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Their sabers catching in the bridles and their spurs jingling,

the hussars hastily dismounted, not knowing what they were to do.

The men were crossing themselves. Rostov no longer looked at the

colonel, he had no time. He was afraid of falling behind the

hussars, so much afraid that his heart stood still. His hand

trembled as he gave his horse into an orderly's charge, and he

felt the blood rush to his heart with a thud. Denisov rode past

him, leaning back and shouting something. Rostov saw nothing but

the hussars running all around him, their spurs catching and

their sabers clattering.

"Stretchers!" shouted someone behind him.

Rostov did not think what this call for stretchers meant; he ran

on, trying only to be ahead of the others; but just at the

bridge, not looking at the ground, he came on some sticky,

trodden mud, stumbled, and fell on his hands. The others

outstripped him.