came no blare of trumpet, no murmur of wheels, no tramp of horses
to mark the advance of that great column which, with my own eyes, I had
seen streaming toward it. The battle roared behind me, but in front all
was as silent as that grave in which so many brave men would shortly
sleep. The sunlight was cut off by the arches of leaves above my head,
and a heavy damp smell rose from the sodden ground. For several miles I
galloped at such a pace as few riders would care to go with roots below
and branches above. Then, at last, for the first time I caught a glimpse
of Grouchy's advance guard. Scattered parties of Hussars passed me on
either side, but some distance off, among the trees. I heard the beating
of a drum far away, and the low, dull murmur which an army makes upon
the march. Any moment I might come upon the staff and deliver my message
to Grouchy in person, for I knew well that on such a march a Marshal of
France would certainly ride with the van of his army.

Suddenly the trees thinned in front of me, and I understood with delight
that I was coming to the end of the wood? whence I could see the army
and find the Marshal.

Where the track comes out from amid the trees there is a small cabaret,
where wood-cutters and waggoners drink their wine. Outside the door of
this I reined up my horse for an instant while I took in the scene which
was before me. Some few miles away I saw a second great forest, that of
St. Lambert, out of which the Emperor had seen the troops advancing. It
was easy to see, however, why there had been so long a delay in their
leaving one wood and reaching the other, because between the two ran the
deep defile of the Lasnes, which had to be crossed. Sure enough, a long
column of troops--horse, foot, and guns--was streaming down one side of
it and swarming up the other, while the advance guard was already among
the trees on either side of me. A battery of Horse Artillery was coming
along the road, and I was about to gallop up to it and ask the officer
in command if he could tell me where I should find the Marshal, when
suddenly I observed that, though the gunners were dressed in blue,
they had not the dolman trimmed with red brandenburgs as our own
horse-gunners wear it. Amazed at the sight, I was looking at these
soldiers to left and right when a hand touched my thigh, and there was
the landlord, who had rushed from his inn.

"Madman!" he cried, "why are you here? What are you doing?"

"I am se