Страница 561 из 3800

The general had a fit of coughing as a result of shouting and of

the powder smoke and stopped in despair. Everything seemed lost.

But at that moment the French who were attacking, suddenly and

without any apparent reason, ran back and disappeared from the

outskirts, and Russian sharpshooters showed themselves in the

copse. It was Timokhin's company, which alone had maintained its

order in the wood and, having lain in ambush in a ditch, now

attacked the French unexpectedly. Timokhin, armed only with a

sword, had rushed at the enemy with such a desperate cry and such

mad, drunken determination that, taken by surprise, the French

had thrown down their muskets and run. Dolokhov, running beside

Timokhin, killed a Frenchman at close quarters and was the first

to seize the surrendering French officer by his collar. Our

fugitives returned, the battalions re-formed, and the French who

had nearly cut our left flank in half were for the moment

repulsed.