dditional multitude of
fugitives which had just arrived, filled Wilna with fresh confusion.

Every one thought much more of disputing his life with famine and the
cold than with the enemy. But when the cry of "Here are the Cossacks"
was heard (which for a long time had been the only signal which the
greater number obeyed), it was instantly echoed through the whole city,
and the rout again began.

This city contained a large proportion of the baggage of the army, and
of its treasures, its provisions, a crowd of enormous wagons, loaded
with the emperor's equipage, a large quantity of artillery, and a large
number of wounded men. Our retreat had come upon them like an unexpected
tempest, almost like a thunderbolt. Some were terrified and thrown into
confusion, while consternation kept others motionless. Bearers of
orders, soldiers, horses, and carriages, were seen hurrying about in all
directions, crossing and overturning each other.

In the midst of this tumult, several of the commanders pushed forward
out of the city towards Kowno, with all the troops they could contrive
to muster; but at the distance of a league from the latter place this
heavy and frightened column encountered the height and the ravine of
Ponari.

During our conquering advance, this woody hillock had only appeared to
our soldiers a fortunate accident of the ground, from which they could
discover the whole plain of Wilna, and take a survey of their enemies.
Its rough but sharp declivity had then scarcely been remarked. During a
regular retreat, it would have presented an excellent position for
turning round and stopping the enemy; but in a disorderly flight, where
everything which, in other circumstances, might have been of service,
became injurious; where, in our precipitation and disorder, everything
was turned against us, this hill and its defile became an insurmountable
obstacle, a wall of ice, against which all our efforts were powerless.
It arrested everything, baggage, treasure, and wounded; and the evil was
sufficiently great, in this long series of disasters, to form an epoch.

Here, in fact, it was that money, honor, and all remains of discipline
and strength were completely lost. After fifteen hours of fruitless
effort, when the drivers and the soldiers of the escort saw the King of
Naples and the whole column of fugitives passing them by the sides of
the hill; when they heard the noise of the enemy's cannon and musketry
coming nearer an