lled by fear of getting blinded
to keep my head bent over the left shoulder so as to bring the blood to
that side. I could not staunch it, being obliged to defend myself
against the corporal, who was cutting at me heavily. I parried as well
as I could, going up backwards all the time. After getting rid of my
scabbard and my busby, the weight of which hampered me, not daring to
turn my head for fear of losing sight of my adversary, whose sword was
crossed with mine, I told the light infantry man, whom I believed to be
behind me, to place his musket on my shoulder, and fire at the Spanish
corporal. Seeing no barrel, however, I leapt a pace back and turned my
head quickly. Lo and behold, there was my scoundrel of a Norman soldier
flying up the hill as fast as his legs would carry him. The corporal
thereupon attacked with redoubled vigour, and, seeing that he could not
reach me, made his horse rear so that his feet struck me more than once
on the breast. Luckily, as the ground went on rising the horse had no
good hold with his hind legs, and every time that he came down again I
landed a sword cut on his nose with such effect that the animal
presently refused to rear at me any more. Then the brigadier, losing his
temper, called out to the trooper behind him, 'Take your carbine: I will
stoop down, and you can aim at the Frenchman over my shoulders.' I saw
that this order was my death-signal; but as in order to execute it the
trooper had to sheathe his sword and unhook his carbine, while all this
time the corporal never ceased thrusting at me, leaning right over his
horse's neck, I determined on a desperate action, which would be either
my salvation or my ruin. Keeping my eye fixed on the Spaniard, and
seeing in his that he was on the point of again stooping over his horse
to reach me, I did not move until the very instant when he was lowering
the upper part of his body towards me; then I took a pace to the right,
and leaning quickly over to that side, I avoided my adversary's blow,
and plunged half my sword-blade into his left flank. With a fearful yell
the corporal fell back on the croup of his horse; he would probably have
fallen to the ground if the trooper behind him had not caught him in his
arms. My rapid movement in stooping had caused the despatch which I was
carrying to fall out of the pocket of my pelisse. I picked it up
quickly, and at once hastened to the end of the lane where the vines
began. There I turned round a