第143章

第143章atteno’clockintheevening，weierotherwithhisplansrodeovertokutuzov’squarters，wherethecouncilofwarwastotakeplace.allthecommandersofcolumnsweresummonedtothecommander-in-chief’s，andwiththeexceptionofprincebagration，whodeclinedtocome，allofthemarrivedatthehourfixed.

weierother，whowasentirelyresponsibleforallthearrangementsfortheproposedbattle，inhiseagernessandhurry，wasastrikingcontrasttotheill-humouredandsleepykutuzov，whoreluctantlyplayedthepartofpresidentandchairmanofthecouncilofwar.weierotherobviouslyfelthimselfattheheadofthemovementthathadbeensetgoingandcouldnotbestopped.hewaslikeahorseinharnessrunningdownhillwithaheavyloadbehindhim.whetherhewerepullingitoritwerepushinghim，hecouldnothavesaid，buthewasflyingalongatfullspeedwithnotimetoconsiderwherethisswiftmotionwouldlandhim.weierotherhadbeentwicethateveningtomakeapersonalinspectionuptotheenemy’sline，andtwicehehadbeenwiththeemperors，russianandaustrian，toreportandexplain，andtohisoffice，wherehehaddictatedthedispositionofthegermantroops.hecamenow，exhausted，tokutuzov’s.

hewasevidentlysomuchengrossedthatheevenforgottoberespectfultothecommander-in-chief.heinterruptedhim，talkedrapidlyandindistinctly，withoutlookingatthepersonhewasaddressing，failedtoanswerquestionsthatwereputtohim，wasspatteredwithmud，andhadanairpitiful，exhausted，distracted，andatthesametimeself-confidentandhaughty.

kutuzovwasstayinginasmallnobleman’scastlenearausterlitz.inthedrawing-room，whichhadbeenmadethecommander-in-chief’sstudy，weregatheredtogether：kutuzovhimself，weierother，andthemembersofthecouncilofwar.theyweredrinkingtea.theywereonlywaitingforprincebagrationtoopenthecouncil.presentlybagration’sorderlyofficercamewithamessagethattheprincecouldnotbepresent.princeandreycameintoinformthecommander-in-chiefofthis；and，profitingbythepermissionpreviouslygivenhimbykutuzovtobepresentatthecouncil，heremainedintheroom.

“well，sinceprincebagrationisn’tcoming，wecanbegin，”saidweierother，hastilygettingupfromhisplaceandapproachingthetable，onwhichanimmensemapoftheenvironsofbrunnlayunfolded.

kutuzov，hisuniformunbuttoned，andhisfatneckasthoughsetfreefrombondage，bulgingoverthecollar，wassittinginalowchairwithhispodgyoldhandslaidsymmetricallyonthearms；hewasalmostasleep.

atthesoundofweierother’svoice，hemadeaneffortandopenedhissolitaryeye.

“yes，yes，please，it’slateasitis，”heassented，andnoddinghishead，heletitdroopandclosedhiseyesagain.

ifthemembersofthecouncilhadatfirstbelievedkutuzovtobeshammingsleep，thenasalsoundstowhichhegaveventduringthereadingthatfollowed，provedthatthecommander-in-chiefwasconcernedwithsomethingoffargreaterconsequencethanthedesiretoshowhiscontemptfortheirdispositionofthetroopsoranythingelsewhatever；hewasconcernedwiththesatisfactionofanirresistiblehumannecessity—sleep.hewasreallyasleep.weierother，withthegestureofamantoobusytoloseevenaminuteofhistime，glancedatkutuzovandsatisfyinghimselfthathewasasleep，hetookupapaperandinaloud，monotonoustonebeganreadingthedispositionofthetroopsintheapproachingbattleunderaheading，whichhealsoread.

“dispositionfortheattackoftheenemy’spositionbehindkobelnitzandsokolnitz，november20，1805.”

thedispositionwasverycomplicatedandintricate.

“astheenemy’sleftwingliesagainstthewoodedhillsandtheirrightwingisadvancingbywayofkobelnitzandsokolnitzbehindtheswampsthatliethere，whileontheotherhandourleftwingstretchesfarbeyondtheirright，itwillbeadvantageoustoattackthislast-namedwing，especiallyifwehavepossessionofthevillagesofsokolnitzandkobelnitz，bywhichmeanswecanatoncefallonthemintherearandpursuethemintheopenbetweenschlapanitzandthethuerassa-wald，therebyavoidingthedefilesofschlapanitzandbellowitz，whicharecoveredbytheenemy’sfront.withthisultimateaimitwillbenecessary…thefirstcolumnmarches…thesecondcolumnmarches…thethirdcolumnmarches”…readweierother.