
"i am sure i do not, sergeant," julian agreed; "and i only hope that we shall get peace and quiet when we reach moscow."
"oh, the russians will be sure to send in to ask for terms of peace as soon as we get there," the sergeant said confidently.
"i hope so, but i have great doubts, sergeant. when people are ready to burn their homes rather than that we should occupy them, to desert all that they have and to wander away they know not where, when they will fight as they fought to-day, i have great doubts whether they will talk of surrender. they can bring up fresh troops long before we can. they will have no lack of provisions. their country is so vast that they know that at most we can hold but a small portion of it. it seems to me that it is not of surrender they will be thinking, but of bringing up fresh troops from every part of their empire, of drilling and organizing and preparing for the next campaign. i cannot help thinking of what would happen to us if they burnt moscow, as they have burned half a dozen towns already."
"no people ever made such a sacrifice. what, burn the city they consider sacred!—the old capital every russian thinks of with pride! it never can be, but if they should do so, all i can say is, god help us all. few of us would ever go back to france."
"so it seems to me, sergeant. i have been thinking of it lately, and after the way in which the russians came on, careless of life, under the fire of our cannon to-day, i can believe them to be capable of anything."
the next morning it was found that the russian lines were deserted. so the french army set forward again on its march, and on the morning of the 14th arrived within sight of moscow. kutusow had at one time seemed disposed to fight another battle in front of the city, and had given a solemn promise to its governor that he should have three days' notice of any change in his determination, and so allow time for him to carry out his intention to evacuate the town, when the municipal authorities were, methodically and officially, to proceed to destroy the whole city by fire. this promise kutusow broke without giving any notice whatever. on the 13th, at a council of war, he overruled the objections of his generals, and determined to retreat, his arguments being that the ground was unsuited for defensive operations; that the defeat of the one disciplined army would endanger the final success of the war; and that it was for russia, not for any one city, they were fighting.
the argument was not without reason; but, if he had resolved not to fight again, he should have accepted the advice to take up a position on napoleon's flank. had he done this, the french could have made no advance, and moscow would have been saved from destruction.
as the army began its passage through the capital the exodus of the inhabitants commenced. already the wealthier classes had removed their effects, and the merchants the greater part of their goods. now the whole population poured out into the streets, and thousands of carts and vehicles of all descriptions, packed closely with household furniture, goods, and effects of all kinds, moved towards the gates. out of 200,000 inhabitants 180,000 left the city, with 65,000 vehicles of every kind. in addition to these were enormous quantities of fugitives from every town and village west of smolensk, who had hitherto accompanied the army, moving through the fields and lanes, so as to leave the roads unencumbered for the passage of the guns and trains.
every russian peasant possesses a roughly-made cart on two or four wheels, and as their belongings were very scanty, these, as a rule, sufficed to hold all their property. the greater portion of the fugitives had passed out of the city at two o'clock in the afternoon, and shortly afterwards murat with his cavalry passed across the river by a ford and entered the town. a few desperate men left behind opened fire, but were speedily overpowered and killed, but a number of citizens, mad with fury, rushed so furiously upon murat and his staff, that he was obliged to open fire upon them with a couple of light guns.
at three o'clock napoleon arrived with his guards, expecting to be met on his arrival by the authorities of the city with assurances of their submission and prayers for clemency for the population. he was astounded with the silence that reigned everywhere, and at hearing that moscow had been evacuated by the population. full of gloomy anticipations he proceeded to the house murat had selected for him. strict orders were issued against pillage, and the army bivouacked outside the city. the troops, however, were not to be restrained, and as soon as it was dark stole away and entered the town in large numbers and began the work of pillage. scarcely had they entered when in various quarters fires broke out suddenly. the bazaar, with its ten thousand shops, the crown magazines of forage, wines, brandy, military stores, and gunpowder were speedily wrapped in flames. there were no means of combating the fire, for every bucket in the town had been removed by the orders of the governor.
many a tale of strange experience in all parts of europe was told around the camp-fires of the grenadiers of the rhone that evening. several of the younger men had been among those who had gone into moscow in search of plunder. they had returned laden with goods of all sorts, and but few without a keg of spirits. the colonel had foreseen this, and had called the sergeants together.
