Kutuzovlookedlongandintentlyatthesetwosoldiers。Hepuckeredhisface，screweduphiseyes，andpensivelyswayedhishead。
AtanotherspothenoticedaRussiansoldierlaughinglypattingaFrenchmanontheshoulder，sayingsomethingtohiminafriendlymanner，andKutuzovwiththesameexpressiononhisfaceagainswayedhishead。
"Whatwereyousaying？"heaskedthegeneral，whocontinuinghisreportdirectedthecommanderinchief’sattentiontosomestandardscapturedfromtheFrenchandstandinginfrontofthePreobrazhenskregiment。
"Ah，thestandards！"saidKutuzov，evidentlydetachinghimselfwithdifficultyfromthethoughtsthatpreoccupiedhim。
Helookedabouthimabsently。Thousandsofeyeswerelookingathimfromallsidesawaitingawordfromhim。
HestoppedinfrontofthePreobrazhenskregiment，sigheddeeply，andclosedhiseyes。Oneofhissuitebeckonedtothesoldierscarryingthestandardstoadvanceandsurroundthecommanderinchiefwiththem。Kutuzovwassilentforafewsecondsandthen，submittingwithevidentreluctancetothedutyimposedbyhisposition，raisedhisheadandbegantospeak。Athrongofofficerssurroundedhim。Helookedattentivelyaroundatthecircleofofficers，recognizingseveralofthem。
"Ithankyouall！"hesaid，addressingthesoldiersandthenagaintheofficers。Inthestillnessaroundhimhisslowlyutteredwordsweredistinctlyheard。"Ithankyouallforyourhardandfaithfulservice。ThevictoryiscompleteandRussiawillnotforgetyou！Honortoyouforever。"
Hepausedandlookedaround。
"Loweritshead，lowerit！"hesaidtoasoldierwhohadaccidentallyloweredtheFrencheaglehewasholdingbeforethePreobrazhenskstandards。"Lower，lower，that’sit。Hurrahlads！"headded，addressingthemenwitharapidmovementofhischin。
"Hur—r—rah！"roaredthousandsofvoices。
WhilethesoldierswereshoutingKutuzovleanedforwardinhissaddleandbowedhishead，andhiseyelitupwithamildandapparentlyironicgleam。
"Yousee，brothers……"saidhewhentheshoutshadceased……andallatoncehisvoiceandtheexpressionofhisfacechanged。Itwasnolongerthecommanderinchiefspeakingbutanordinaryoldmanwhowantedtotellhiscomradessomethingveryimportant。
Therewasastiramongthethrongofofficersandintheranksofthesoldiers，whomovedthattheymighthearbetterwhathewasgoingtosay。
"Yousee，brothers，Iknowit’shardforyou，butitcan’tbehelped！Bearup；itwon’tbeforlongnow！We’llseeourvisitorsoffandthenwe’llrest。TheTsarwon’tforgetyourservice。Itishardforyou，butstillyouareathomewhilethey—youseewhattheyhavecometo，"saidhe，pointingtotheprisoners。"Worseoffthanourpoorestbeggars。Whiletheywerestrongwedidn’tspareourselves，butnowwemayevenpitythem。Theyarehumanbeingstoo。
Isn’titso，lads？"
Helookedaround，andinthedirect，respectful，wonderinggazefixeduponhimhereadsympathywithwhathehadsaid。Hisfacegrewbrighterandbrighterwithanoldman’smildsmile，whichdrewthecornersofhislipsandeyesintoaclusterofwrinkles。Heceasedspeakingandbowedhisheadasifinperplexity。
"Butafterallwhoaskedthemhere？Servesthemright，thebloodybastards！"hecried，suddenlyliftinghishead。
Andflourishinghiswhipherodeoffatagallopforthefirsttimeduringthewholecampaign，andleftthebrokenranksofthesoldierslaughingjoyfullyandshouting"Hurrah！"
Kutuzov’swordswerehardlyunderstoodbythetroops。Noonecouldhaverepeatedthefieldmarshal’saddress，begunsolemnlyandthenchangingintoanoldman’ssimpleheartedtalk；buttheheartysincerityofthatspeech，thefeelingofmajestictriumphcombinedwithpityforthefoeandconsciousnessofthejusticeofourcause，exactlyexpressedbythatoldman’sgood—naturedexpletives，wasnotmerelyunderstoodbutlayinthesoulofeverysoldierandfoundexpressionintheirjoyousandlong—sustainedshouts。AfterwardswhenoneofthegeneralsaddressedKutuzovaskingwhetherhewishedhiscalechetobesentfor，Kutuzovinansweringunexpectedlygaveasob，beingevidentlygreatlymoved。
BK15CH7
CHAPTERVII
Whenthetroopsreachedtheirnight’shaltingplaceontheeighthofNovember，thelastdayoftheKrasnoebattles，itwasalreadygrowingdusk。Alldayithadbeencalmandfrostywithoccasionallightlyfallingsnowandtowardeveningitbegantoclear。Throughthefallingsnowapurple—blackandstarryskyshoweditselfandthefrostgrewkeener。
