iversaries
furnishes occasion.

But at Moscow the erroneous impression was of short continuance. The
rumour of the destruction of half his army was almost immediately
propagated in that city, from the singular commotion of extraordinary
events, which has been known to spread almost instantaneously to
prodigious distances. Still, however, the language of the chiefs, the
only persons who durst speak, continued haughty and threatening: many of
the inhabitants, trusting to it, remained; but they were every day more
and more tormented by a painful anxiety. Nearly at one and the same
moment, they were transported with rage, elevated with hope, and
overwhelmed with fear.

At one of those moments when, either prostrate before the altars, or in
their own houses before the images of their saints, they had no hope but
in heaven, shouts of joy suddenly resounded: the people instantly
thronged the streets and public places to learn the cause. Intoxicated
with joy, their eyes were fixed on the cross of the principal church. A
vulture had entangled himself in the chains which supported it and was
held suspended by them. This was a certain presage to minds whose
natural superstition was heightened by extraordinary anxiety; it was
thus that their God would seize and deliver Napoleon into their power.

Rostopchin took advantage of all these movements, which he excited or
checked according as they were favourable to him or otherwise. He caused
the most diminutive to be selected from the prisoners taken from the
enemy, and exhibited to the people, that the latter might derive courage
from the sight of their weakness: and yet he emptied Moscow of every
kind of supplies, in order to feed the vanquished, and to famish the
conquerors. This measure was easily carried into effect, as Moscow was
provisioned in spring and autumn by water only, and in winter by
sledges.

He was still preserving with a remnant of hope the order that was
necessary, especially in such a flight, when the effects of the disaster
at Borodino appeared. The long train of wounded, their groans, their
garments and linen dyed with gore; their most powerful nobles struck and
overthrown like the others--all this was a novel and alarming sight to a
city which had for such a length of time been exempt from the horrors of
war. The police redoubled its activity; but the terror which it excited
could not long make head against a still greater terror.

Rostopchin once more addr