reased every
moment, plaintive howls were heard from one end of the line to the
other, rolling up and down the hill-side and dying away in the distance
like a sigh.

[1] Polish military cap.

But the saddest of all, were the cries of the women, those unhappy
creatures who follow armies. When they were knocked down or crowded
out on to the slope with their carts, their screams could be heard
above all the uproar, but no one turned his head, not a man stretched
out a hand to help them: "Every one for himself!--I shall crush
you,--so much the worse for you,--I am the stronger--you scream, but it
is all the same to me!--take care,--take care--I am on horseback--I
shall hit you!--room--let me get away--the others do just the
same--room for the Emperor! room for the marshal!" The strong crush
the weak--the only thing in the world is strength! On! on! Let the
cannons crush everything, if we can only save them!

But the cannon can move no farther,--unhitch them, cut the traces, and
the horses will carry us off. Make them go as fast as possible, and if
they break down--then let them go? If we were not the stronger our
turn would come to be crushed--we should cry out and everybody would
mock at our complaints. Save himself who can--and "_Vive l'Empereur!_"

"But the Emperor is dead!"

Everybody thought the Emperor had died with, the Old Guard; that seemed
perfectly natural.

The Prussian cavalry passed us in files with drawn sabres, shouting,
"Hurrah!" They seemed to be escorting us, but they sabred every one
who straggled from the road, and took no prisoners, neither did they
attack the column; a few musket-shots passed over us from the right and
left.

Far in the rear we could see a red light: this was the farm-house at
Caillou.

We hastened onward, borne down with fatigue, hunger, and despair; we
were ready to die, but still the hope of escape sustained us. Buche
said to me as we went along, "Joseph, let us help each other."

"I will never abandon you," I replied. "We will die together. I can
hold out no longer, it is too terrible,--we might better lie down at
once."

"No, let us keep on," said he. "The Prussians make no prisoners.
Look! they kill without mercy, just as we did at Ligny."

We kept on in the same direction with thousands of others, sullen and
discouraged, and yet we would turn round all at once and close our
ranks and fire, when a squadron of Prussians came too near. We were
stil