AninfantryregimentwhichhadleftTarutinothreethousandstrongbutnownumberedonlyninehundredwasoneofthefirsttoarrivethatnightatitshaltingplace—avillageonthehighroad。ThequartermasterswhomettheregimentannouncedthatallthehutswerefullofsickanddeadFrenchmen，cavalrymen，andmembersofthestaff。
Therewasonlyonehutavailablefortheregimentalcommander。
Thecommanderrodeuptohishut。Theregimentpassedthroughthevillageandstackeditsarmsinfrontofthelasthuts。
Likesomehugemany—limbedanimal，theregimentbegantoprepareitslairanditsfood。Onepartofitdispersedandwadedknee—deepthroughthesnowintoabirchforesttotherightofthevillage，andimmediatelythesoundofaxesandswords，thecrashingofbranches，andmerryvoicescouldbeheardfromthere。Anothersectionamidtheregimentalwagonsandhorseswhichwerestandinginagroupwasbusygettingoutcaldronsandryebiscuit，andfeedingthehorses。Athirdsectionscatteredthroughthevillagearrangingquartersforthestaffofficers，carryingouttheFrenchcorpsesthatwereinthehuts，anddraggingawayboards，drywood，andthatchfromtheroofs，forthecampfires，orwattlefencestoserveforshelter。
Somefifteenmenwithmerryshoutswereshakingdownthehighwattlewallofashed，theroofofwhichhadalreadybeenremoved。
"Nowthen，alltogether—shove！"criedthevoices，andthehugesurfaceofthewall，sprinkledwithsnowandcreakingwithfrost，wasseenswayinginthegloomofthenight。Thelowerstakescrackedmoreandmoreandatlastthewallfell，andwithitthemenwhohadbeenpushingit。Loud，coarselaughterandjoyousshoutsensued。
"Nowthen，catchholdintwos！Handupthelever！That’sit……Whereareyoushovingto？"
"Now，alltogether！Butwaitamoment，boys……Withasong！"
Allstoodsilent，andasoft，pleasantvelvetyvoicebegantosing。Attheendofthethirdverseasthelastnotediedaway，twentyvoicesroaredoutatonce："Oo—oo—oo—oo！That’sit。Alltogether！
Heaveaway，boys！……"butdespitetheirunitedeffortsthewattlehardlymoved，andinthesilencethatfollowedtheheavybreathingofthemenwasaudible。
"Here，youoftheSixthCompany！Devilsthatyouare！Lendahand……
willyou？Youmaywantusoneofthesedays。"
SometwentymenoftheSixthCompanywhowereontheirwayintothevillagejoinedthehaulers，andthewattlewall，whichwasaboutthirty—fivefeetlongansevenfeethigh，movedforwardalongthevillagestreet，swaying，pressinguponandcuttingtheshouldersofthegaspingmen。
"Getalong……Falling？Whatareyoustoppingfor？Therenow……"
Merrysenselesswordsofabuseflowedfreely。
"Whatareyouupto？"suddenlycametheauthoritativevoiceofasergeantmajorwhocameuponthemenwhowerehaulingtheirburden。
"Therearegentryhere；thegeneralhimselfisinthathut，andyoufoul—moutheddevils，youbrutes，I’llgiveittoyou！"shoutedhe，hittingthefirstmanwhocameinhiswayaswingingblowontheback。
"Can’tyoumakelessnoise？"
Themenbecamesilent。Thesoldierwhohadbeenstruckgroanedandwipedhisface，whichhadbeenscratchedtillitbledbyhisfallingagainstthewattle。
"There，howthatdevilhitsout！He’smademyfaceallbloody，"saidheinafrightenedwhisperwhenthesergeantmajorhadpassedon。
"Don’tyoulikeit？"saidalaughingvoice，andmoderatingtheirtonesthemenmovedforward。
Whentheywereoutofthevillagetheybegantalkingagainasloudasbefore，interlardingtheirtalkwiththesameaimlessexpletives。
Inthehutwhichthemenhadpassed，thechiefofficershadgatheredandwereinanimatedtalkovertheirteaabouttheeventsofthedayandthemaneuverssuggestedfortomorrow。Itwasproposedtomakeaflankmarchtotheleft，cutofftheVice—KingMuratandcapturehim。
Bythetimethesoldiershaddraggedthewattlefencetoitsplacethecampfireswereblazingonallsidesreadyforcooking，thewoodcrackled，thesnowwasmelting，andblackshadowsofsoldiersflittedtoandfroallovertheoccupiedspacewherethesnowhadbeentroddendown。
Axesandchopperswerepliedallaround。Everythingwasdonewithoutanyordersbeinggiven。Storesofwoodwerebroughtforthenight，shelterswereriggedupfortheofficers，caldronswerebeingboiled，andmusketsandaccoutermentsputinorder。
