looking at these things
with pleased yet languid curiosity. They paddled in the pools of blood;
they traced curiously the struggles of some wounded wretch, who, shot or
sabred on the curbstone, had painfully, deviously, dragged himself (so the
gouts of blood showed) to a door-step--to die. They felt the walls, pitted
by musket bullets; they poked their walking-sticks into the holes made by
the cannon-balls. It was as good as a play to them.

The road on either side was lined with dragoons armed _cap-a-pie_. The
poor tired horses were munching the forage with which the muddy ground was
strewn; and the troopers sprawled listlessly about, smoking their short
pipes, and mending their torn costume or shattered accoutrements.
Indulging, however, in the _dolce far niente_, as they seemed to be, they
were ready for action at a moment's notice. There was, about two o'clock,
an _alerte_--a rumor of some tumult toward the Rue St. Denis. One solitary
trumpet sounded "boot and saddle;" and, with almost magical celerity, each
dragoon twisted a quantity of forage into a species of rope, which he hung
over his saddle-bow, crammed his half-demolished loaf into his holsters,
buckled on his cuirass; then, springing himself on his horse, sat
motionless: each cavalier with his pistol cocked, and his finger on the
trigger. The crowd thickened; and in the road itself there was a single
file of cabs, carts, and even private carriages. Almost every moment
detachments of prisoners, mostly blouses, passed, escorted by cavalry;
then a yellow flag was seen, announcing the approach of an ambulance, or
long covered vehicle, filled with wounded soldiers; then hearses; more
prisoners, more ambulances, orderly dragoons at full gallop, orderlies,
military surgeons in their cocked hats and long frock coats, broughams
with smart general officers inside, all smoking.

As to the soldiers, they appear never to leave off smoking. They smoke in
the guard-room, off duty, and even when on guard. An eye-witness of the
combat told me that many of the soldiers had, when charging, short pipes
in their mouths, and the officers, almost invariably, smoked cigars.

At three, there was more trumpeting, more drumming, a general backing of
horses on the foot-passengers, announcing the approach of some important
event. A cloud of cavalry came galloping by; then, a numerous and
brilliant group of staff-officers. In the midst of these, attired in the
uniform of a general of t