"my braves," he said, "i am not going to punish anyone for breaking orders to-night. if i had been carrying a musket myself i have no doubt that i should have been one of those to have gone into the town. after such a march as we have had here, it is only natural that men should think that they are entitled to some fun; but there must be no drunkenness. i myself shall be at the quarter-guard, and six of you will be there with me. every bottle of spirits brought in is to be confiscated. you will take it in your charge, and serve out a good ration to every man in the regiment, so that those who have done their duty and remained in camp shall fare as well as those who have broken out. i have no doubt there will be sufficient brought in for all. what remains over, you can serve out as a ration to-morrow. it is good to be merry, but it is not good to be drunk. the grenadiers have done their share of fighting and deserve their share of plunder, but do not let pleasure go beyond the line of duty. give a good ration to each man, enough to enjoy the evening, and to celebrate our capture of moscow, but not enough to make them noisy. it is like enough that the general will be round to-night to see how things are going on, and i should wish him to see us enjoying ourselves reasonably. anything else that is brought in, with the exception of spirits, can be kept by the men, unless of course there is a general order issued that all plunder is to be given up."
as fully half the regiment were away, and as every man brought back one or more bottles or kegs of spirits, the amount collected at the quarter-guard was very considerable. those of the men who, on coming back, showed any signs of intoxication were not allowed a share, but half a litre of spirits was served out to every other man in the regiment; and although a few of those who had brought it in grumbled, the colonel's decision gave general satisfaction, and there were merry groups round the bivouac fires.
"i have marched into a good many capitals," the old sergeant said. "i was with the first company that entered madrid. i could never make out the spaniards. at one time they are ready to wave their hats and shout "viva!" till they are hoarse. at another, cutting your throat is too good for you. one town will open its gates and treat you as their dearest friends, the next will fight like fiends and not give in till you have carried the last house at the point of the bayonet. i was fond of a glass in those days; i am fond of it now, but i have gained wit enough to know when it is good to drink. i had a sharp lesson, and i took it to heart."
"tell us about it, comrade," julian said.
"well it was after talavera. we had fought a hard battle there with the english, and found them rough customers. the spaniards bolted like sheep. as soldiers, they are the most contemptible curs in the world. they fought well enough in the mountains under their own leaders, but as soldiers, why, our regiment would thrash an army of 15,000 of them. the english were on the top of the hill—at least at the beginning there were a few of them up there, and we thought that it would be an easy job to drive them off, but more came up, and do what we would, we could not manage it; so it ended with something like a drawn battle. we claimed the victory, because they fell back the next morning, and they claimed it because they had repulsed all our attacks. however, we reaped the benefit; they really fell back, because those rascally spaniards they were fighting for, starved them; and, besides that, we had two other divisions marching to interpose between them and portugal, and that old fox wellington saw that unless he went off as fast as he could, he would be caught in a trap.
"they got a good start of us, but we followed, and three nights after talavera two companies of us were quartered for the night in the village right out on the flank of the line we were following. well, i got hold of a skin of as good wine as ever i drank. two or three of us stole out to enjoy it quietly and comfortably, and so thoroughly did we do it, that i suppose i somehow mistook my way back to my quarters, wandered aside, and then lay down to sleep. i must have slept soundly, for i heard neither bugle nor drum. when i awoke the sun was high, and there was a group of ugly-looking spaniards standing near me. i tried to jump up on to my feet, but found that my arms and legs were both tied. however, i managed to sit up and looked round. not a sign of our uniform was there to be seen; but a cloud of dust rising from the plain, maybe ten miles away, showed where the army had gone.
"well, i gave it up at once. a single french soldier had never found mercy at the hands of the spaniards, and i only wondered that they had not cut my throat at once, instead of taking the trouble to fasten me up. i knew enough of their language to get along with, and, putting as bold a face as i could on it, i asked them what they had tied me up for. they laughed in an unpleasant sort of way, and then went away. 'let me have a drink of water,' i said, for my throat was nearly as dry as a furnace. they paid no attention, and till sunset left me there in the full heat of the sun. by the time they came back again i was half mad with thirst. i supposed then, as i have supposed ever since, that they did not cut my throat at once, because they were afraid that some other detachment might come along, and that if they found my body or a pool of blood, they would, as like as not, burn the village over their heads. anyhow at sunset four men came, cut the ropes from my feet, and told me to follow them. i said that i would follow willingly enough if they would give me a drink of water first, but that if they didn't they might shoot me if they liked, but not a step would i walk.
