“And off they went, very slowly, like men whose legs are utterly done for.
“I sent four scouts on in front, three hundred metres ahead; the remainder followed higgledy-piggledy, a confused column, in an order dictated only by the extent of their exhaustion and the length of their steps. I placed the strongest in the rear, with orders to hurry on the laggards with bayonet thrusts … in the back.
“The snow buried us alive, so to speak, powdering caps and capes without thawing upon them, making phantoms of us, as though we were the ghosts of soldiers dead of weariness.
“I said to myself: ‘We’ll never get out of this without a miracle.’
“From time to time we halted for a few minutes for the sake of those who could not keep up. Then no sound could be heard but the faint whisper of the snow, the almost inaudible murmur made by the rush and swirl of the falling flakes.
“Some of the men shook themselves, others did not move.
“Then I would order them to continue the march. Up went the rifles on to their shoulders, and with drowsy limbs they plodded on again.
“Suddenly the scouts came in; something was alarming them. They had heard voices in front of us. I sent six men and a sergeant. And I waited.
“Suddenly a sharp cry, a woman’s scream, pierced the heavy silence of the snow, and in a few minutes two prisoners were brought before me, an old man and a girl.
“I questioned them in a low voice. They were fleeing from the Prussians, who had occupied their house that evening, and who were drunk. The father had been afraid for his daughter, and without even telling their servants, they had both escaped in the dark.
“I at once realised that they were people of the middle class, or even better.
“ ‘Come with us,’ I said to them.
“Off we went. As the old man knew the country, he acted as our guide. The snow stopped falling; the stars came out and the cold grew quite terrible. The young girl, who held her father’s arm, walked with tottering steps, in obvious distress. Several times she murmured: ‘I can’t feel my feet any longer,’ and as for me, I suffered worse to see the poor little woman dragging herself so wearily through the snow.
“Suddenly she stopped.
“ ‘Father,’ she said, ‘I’m so tired I can go no further.’
“The old man wanted to carry her, but he could not even lift her off the ground, and with a deep sigh she fainted.
“They formed a circle round her. As for me, I marked time where I stood, not knowing what to do, and unable to make up my mind to abandon the man and his child.
“Then one of my men, a Parisian who had been nicknamed Slim Jim, suddenly said:
“ ‘Come on, you fellows, we must carry the young lady, or damn me if we’re decent Frenchmen.’
“I believe I swore with pure pleasure.
“ ‘By God, that’s good of you, boys; I’ll take my share in it too.’
“The trees of a small wood were faintly visible on the left through the darkness. Several men fell out and soon returned with a bundle of branches intertwined to form a litter.
“ ‘Who’ll lend his cape?’ said Pratique. ‘It’s for a pretty girl, boys.’
“And ten capes fell round his feet. In a second the girl was lying on the warm garments, and lifted on to six shoulders. I was in front on the right, and, by Jove! I was pleased to bear the burden.
“We went off as though we’d had a glass of wine, with more life and fire. I even heard jokes. You see, Frenchmen only need a woman to become electrified.
“The soldiers had almost formed up again in proper ranks, heartened and warmed. An old irregular who was following the litter, awaiting his turn to replace the first of his comrades who fell out, murmured to his neighbour in a tone loud enough for me to overhear:
“ ‘I’m not young any longer, but, damn it all, there’s nothing like the sex for putting courage into a man’s belly.’
“Until three o’clock in the morning we went forward almost without a halt. Then suddenly the scouts doubled back again, and soon the whole detachment was lying down in the snow, a mere vague shadow on the ground.
“I gave orders in a low voice, and behind us I heard the dry metallic crackle of rifles being cocked.
“For out in the middle of the plain something strange was stirring. It looked like an enormous animal moving along, lengthening out like a snake or gathering itself together into a ball, dashing off abruptly, now to the right, now to the left, halting, then starting off again.
“Suddenly this wandering shape approached us, and I saw, coming up at a fast trot, one behind the other, twelve lost Uhlans, seeking the right road. They were now so close that I could plainly hear the loud breathing of the horses, the jingling of their accoutrements, and the creaking of their saddles.
“I cried: ‘Fire!’
“Fifty shots broke the silence of the night. Then four or five more reports rang out, then one all by itself, and when the blinding glare of the blaze of fire had faded, we saw that the twelve men and nine of their horses had fallen. Three animals were galloping wildly away, one of them dragging behind it the body of its rider, hanging from the stirrup by one foot, bumping and bounding furiously.
“Behind me a soldier laughed, a terrible laugh. Another said:
“ ‘That makes a few widows.’
“Perhaps he was married. A third added:
“ ‘It didn’t take long.’
“A head was thrust out from the litter.
“ ‘What is happening?’ asked the girl. ‘Is there fighting?’
“ ‘It’s nothing, mademoiselle,’ I replied. ‘We have just dispatched a dozen Prussians.’
“ ‘Poor wretches!’ she murmured; but as she was cold, she disappeared again under the soldiers’ capes.
“Off we went again. We marched for a long time, but at last the sky grew pale. The snow became bright, luminous, and gleaming, and a line of warm colour
