t nor regret. On
the contrary, it was an unknown delight, which pervaded his whole frame
and sent a little shiver of pleasure down his spine. He felt himself a
very small personage, and yet, at the same time, a very great one, who
had far outstripped the bounds of his individuality. It seemed as
though he was borne helplessly on by a mighty power, and the thought
entered his mind that Ganymede must have had similar sensations when he
flew heavenward between the rustling pinions of the eagle. He was now
experiencing the deep and mighty emotion for which he had always
longed, and he had obtained it by emerging from his selfish seclusion
and finding a point of connection with all mankind.

The regiment went down the slope at a walk, describing a wide curve,
partly to make the descent more easily, partly to avoid the dead and
wounded lying in heaps upon the ground at the bottom of the declivity.
Now the horses climbed the other side in a slanting line and reached
the meadow beyond. At a signal from the trumpets, the regiment formed
in two divisions which trotted forward, offering a wide front, still
keeping obliquely to the left for a time, past the cheering
Westphalians, and finally rushing straight upon the foe.

The thunder of the artillery in front ceased and echoed only from the
distance at the right. From the opposite direction a regiment of
cuirassiers came to meet the dragoons. A few hundred yards separated
the front ranks of the two, and the trumpets of both regiments could be
heard at the same time. The order to attack was given, and with
frantic haste, the lines dashed over the resonant clay soil, which was
absolutely free from dust.

It was like a scene from the legends of the Norse gods. The
cuirassiers, riding straight toward the westering sun, glittered and
flashed with fairy-like radiance, their shining sword-blades looked
like tongues of fire, their cuirasses and helmets blazed as if they
were at a white heat, their whole van was steeped in dazzling light, as
though surrounded by a halo. The German dragoons had the sun directly
on their backs. The long black shadows of the horses and riders dashed
over the ground before them, as if the cruel shadows of death were
preceding the living against the proud cuirassiers. Now the ranks met
with a terrible crash. The supernaturally majestic scene was
transformed in an instant into a horrible, formless chaos. Overthrown
by the force of the shock, hor