"they tried kicking and punching me with their guns, but finding that i was obstinate, one of them called to a woman down by the village to bring some water. i drank pretty near a bucketful, and then said i was ready to go on. we went up the hill and then on some ten miles to a village standing in the heart of a wild country. here i was tied to a post. two of them went away and returned in a few minutes with a man they called el chico. i felt before that i had not much chance, but i knew now that i had none at all, for the name was well enough known to us as that of one of the most savage of the guerilla leaders. he abused me for ten minutes, and told me that i should be burnt alive next morning, in revenge for some misconduct or other of a scouting party of ours. i pointed out that as i was not one of that scouting party it was unfair that i should be punished for their misdeeds; but, of course, it was of no use arguing with a ruffian like that, so he went away, leaving me to my reflections.
"i stood all night with my back to that post. two fellows with muskets kept guard over me, but even if they hadn't done so i could not have got away, for i was so tightly bound that my limbs were numbed, and the cords felt as if they were red hot. in the morning a number of women brought up faggots. el chico himself superintended their arrangement, taking care that they were placed in a large enough circle round me that the flames would not touch me; so that, in fact, i should be slowly roasted instead of burned. i looked about in the vague hope one always has that something might occur to save me, and my heart gave a jump when i saw a large body of men coming rapidly down a slope on the other side of the village. they were not our men, i was sure, but i could not see who they were; anyhow there might be someone among them who would interpose to save me from this villain.
"everyone round me was too interested in what was going on to notice anything else; and you may be sure that i did not look that way again, for i knew well enough that if the guerilla had noticed them he would shoot me at once rather than run any risk of being baulked of his vengeance. so it was not until they began to enter the village that anyone noticed the new arrivals. a mounted officer, followed by four troopers, dashed down ahead and rode up to us, scattering the crowd right and left. i saw at once by his uniform that he was an english officer, and knew that i was saved. i fancy i must have been weak, for i had had nothing to eat the day before, and had been tied up all night. for a time i think i really fainted. when i recovered some soldiers had cut my bonds, and one was pouring some spirits down my throat. the english officer was giving it hot to el chico.
"'you dog!' he said, 'it is you, and the fellows like you, who bring discredit on your country. you run like sheep when you see a french force under arms. you behave like inhuman monsters when, by chance, a single man falls into your power. i have half a mind to put you against that wall there and have you shot; or, what would meet your deserts better, hang you to yonder tree. don't finger that pistol, you scoundrel, or i will blow your brains out. be off with you, and thank your stars i did not arrive ten minutes later; for if i had come too late to save this poor fellow's life, i swear to you that i would have hung you like a dog. who is the head man of the village?'"
a man stepped forward.
"'what do you mean, sir,' said the officer sternly, 'by permitting this villain to use your village for his atrocities? as far as i can see you are all as bad as he is, and i have a good mind to burn the whole place over your ears. as it is, i fine the village 800 gallons of wine, and 4000 pounds of flour, and 10 bullocks. see that it is all forthcoming in a quarter of an hour, or i shall set my men to help themselves. not a word! do as you are ordered!'
"then he dismounted, and was coming to me, when his eye fell on el chico. 'sergeant,' he said to a non-commissioned officer,' take four men and march that fellow well outside the village, and then stand and watch him; and see that he goes on, and if he doesn't, shoot him.' then he came over to me. 'it is well that i arrived in time, my lad,' he said in french.' how did you get into this scrape?'
"'it was wine did it, sir. i drank too much at our bivouac in a village down the plain, and did not hear the bugles in the morning, and got left behind. when i awoke they had tied me up, and they kept me lying in the sun all day, not giving me as much as a drop of water. at sunset they marched me up here and tied me to that post, and el chico told me that i should be roasted in the morning; and so it certainly would have been if you had not come up.'
