ss streets of the Khamovniki quarter the prisoners
marched, followed only by their escort and the vehicles and wagons
belonging to that escort, but when they reached the supply stores they
came among a huge and closely packed train of artillery mingled with
private vehicles.
At the bridge they all halted, waiting for those in front to get across.
From the bridge they had a view of endless lines of moving baggage
trains before and behind them. To the right, where the Kaluga road turns
near Neskuchny, endless rows of troops and carts stretched away into
the distance. These were troops of Beauharnais' corps which had started
before any of the others. Behind, along the riverside and across the
Stone Bridge, were Ney's troops and transport.
Davout's troops, in whose charge were the prisoners, were crossing the
Crimean bridge and some were already debouching into the Kaluga road.
But the baggage trains stretched out so that the last of Beauharnais'
train had not yet got out of Moscow and reached the Kaluga road when
the vanguard of Ney's army was already emerging from the Great Ordynka
Street.
When they had crossed the Crimean bridge the prisoners moved a few steps
forward, halted, and again moved on, and from all sides vehicles and men
crowded closer and closer together. They advanced the few hundred paces
that separated the bridge from the Kaluga road, taking more than an
hour to do so, and came out upon the square where the streets of the
Transmoskva ward and the Kaluga road converge, and the prisoners jammed
close together had to stand for some hours at that crossway. From all
sides, like the roar of the sea, were heard the rattle of wheels, the
tramp of feet, and incessant shouts of anger and abuse. Pierre stood
pressed against the wall of a charred house, listening to that noise
which mingled in his imagination with the roll of the drums.
To get a better view, several officer prisoners climbed onto the wall of
the half-burned house against which Pierre was leaning.
"What crowds! Just look at the crowds!... They've loaded goods even on
the cannon! Look there, those are furs!" they exclaimed. "Just see what
the blackguards have looted.... There! See what that one has behind
in the cart.... Why, those are settings taken from some icons, by
heaven!... Oh, the rascals!... See how that fellow has loaded
himself up, he can hardly walk! Good lord, they've even grabbed those
chaises!... See that fellow there sitting on
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