Seite 426 von 3800

On the French side, amid the groups with cannon, a cloud of smoke

appeared, then a second and a third almost simultaneously, and at

the moment when the first report was heard a fourth was seen.

Then two reports one after another, and a third.

"Oh! Oh!" groaned Nesvitski as if in fierce pain, seizing the

officer of the suite by the arm. "Look! A man has fallen! Fallen,

fallen!"

"Two, I think."

"If I were Tsar I would never go to war," said Nesvitski, turning

away.

The French guns were hastily reloaded. The infantry in their blue

uniforms advanced toward the bridge at a run. Smoke appeared

again but at irregular intervals, and grapeshot cracked and

rattled onto the bridge. But this time Nesvitski could not see

what was happening there, as a dense cloud of smoke arose from

it. The hussars had succeeded in setting it on fire and the

French batteries were now firing at them, no longer to hinder

them but because the guns were trained and there was someone to

fire at.