"i learned that he was a colonel trant. he commanded a force of portuguese, and was a daring partizan leader, and gave us a great deal of trouble. i was never more pleased than i was at seeing the disgust of those villagers as they paid the fine imposed on them, and i should imagine that when el chico paid his next visit there, his reception would not be a cordial one. the brigade had been marching all night, and halted for six hours, and the bullocks, flour, and wine furnished them with a good meal all round. it was an hour or two before i was able to stand, but after a while the circulation got right, and i was able to accompany them when they marched. they did not know until i told them that our force had passed on ahead of them in pursuit of wellington. i made no secret of that, for they would have heard it from the first peasant they met. when we started, the colonel asked me what i meant to do.
"'i don't want to keep you prisoner, my man,' he said. 'in the first place, i don't wish to be troubled with looking after you; and in the second, you cannot be considered as a prisoner of war, for you were unarmed and helpless when we found you. now, we are going to march all night. i am not going to tell where we are going; but i think it likely that we shall pass within sight of your camp-fires, and in that case i will leave you to make your way down to them, and will hand you back your musket and pouch, which you may want if you happen to fall in with a stray peasant or two.'
"i had noticed that they had taken along my musket and pouch, which had been brought up by the fellows that guarded me. they were strapped on to a mule's pack, of which they had about a couple of dozen with them, but i little thought the gun was going to be given me again.
"'monsieur le colonel,' i said, 'i thank you from my heart. i should have felt disgraced for ever if i were to go into the camp unarmed. now, i shall be able to go in with my head erect, and take my punishment for having got drunk, and failing to fall in at the assembly, like a man. on the honour of a french soldier, i swear that i shall for ever regard the english as the most generous of foes.'
"it was noon when we started, and at nine o'clock at night, as we were keeping along high up on the hills, i saw our bivouac fires. a minute or two later, the colonel rode up.
"'there are your fires, lad,' he said. 'i don't fancy there is any village between us and the spot where your people are encamped. however, as there is a moon, you will be able to avoid one if you come upon it; and seeing you are armed, any peasants you may meet will scarcely venture to attack you within musket-shot of your own lines. here is a note i have written to the colonel of your regiment telling him of the plight i found you in, and expressing a hope that what you have gone through may be considered a sufficient punishment for your indulgence in too much wine. good-night.'
"well, i got down safely enough. of course, when i got to our line of pickets, i was challenged, and sent in a prisoner. in the morning i was taken before the colonel. he rated me soundly. i can tell you. when he had finished, i saluted and handed him the note. he read it through, and handed it to the major.
"'a letter from the enemy,' he said. 'it is from trant, who must be a good fellow as well as a brave soldier, as we know to our cost. tell me more about this, rignold.'
"i told him.
"'i agree with the englishman,' he said. 'you have had a lesson that will last you all your life. i wish i had means of sending an answer back to this english colonel, thanking him for his generous treatment. if he ever falls into our hands, i will take care that this action of his shall be brought to the general's notice. you can go.'
"well, you see, that lesson has lasted all my life; and i am certainly not likely to forget it here, where the peasants are every bit as savage as the spaniards. but as for the english, though i have fought with them half a dozen times since, and have been beaten by them too, i have always had a liking for them. that was one reason why i took to you, youngster, from the first."
"they fight well, do they?" one of the other sergeants asked. "i never was in spain, but i thought from the bulletins that we generally beat them."
"bulletins!" growled rignold, "who can believe bulletins? we have got so accustomed to writing bulletins of victory that when we do get thrashed we can't write in any other strain. why, i tell you that we who have fought and conquered in italy and austria, in prussia and on the rhine, have learned to acknowledge among ourselves, that even our best troops were none too good when it came to fighting the english. i fought a dozen battles against them, and in not one of them could i honestly say that we got the best of it. talavera was the nearest thing. but we were fairly thrashed at busaco and salamanca. albuera we claimed as a drawn fight, but such a drawn fight i never wish to share in again. the day had been going well. the spaniards of course bolted, horse and foot. but at last matters cleared up, and we advanced against them in heavy columns. soult called up all the reserves. we had captured six of their guns. our columns had crowned the hill they held, and we cheered loudly, believing that the battle was won, when an english brigade in line fell upon us. our guns swept them with grape, and that so terribly that for a time they fell into confusion. but to our astonishment they rallied, and came down on us. we were four to one, but we were in columns, and strove in vain to form into line to meet them. volley after volley swept away the head of our formation. soult exposed himself recklessly. officers and men ran forward, and we kept up a fire that seemed as if it must destroy them, and yet on they came, cheering incessantly. never did i see such a thing. never did any other man there see such a thing. they came down upon us with the bayonet. we strove, we fought like madmen; but it was in vain, and we were hurled down that hill in utter confusion.
