comrades lying frozen
and in heaps around their extinguished fires. To escape from these
catacombs, a horrible effort was required to enable them to climb over
the heaps of these poor wretches, many of whom were still breathing.

At Youpranoui, the same village where the Emperor only missed by an hour
being taken by the Russian partizan Seslawin, the soldiers burnt the
houses completely as they stood, merely to warm themselves for a few
minutes. The light of these fires attracted some of these miserable
wretches, whom the excessive severity of the cold and their sufferings
had rendered delirious; they ran to them like madmen, and gnashing their
teeth and laughing like demons, they threw themselves into these
furnaces, where they perished in the most horrible convulsions. Their
famished companions regarded them undismayed; there were even some who
drew out these bodies, disfigured and broiled by the flames, and it is
but too true, that they ventured to pollute their mouths with this
loathsome food!

This was the same army which had been formed from the most civilized
nation in Europe; that army, formerly so brilliant, which was victorious
over men to its last moment, and whose name still reigned in so many
conquered capitals. Its strongest and bravest warriors, who had recently
been proudly traversing so many scenes of their victories, had lost
their noble countenance; covered with rags, their feet naked and torn,
supporting themselves on branches of fir tree, they dragged themselves
along; all the strength and perseverance which they had hitherto put
forth in order to conquer, they now made use of to flee.

Then it was, that, like superstitious nations, we also had our
prognostications, and heard talk of prophecies. Some pretended that a
comet had enlightened our passage across the Berezina with its
ill-omened fire; it is true that they added, "that doubtless these stars
did not foretel the great events of this world, but that they might
certainly contribute to modify them; at least, if we admitted their
material influence upon our globe, and all the consequences which that
influence may exercise upon the human mind, so far as it is dependant on
the matter which it animates."

There were others who quoted ancient predictions, which, they said, "had
announced for that period, an invasion of the Tartars as far as the
banks of the Seine. And, behold! they were already at liberty to pass
over the overthrown French army