it. The first four squadrons
went down like one man; for when our fellows fell wounded from their
horses, they always sabred or shot them as they lay."

I found this information but too correct. Lines of dead men lay beside
their horses, ranged as they stood in battle, while before them lay the
bodies of the Russian Guard, their gorgeous uniform all slashed with
gold, marking them out amid the dull russet costumes of their comrades.
In many places were they intermingled, and showed where a hand-to-hand
combat had been fought; and I saw two clasped rigidly in each other's
grasp, who had evidently been shot by others while struggling for the
mastery.

"I told you, mon lieutenant, it was useless to come here; this was _a la
mort_ while it lasted; and if it had continued much longer in the same
fashion, it's hard to say which of us had been going over the field now
with lanterns."

Too true, indeed! Not one wounded man did we meet with, nor did one
human voice break the silence around us. "Perhaps," said I, "they may
have already carried up the wounded to the village yonder; I see a great
blaze of light there. Bide forward, and learn if it be so."

When I had dismissed the orderly, I dismounted from my horse, and walked
carefully along the ridge of ground, anxious to ascertain if any poor
fellow still remained alive amid that dreadful heap of dead. A low
brushwood covered the ground in certain places; and here I perceived
but few of the cavalry had penetrated, while the infantry were all
tirailleurs of the Russian Guard, bayoneted by our advancing columns.
As I approached the lake the ground became more rugged and uneven; and
I was about to turn back, when my eye caught the faint glimmering of
a light reflected in the water. Picketing my horse where he stood, I
advanced alone towards the light, which I saw now was at the foot of a
little rocky crag beside the lake. As I drew near, I stopped to listen,
and could distinctly hear the deep tones of a man's voice, as if broken
at intervals by pain, while in his accents I thought I could trace a
tone of indignant passion rather than of bodily suffering.

"Leave me, leave me where I am," cried he, peevishly. "I thought I might
have had my last few moments tranquil, when I staggered thus far."

"Come, come, Comrade!" said another, in a voice of comforting; "come,
thou wert never faint-hearted before. Thou hast had thy share of
bruises, and cared little about them too. Art dr