rewo-Zaimcze
without a bridge, and completely encumbered with carriages. He had
dragged them out of the marsh in sight of the enemy, and so near to them
that their fires lighted his labours, and the sound of their drums
mingled with that of his voice. For the marshal and his generals could
not yet resolve to relinquish to the enemy so many trophies; nor did
they make up their minds to it, till after superfluous exertions, and in
the last extremity, which happened several times a day.

The road was in fact crossed every moment by marshy hollows. A slope,
slippery as glass with the frost, hurried the carriages into them and
there they stuck; to draw them out it was necessary to climb the
opposite ascent by an icy road, where the horses, whose shoes were worn
quite smooth, could not obtaining a footing, and where every moment they
and their drivers dropped exhausted one upon the other. The famished
soldiers immediately fell upon these luckless animals and tore them to
pieces; then at fires, kindled with the remains of their carriages, they
broiled the yet bleeding flesh and devoured it.

Meanwhile the artillerymen, a chosen corps, and their officers, all
brought up in the first school in the world, kept off these unfortunate
wretches whenever they could, and took the horses from their own chaises
and waggons, which they abandoned to save the guns. To these they
harnessed their horses, nay even themselves: the Cossacks, observing
this disaster from a distance, durst not approach; but with their light
pieces mounted on sledges they threw their balls into all this disorder,
and served to increase it.

The first corps had already lost ten thousand men: nevertheless, by dint
of efforts and sacrifices, the viceroy and the Prince of Eckmuehl were,
on the 2d of November, within two leagues of Wiazma. It is certain that
the same day they might have passed that town, joined Ney, and avoided a
disastrous engagement. It is affirmed, that such was the opinion of
Prince Eugene, but that Davoust believed his troops to be too much
fatigued, on which the viceroy, sacrificing himself to his duty, staid
to share a danger which he foresaw. Davoust's generals say, on the
contrary, that Prince Eugene, who was already encamped, could not find
in his heart to make his soldiers leave their fires and their meal,
which they had already begun, and the cooking of which always cost them
a great deal of trouble.

Be that as it may, during the decept