"we heard afterwards that of the 6000 british soldiers who began the day, but 1800 stood unwounded at the end. they had with them 24,000 spaniards, but, of course, we never counted them as anything, and they did their allies more harm than good by throwing them into confusion in their flight. we had 19,000 infantry, all veteran troops, mind you, and yet we could not storm that hill, and drive those 6000 englishmen off it. we lost over 8000 men, and that in a battle that lasted only four hours. our regiment suffered so that it was reduced to a third of its number. we fought them again at salamanca, and got thrashed there; soon after that we were sent back to france to fill up our ranks again, and i for one was glad indeed when we were sent to the rhine and not back to spain; for i tell you i never want to meet the english again in battle. borodino was bad enough, and for stubborn, hard fighting, the russians have proved themselves as tough customers as one can want to meet; but the english have more dash and quickness. they man?uvre much more rapidly than do the russians, and when they charge, you have either got to destroy them or to go."
"you are right there, comrade," another said. "i was with my regiment, the 5th, at badajoz. it was a strong place. phillipson, who was in command, was a thoroughly good officer. he had strengthened the defences in every way, and the garrison was 5000 strong. we reckoned we could hold out for three months anyhow. 15,000 men sat down before us on the 17th of march, and began to open trenches against a strong outlying fort. we made several sorties, and did all we could to hinder them, but on the 25th they stormed the fort. it was defended desperately, but in an hour it was all over. still, that was only an outlying work. soult was known to be advancing to our relief; but he waited to gather as large a force as possible, believing, reasonably enough, that we could hold out a month, while we still calculated on holding out for three. the english worked like demons, and on the 6th of april they had made two breaches. we had prepared everything for them. we had planted mines all over the breaches. we had scores of powder barrels, and hundreds of shells ready to roll down. we had guns placed to sweep them on both flanks and along the top. we had a stockade of massive beams in which were fixed sword blades, while in front of this the breach was covered with loose planks studded with sharp iron points.
"every man behind the stockade had half a dozen spare muskets. a legion of devils could not have taken the place. they did not take it, but never did mortal men try harder. even when they felt that it was absolutely impossible, they stood there amid that storm of shot and shell, exploding powder barrels, and bursting mines. two thousand men were killed in that breach, and yet they still stood there. our own triumph was but a short one, for another british division had carried the castle. while we were exulting in victory, the town was lost. thus, you see, they had in twenty days captured the fortress that we and everyone else made sure we could defend for at least three months. fortunately we were exchanged a short time afterwards, and so i escaped being sent to an english prison. i agree with you, rignold. i am ready to do my share of fighting, but i would rather do it against any one, even against these russians, than against the english; and i think you will find that every man who has served in spain would say the same."
"after all, comrades," another veteran said, "it seems to me that it does not make much difference who you have got to fight against, for you see the generals make things about even. if one of our generals finds that there are say 50,000 spaniards marching against him, while his force is only 10,000, he gives battle. well, he won't give battle to 50,000 austrians unless he has got something like 35,000. i should say that after borodino he would like to have 40,000, at least, against 50,000 russians. no doubt the english calculate the same way, and, in spain, we must admit that we always found them ready to fight when, as far as numbers went, we outmatched them. so i take it that the difference between the fighting powers of armies is not felt so much as you would think by each soldier, because allowance for that is made by the generals on both sides, and the soldiers find themselves always handicapped just in proportion to their fighting powers. so you see there is a big element of luck in it. the question of ground comes in, and climate, and so on. now, taking spain, though 10,000 against 50,000 would be fair enough odds in a fight in the open, if a hundred of us were attacked by 500 spaniards among the mountains, it would go very hard with us. and, again, though 1000 frenchmen might repulse 3000 of those mamelukes if they attacked us in the cool of the morning or in the evening, yet if we were caught in the middle of the day, with the sun blazing down, and parched with thirst, we might succumb. then, of course, the question of generals counts for a great deal. so you see that even supposing both sides agree, as it were, as to the fighting powers of their troops, the element of luck counts for a lot, and before you begin to fight you can never feel sure that you are going to win."
