nch army, swooping down at unexpected times
upon some dispirited, disorganised section, cutting it to pieces, and
recapturing some of the spoil with which the troops were loaded.

Captain Ladoinski was present when one of these attacks was made, and,
while assisting to repel the attackers, received a dangerous wound. A
place was found for him in the baggage-wagon, and there he lay for
days, tenderly nursed by his wife. The road was blocked in many places
with abandoned guns, dead horses, and broken-down wagons, and
travelling was difficult. Some of the wagons had not broken down
accidentally or through hard wear, but had been tampered with by the
drivers. Many a terrible act was perpetrated in baggage-wagons during
the retreat from Moscow. In these wagons, among the spoil taken from
the capital, were placed the wounded, frequently unattended and without
protection. Many of the drivers, anxious to possess some of the spoil
with which their wagons were loaded, weakened the axle, so that it
should collapse. The bedraggled soldiers would march on, and when the
drivers were well in rear of the force they murdered their wounded
passengers and looted the wagons.

One night Madame Ladoinski was awakened by the stoppage of their wagon.
She had heard stories of the murdering of the wounded by wagon-drivers,
but she had not believed them, and after peeping out at the
snow-covered country, and seeing that soldiers and other wagons were
near, she lay down again, and in a few minutes was sleeping soundly--a
sleep from which in all probability she would not have awakened, so
intense was the cold, had not the wagon arrived at Smolensk, a depot of
the French army, an hour later. Her life was saved by the prompt
attention of a young officer, who glanced into the wagon, and was
surprised to find her lying insensible with her child beside her.
Calling to some brother officers, he jumped into the wagon and poured a
little brandy into Madame Ladoinski's mouth. Then, when she began to
show signs of returning consciousness, he and his companions lifted her
from the wagon to carry her and her boy to a house where they would be
properly warmed, fed and nursed.

On the way some of the officers recognised her as Captain Ladoinski's
wife, and they were naturally surprised to find her in such a sad
condition. 'Where is Ladoinski?' they asked each other; and one
replied that on the previous day he had seen him, wounded, in the wagon
with