第641章

第641章theactionsoftherussianandfrencharmiesduringtheretreatfrommoscowtotheniemenresembleagameofrussianblindman’sbuff,inwhichtherearetwoplayers,bothwiththeireyesbandaged,andoneringsabellatintervalstolettheotherknowofhiswhereabouts.atfirstheringshisbellwithnofearofhisopponent;butwhenhebeginstofindhimselfinadifficultposition,herunsawayasnoiselesslyashecanfromhisopponent,andoftensupposingheisrunningawayfromhim,walksstraightintohisarms.

atfirstnapoleon’sarmymadeitswhereaboutsknown—thatwasintheearlyperiodoftheretreatalongthekalugaroad—butafterwards,whentheyhadtakentothesmolenskroad,theyranholdingthetongueofthebell;andoftensupposingtheywererunningaway,ranstraighttowardstherussians.

owingtotherapidityoftheflightofthefrench,andoftherussiansafterthem,andtheconsequentexhaustionofthehorses,thechiefmeansofkeepingaclosewatchontheenemy’sposition—bymeansofchargesofcavalry—wasoutofthequestion.moreover,inconsequenceofthefrequentandrapidchangesofpositionofbotharmies,whatnewsdidcomealwayscametoolate.ifinformationarrivedonthesecondthatthearmyoftheenemyhadbeeninacertainplaceonthefirst,bythethird,whentheinformationcouldbeactedupon,thearmywasalreadytwodays’marchfurther,andinquiteadifferentposition.

onearmyfled,theotherpursued.fromsmolensk,therewereanumberofdifferentroadsforthefrenchtochoosefrom;andonewouldhavethoughtthat,astheystayedtherefourdays,thefrenchmighthavefoundoutwheretheenemywas,havethoughtoutsomeadvantageousplan,andundertakensomethingnew.yet,afterahaltoffourdays,thecrowdsofthemranback;againnottorightortoleft,but,withnoman？uvresorplans,alongtheiroldroad—theworstone—bykrasnoeandorsha,alongtheirbeatentrack.

expectingtheenemyintheirrearandnotinfront,thefrenchran,lingout,andgettingseparatedasfarastwenty-fourhours’marchfromoneanother.infrontofallfledtheemperor,thenthekings,thenthedukes.therussianarmy,supposingnapoleonwouldtaketheroadtotherightbeyondthednieper—theonlysensiblecourse—turnedalsototheright,andcameoutonthehighroadatkrasnoe.andhere,justasinthegameofblindman,thefrenchcamebearingstraightdownonourvanguard.seeingtheenemyunexpectedly,thefrenchwerethrownintoconfusion,stoppedshortfromthesuddennessofthefright,butthenranonagain,abandoningtheirowncomradesintheirrear.thenforthreedays,theseparatepartsofthefrencharmypassed,asitwere,throughthelinesoftherussianarmy：firsttheviceroy’stroops,thendavoust’s,andthenney’s.theyallabandonedoneanother,abandonedtheirheavyage,theirartillery,andhalftheirmen,andfled,makingsemicirclestotherighttogetroundtherussiansbynight.

neywasthelast,becauseinspite,orperhapsinconsequence,oftheirmiserableposition,withachild’simpulsetobeatthefloorthathasbruisedit,helingeredtodemolishthewallsofsmolensk,whichhaddonenobodyanyharm.ney,whowasthelasttopasswithhiscorpsoftenthousand,reachednapoleonatorshawithonlyathousandmen,havingabandonedalltherest,andallhiscannons,andmadehiswaybystealthatnight,undercoverofthewoods,acrossthednieper.

fromorshatheyfledonalongtheroadtovilna,stillplayingthesamegameofblindmanwiththepursuingarmy.atberezinaagain,theywerethrownintoconfusion,manyweredrowned,manysurrendered,butthosethatgotacrosstheriver,fledon.

theirchiefcommanderwrappedhimselfinafurcloak,andgettingintoasledge,gallopedoffalone,desertinghiscompanions.whoevercould,ranawaytoo,andthosewhocouldnot—surrenderedordied.