he learned (like a set of fools) have never
sufficiently explained; and we are nipped with the cold. We were no
longer an army after that, do you understand? There was an end of
generals and even of the sergeants; hunger and misery took the command
instead, and all of us were absolutely equal under their reign. All we
thought of was how to get back to France; no one stooped to pick up
his gun or his money; every one walked straight before him, and armed
himself as he thought fit, and no one cared about glory.

The Emperor saw nothing of his star all the time, for the weather was so
bad. There was some misunderstanding between him and heaven. Poor man,
how bad he felt when he saw his Eagles flying with their backs turned
on victory! That was really too rough! Well, the next thing is the
Beresina. And here and now, my friends, any one can assure you on his
honor, and by all that is sacred, that _never_, no, never since there
have been men on earth, never in this world has there been such a
fricasse of an army, caissons, transports, artillery and all, in such
snow as that and under such a pitiless sky. It was so cold that you
burned your hand on the barrel of your gun if you happened to touch
it. There it was that the pontooners saved the army, for the pontooners
stood firm at their posts; it was there that Gondrin behaved like a
hero, and he is the sole survivor of all the men who were dogged enough
to stand in the river so as to build the bridges on which the army
crossed over, and so escaped the Russians, who still respected the Grand
Army on account of its past victories. And Gondrin is an accomplished
soldier, [pointing at Gondrin, who was gazing at him with the rapt
attention peculiar to deaf people] a distinguished soldier who deserves
to have your very highest esteem.

I saw the Emperor standing by the bridge, and never feeling the cold at
all. Was that, again, a natural thing? He was looking on at the loss
of his treasures, of his friends, and those who had fought with him in
Egypt. Bah! there was an end of everything. Women and wagons and guns
were all engulfed and swallowed up, everything went to wreck and ruin. A
few of the bravest among us saved the Eagles, for the Eagles, look you,
meant France, and all the rest of you; it was the civil and military
honor of France that was in our keeping, there must be no spot on the
honor of France, and the cold could never make her bow her head. There
was no getting warm