o laughed to see us in such straits, for each one was
retreating on his own account; we had no leaders, no discipline, and
they could easily out-number us.

And to hunger, misery, weariness, and fever, the horrors of an
approaching winter were added. The rain never ceased falling from the
gray sky, and the winds pierced us to the bones. How could poor
beardless conscripts, mere shadows, fleshless and worn out, endure all
this? They perished by thousands; their bodies covered the roads. The
terrible _typhus_ pursued us. Some said it was a plague, engendered by
the dead not being buried deep enough; others, that it was the
consequence of sufferings that required more than human strength to
bear. I know not how this may be, but the villages of Alsace and
Lorraine, to which we brought it, will long remember their sufferings;
of a hundred attacked by it, not more than ten or twelve, at the most,
recovered.

At length--since I must continue this sad story--on the evening of the
nineteenth, we bivouacked at Lutzen, where our regiments re-formed as
best they might. The next day early, as we marched on Weissenfels, we
had to skirmish with the Westphalians, who followed us as far as the
village of Eglaystadt. The twenty-second we bivouacked on the glacis
at Erfurt, where we received new shoes and uniforms. Five or six
disbanded companies joined our battalion--nearly all conscripts. Our
new coats and shoes were much too large for us; but they were warm; we
felt like new men.

We had to start again the twenty-second, and the following days passed
near Goetha, Teitlobe, Eisenach and Salminster. The Cossacks
reconnoitred us from a distance. Our hussars would drive them off; but
they returned the moment pursuit was relaxed. Many of our men went
pillaging in the night, and were absent at roll-call, and the sentries
received orders to shoot all who attempted to leave their bivouacs.

I had had the fever ever since we left Leipzig; it increased day by
day, and I became so weak that I could scarcely rise in the mornings to
follow the march. Zebede looked sadly at me, and sometimes said:

"Courage, Joseph! We will soon be at home!"

These words reanimated me; I felt my face flush.

"Yes, yes!" I said; "we will soon be home; I must see home once more!"

The tears forced themselves to my eyes. Zebede carried knapsack when I
was tired, and continued:

"Lean on my arm. We are getting nearer every day, now, Joseph. A