collect in the town, and bring them to me between
here and Smolensk. If you fail it is but a detachment cut off. If you
succeed it is new life to the army."

He had not expressed himself well, for it was evident that if we failed
it was not merely the loss of a detachment. It is quality as well as
quantity which counts.

And yet how honourable a mission and how glorious a risk! If mortal men
could bring it, then the corn should come from Minsk. I said so, and
spoke a few burning words about a brave man's duty until the Marshal was
so moved that he rose and, taking me affectionately by the shoulders,
pushed me out of the waggon.

It was clear to me that in order to succeed in my enterprise I should
take a small force and depend rather upon surprise than upon numbers.
A large body could not conceal itself, would have great difficulty in
getting food, and would cause all the Russians around us to concentrate
for its certain destruction. On the other hand, if a small body of
cavalry could get past the Cossacks unseen it was probable that they
would find no troops to oppose them, for we knew that the main Russian
army was several days' march behind us. This corn was meant, no doubt,
for their consumption. A squadron of Hussars and thirty Polish Lancers
were all whom I chose for the venture. That very night we rode out of
the camp, and struck south in the direction of Minsk.

Fortunately there was but a half moon, and we were able to pass without
being attacked by the enemy. Twice we saw great fires burning amid the
snow, and around them a thick bristle of long poles. These were the
lances of Cossacks, which they had stood upright while they slept. It
would have been a great joy to us to have charged in amongst them, for
we had much to revenge, and the eyes of my comrades looked longingly
from me to those red flickering patches in the darkness. My faith, I was
sorely tempted to do it, for it would have been a good lesson to teach
them that they must keep a few miles between themselves and a French
army. It is the essence of good generalship, however, to keep one thing
before one at a time, and so we rode silently on through the snow,
leaving these Cossack bivouacs to right and left. Behind us the black
sky was all mottled with a line of flame which showed where our own poor
wretches were trying to keep themselves alive for another day of misery
and starvation.

All night we rode slowly onward, keeping our horses' tails t