"well, but we do win almost everywhere, brison."
"yes, yes; because we have napoleon and ney and soult and the rest of them. we have had to fight hard many and many a time, and if the battle had been fought between the same armies with a change of generals, things would have gone quite differently to what they did."
"you were with napoleon in egypt, were you not?" julian asked.
"yes, i was there; and, bad as this desolate country is, i would anyhow rather campaign here than in egypt. the sun seems to scorch into your very brain, and you are suffocated by dust. drink as much as you will, you are always tormented by thirst. it is a level plain, for the most part treeless, and with nothing to break the view but the mud villages, which are the same colour as the soil. bah! we loathed them. and yet i ought not to say anything against the villages, for, if it had not been for one of them, i should not be here now. i will tell you the tale. two hundred of us had been despatched to seize some of the leading sheiks, who were said to be holding a meeting in some place fifteen miles away from where we were encamped. we had a squadron of horse and a hundred of our men. we afterwards found that the whole story was a lie, invented to get us into a trap. we were guided by a villainous-looking rogue on a camel, and beyond the fact that we were marching south-east, we had no idea where we were going. half the cavalry kept ahead. we had marched four hours, when, on coming on to the crest of one of the sand-hills, we saw about half a mile away a little clump of mud huts. near the foot of some high hills to the right were some tents.
"'there it is,' the guide said, pointing to the tents. and the cavalry set off at a gallop, followed by the guide, who soon fell far into their rear. just as the cavalry reached the tents, we saw two great masses of horsemen appear from behind the sand-hills on either flank, and with loud yells ride down upon them. with a shout of fury we were about to break into a run, but the major who was in command said, 'it is useless, comrades. there is but one hope. make for that village. we can hold that; and there, if any of our comrades escape, they will find shelter. double, march.' off we went, but it was against the grain. we could hear the cracking of pistols, the shouts of our brave fellows, the yells of the arabs, and our hearts were there; but we felt that the major was right. there must have been fully a couple of thousand of the arabs, and we should have but thrown away our lives. it was a terrible run. the heat was stifling; the dust rose in clouds under our feet. we could scarce breathe, but we knew that we were running for life. as we neared the village, we heard yells behind us.
"'a hundred yards further, lads,' the major shouted. we did it, and when we reached the first house we halted. three hundred yards away were a dozen of our troopers, followed by a mob of arabs. the major faced twenty men about, and ordered the rest of us to divide ourselves among the huts. there were but nine of these. the villagers, who had seen us coming, had bolted, and we had just got into the houses when we heard the rear-guard open fire. there was a young lieutenant with the troopers, and, as they rode in, he ordered them to dismount, and to lead their horses into the huts. a moment later the rear-guard ran in. we felt for a moment like rats caught in a trap, for, in the hut i was in, there were but two rooms. one had no light but what came in at the door; the other had an opening of about nine inches square, and that not looking into the street. in a moment, however, we saw that there was a ladder leading up to the flat roof, and we swarmed up. these houses are all built with flat roofs made of clay like the walls. some of them have a parapet about a foot high; some of them none at all. in better-class villages some of the parapets are a good deal higher; so that the women can sit there unobserved from the other roofs.
"the hut we were in had a low parapet, and we threw ourselves down behind it. the street was full of horsemen, yelling and discharging their guns at the doors; but when, almost at the same moment, a rattling fire broke out from every roof, the scene in the street changed as if by magic. men fell from their horses in all directions. the horses plunged and struggled, and so terrible was the mêlée that, had the houses stood touching each other, i doubt whether a man of those who entered would have got out alive. as it was, they rode out through the openings, leaving some sixty or seventy of their number dead in the street. we had breathing time now. the whole of the arab horsemen presently surrounded us, but the lesson had been so severe that they hesitated to make another charge into the village. the major's orders, that we were not to throw away a shot, unless they charged down in force, were passed from roof to roof round the village. we were ordered to barricade the doors with anything we could find, and if there was nothing else, we were, with our bayonets, to bring down part of the partition walls and pile the earth against the door. each hut was to report what supply of water there was in it. this was to be in charge of the non-commissioned officer, or the oldest soldier if there was not one, and he was to see that it was not touched at night. it was to be divided equally among all the huts.
