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He imagined only important possibilities: "If the enemy attacks

the right flank," he said to himself, "the Kiev grenadiers and

the Podolsk chasseurs must hold their position till reserves from

the center come up. In that case the dragoons could successfully

make a flank counterattack. If they attack our center we, having

the center battery on this high ground, shall withdraw the left

flank under its cover, and retreat to the dip by echelons." So he

reasoned.... All the time he had been beside the gun, he had

heard the voices of the officers distinctly, but as often happens

had not understood a word of what they were saying. Suddenly,

however, he was struck by a voice coming from the shed, and its

tone was so sincere that he could not but listen.

"No, friend," said a pleasant and, as it seemed to Prince Andrew,

a familiar voice, "what I say is that if it were possible to know

what is beyond death, none of us would be afraid of it. That's

so, friend."