, in contemptuous triumph. 'And these are the
fellows that pretend to feel their country's glory, and take pride in
her conquests. Where hast thou been, lad, not to hear of places that
every child syllables nowadays?'

'I will tell you where I've been,' said the hussar haughtily, and
dropping at the same time the familiar 'thee' and 'thou' of soldier
intercourse--'I've been at Montenotte, at Millesimo, at Mondove---

'_Allons, donc!_ with your disputes,' broke in an old grenadier; 'as if
France was not victorious whether the enemies were English or German.
Let us hear how Pierre won his battle at--at----'

'At Grandrengs,' said Pierre. 'They call it in the despatch the "action
of the Sambre," because Kleber came up there--and Kleber being a great
man, and Pierre Canot a little one, you understand, the glory attaches
to the place where the bullion epaulettes are found--just as the old
King of Prussia used to say, "Le bon Dieu est toujours a cote des gros
bataillons."'

'I see we'll never come to this same victory of Grandrengs, with all
these turnings and twistings,' muttered the artillery sergeant.

'Thou art very near it now, comrade, if thou'lt listen,' said Pierre,
as he wiped his mouth after a long draught of the wine-flask. 'I'll
not weary the honourable company with any description of the battle
generally, but just confine myself to that part of it in which I was
myself in action. It is well known, that though we claimed the victory
of the 10th May, we did little more than keep our own, and were obliged
to cross the Sambre, and be satisfied with such a position as enabled us
to hold the two bridges over the river--and there we remained for four
days; some said preparing for a fresh attack upon Kaunitz, who commanded
the allies; some, and I believe they were right, alleging that
our generals were squabbling all day, and all night, too, with two
commissaries that the Government had sent down to teach us how to win
battles. _Ma foi!_ we had had some experience in that way ourselves,
without learning the art from two citizens with tricoloured scarfs round
their waists, and yellow tops to their boots! However that might be,
early on the morning of the 20th we received orders to cross the river
in two strong columns, and form on the opposite side; at the same time
that a division was to pass the stream by boat two miles higher up,
and, concealing themselves in a pine wood, be ready to take the enemy in
flank, when