Before dawn Count Orlov, who had fallen asleep, was waked up. A cserter from the French camp was brought to him. It was a Polish i der-officer of Poniatovsky’s corps. This underofficer explained in Polish lat he had deserted because he had been insulted in the service; because I ought long ago to have been an officer, and was braver than any of tem, and so he had thrown them up and wanted to punish them. He ‘id that Murat was camping for the night a verst from them, and that i they would give him a convoy of a hundred men he would take him : ve. Count Orlov-Denisov took council with his comrades. The propo- fion was too alluring to be refused. Every one clamoured to go, every ie advised making the attempt. After many disputes and confabula- ims, it was settled that Major-General Grekov, with two regiments of Pssacks, should go with the Polish deserter.
‘Now, remember,’ said Count Orlov-Denisov to the Polish deserter, : he dismissed him, ‘if you have been lying, I will have you shot like a » g, but if it’s true, a hundred crowns.’
The deserter made no reply to these words, and with a resolute air minted his horse and rode off with Grekov’s men, who were hurriedly . thered together. They disappeared into the wood. Count Orlov, shiver-
ing from the freshness of the dawning morning, and excited by 1 enterprise he had undertaken on his own responsibility, came out of 1 wood, accompanying Grekov, and began scrutinising the enemy’s can faintly visible now in the deceptive light of the approaching dawn and 1 smouldering camp-fires. On the open copse on Count Orlov-Deniso right our columns ought to have been visible. Count Orlov-Denisov look in that direction; but although they could have been seen even if a lo distance away, these columns were not in sight. Count Orlov-Denis fancied, and his adjutant, who was extremely long-sighted, confirmed t idea, that they were beginning to move in the French camp.
‘Oh, of course it’s too late,’ said Count Orlov, staring at the can As so often happens when the man in whom we are putting faith is longer before our eyes, it all seemed at once perfectly clear and obvio to him that the deserter had been playing them false, that he had be telling them lies, and was only spoiling the whole attack by removi these two regiments, which he was leading away—God only knew wher As if it were possible to capture the general out of such a mass of troo[
‘No doubt he was lying, the scoundrel,’ said the Count.
‘We can turn them back,’ said one of the suite, who was feeling ji the same mistrust in the undertaking as he gazed at the camp.
‘Ah! Yes . . . what do you think, or shall we leave them? Or not?’
‘Do you command them to return?’
‘To return, yes, to return!’ Count Orlov said, with sudden decisic looking at his watch; ‘it will be too late; it’s quite light.’
And an adjutant galloped into the wood after Grekov. When Greki came back, Count Orlov-Denisov, excited by giving up this enterpri: and by vainly waiting for the infantry columns, which still did not a pear, and by the enemy’s being so near (every man in his detachme was feeling the same), resolved to attack.
In a whisper he gave the command: ‘Mount!’
The men got into their places, crossed themselves ... ‘In God name, off!’
‘Hurrah! ’ rang out in the wood, and the Cossacks, with spears lowere flew gaily, one hundred after another, across the stream into the cam as though they were being shot out of a sack.
One desperate, frightened scream from the first Frenchman who caugi sight of the Cossacks, and every creature in the camp, undressed ar half-asleep, was running away, abandoning cannons, muskets, and horse
If the Cossacks had pursued the French without regard to what the left all around and behind them, they could have captured Murat ar all there was there. Their commanding officers tried to make them do s But there was no making the Cossacks budge when they had got boot and prisoners. No one heeded the word of command. They had take fifteen hundred prisoners, thirty-eight cannons, flags, and, what was < most consequence in the eyes of the Cossacks, horses, saddles, covering and various other objects. All of this they wanted to see after, to secui the prisoners and the cannons, to divide the booty, to shout at and eve
fight with one another over the spoils; and all this absorbed the Cossacks’ attention. The Frenchmen, finding themselves not pursued further, began to rally; they formed into companies and began firing. Orlov-Denisov still expected the other columns to arrive, and did not advance further.