"'you will understand, men,' he shouted from his roof, 'that our lives depend more upon the water than upon your arms. we could defend this place against that horde for a year; but if water fails altogether, there will be nothing to do but to sally out and sell our lives as dearly as we can.' fortunately, we had still water with us, for it was not known whether we should find any on the march, and we had been ordered to leave our kits behind, and to carry, in addition to the water-bottles, a skin holding about a gallon. in our hut we found eight porous jars, each of which would hold about a couple of gallons. six of them were full. the empty ones we filled up from our skins, for these jars keep the water wonderfully cool. in none of the other huts had they found so good a supply as ours, but all had more or less water; and, on totalling them up, it was found that there was an average of four jars in each hut, without, of course, counting that which we had brought. as there were a hundred and ten of us, this gave a total supply of a hundred and eighty-two gallons; rather better than a gallon and a half a man.
"the major ordered that the allowance was to be a pint night and morning for the first four days. if help did not come at the end of that time, it was to be reduced by half. we could see where the water came from. there was a well-worn path from the village to a hollow about three hundred yards away, and we could see that there was a great hole, and it was down this that the women went to fill their water-jars. it was a consolation to us that it was so close, for, if the worst came to the worst, half of us could go down at night and refill the jars. no doubt they would have to fight their way, but, as the rest could cover them by their fire, we felt that we should be able to manage it. for the next four days we held the place. we slept during the day. the arabs did not come near us then; but as soon as it got dusk they began to crawl up, and flashes of fire would break out all round us.
"unfortunately, there was no moon, and as they came up pretty nearly naked, their bodies were so much the colour of the sand that they could not be made out twenty yards away. they were plucky enough, for they would come right in among the houses and fire through the doors, and sometimes a number of them would make a rush against one; but nothing short of bursting the doors into splinters would have given them an entry, so firmly did the piles of earth hold them in their places. in the middle of the fifth day a cloud of dust was seen across the plain from the direction in which we came. no one had a doubt that it was a party sent to our relief, and every man sprang to his feet and swarmed up on to the roof, as soon as the man on watch above told us the news; directly afterwards the major shouted, 'each man can have a ration of water.'
"in a few minutes we saw the arabs mount and ride off, and it was not long before five hundred of our cavalry rode into the village. we had only lost five men; all had been shot through the head as they were firing over the parapet. we had each night buried those who fell, and in five minutes after the arrival of the cavalry, were ready to start on our march back. if it had not been for that village, and for the quickness with which the major saw what was the only thing to be done, not a single man would ever have got back to camp to tell what had happened. they were brave fellows, those arabs; and, if well drilled by our officers, would have been grand troops on such an expedition as this, and would have taught the cossacks a good many things at their own game.
"the egyptian infantry were contemptible, but the arabs are grand horsemen. i don't say that in a charge, however well drilled, they could stand against one of our cuirassier regiments. men and horses would be rolled over; but for skirmishing, vidette duty, and foraging, no european cavalry would be in it with them. they are tireless, both horses and men, and will go for days on a little water and a handful of dates; and if the horses can get nothing else, they will eat the dates just as contentedly as their masters."
several times as these stories had been told, the group had risen to their feet to watch the fires that were burning in various parts of the town, and just as the sergeant brought his story to a close, the assembly sounded.
"i have been expecting that for some time," brison said. "as our division is nearest to the city, i thought they would be sure to turn us out before long, to put out those fires. they must be the work of some of our rascally camp-followers, or of some of the ruffians of the town, who have been breaking into deserted houses and plundering them. well, the liquor is finished, and there is always interest in fighting a fire."
five minutes later, the grenadiers of the rhone and six other regiments of their division marched into moscow to extinguish the flames.