ThewattlewallthemenhadbroughtwassetupinasemicirclebytheEighthCompanyasashelterfromthenorth，proppedupbymusketrests，andacampfirewasbuiltbeforeit。Theybeatthetattoo，calledtheroll，hadsupper，andsettleddownroundthefiresforthenight—somerepairingtheirfootgear，somesmokingpipes，andsomestrippingthemselvesnakedtosteamtheliceoutoftheirshirts。
BK15CH8
CHAPTERVIII
OnewouldhavethoughtthatunderthealmostincrediblywretchedconditionstheRussiansoldierswereinatthattime—lackingwarmbootsandsheepskincoats，withoutaroofovertheirheads，inthesnowwitheighteendegreesoffrost，andwithoutevenfullrationsthecommissariatdidnotalwayskeepupwiththetroops—theywouldhavepresentedaverysadanddepressingspectacle。
Onthecontrary，thearmyhadneverunderthebestmaterialconditionspresentedamorecheerfulandanimatedaspect。Thiswasbecauseallwhobegantogrowdepressedorwholoststrengthweresiftedoutofthearmydaybyday。Allthephysicallyormorallyweakhadlongsincebeenleftbehindandonlytheflowerofthearmy—physicallyandmentally—remained。
MoremencollectedbehindthewattlefenceoftheEighthCompanythananywhereelse。Twosergeantsmajorweresittingwiththemandtheircampfireblazedbrighterthanothers。Forleavetositbytheirwattletheydemandedcontributionsoffuel。
"Eh，Makeev！Whathasbecomeofyou，yousonofabitch？Areyoulostorhavethewolveseatenyou？Fetchsomemorewood！"shoutedared—hairedandred—facedman，screwinguphiseyesandblinkingbecauseofthesmokebutnotmovingbackfromthefire。"Andyou，Jackdaw，goandfetchsomewood！"saidhetoanothersoldier。
Thisred—hairedmanwasneitherasergeantnoracorporal，butbeingrobustheorderedaboutthoseweakerthanhimself。Thesoldiertheycalled"Jackdaw，"athinlittlefellowwithasharpnose，roseobedientlyandwasabouttogobutatthatinstanttherecameintothelightofthefiretheslender，handsomefigureofayoungsoldiercarryingaloadofwood。
"Bringithere—that’sfine！"
Theysplitupthewood，presseditdownonthefire，blewatitwiththeirmouths，andfanneditwiththeskirtsoftheirgreatcoats，makingtheflameshissandcrackle。Themendrewnearerandlittheirpipes。Thehandsomeyoungsoldierwhohadbroughtthewood，settinghisarmsakimbo，beganstampinghiscoldfeetrapidlyanddeftlyonthespotwherehestood。
"Mother！Thedewiscoldbutclear……It’swellthatI’mamusketeer……"hesang，pretendingtohiccoughaftereachsyllable。
"Lookout，yoursoleswillflyoff！"shoutedthered—hairedman，noticingthatthesoleofthedancer’sbootwashangingloose。"Whatafellowyouarefordancing！"
Thedancerstopped，pulledofftheloosepieceofleather，andthrewitonthefire。
"Rightenough，friend，"saidhe，and，havingsatdown，tookoutofhisknapsackascrapofblueFrenchcloth，andwrappeditroundhisfoot。"It’sthesteamthatspoilsthem，"headded，stretchingouthisfeettowardthefire。
"They’llsoonbeissuingusnewones。Theysaythatwhenwe’vefinishedhammeringthem，we’retoreceivedoublekits！"
"AndthatsonofabitchPetrovhaslaggedbehindafterall，itseems，"saidonesergeantmajor。
"I’vehadaneyeonhimthislongwhile，"saidtheother。
"Well，he’sapoorsortofsoldier……"
"ButintheThirdCompanytheysayninemenweremissingyesterday。"
"Yes，it’sallverywell，butwhenaman’sfeetarefrozenhowcanhewalk？"
"Eh？Don’ttalknonsense！"saidasergeantmajor。
"Doyouwanttobedoingthesame？"saidanoldsoldier，turningreproachfullytothemanwhohadspokenoffrozenfeet。
"Well，youknow，"saidthesharp—nosedmantheycalledJackdawinasqueakyandunsteadyvoice，raisinghimselfattheothersideofthefire，"aplumpmangetsthin，butforathinoneit’sdeath。Takeme，now！I’vegotnostrengthleft，"headded，withsuddenresolutionturningtothesergeantmajor。"Tellthemtosendmetohospital；I’machingallover；anywayIshan’tbeabletokeepup。"
"That’lldo，that’lldo！"repliedthesergeantmajorquietly。
Thesoldiersaidnomoreandthetalkwenton。
"WhatalotofthoseFrenchiesweretakentoday，andthefactisthatnotoneofthemhadwhatyoumightcallrealbootson，"saidasoldier，startinganewtheme。"Theywerenomorethanmake—believes。"
"TheCossackshavetakentheirboots。Theywereclearingthehutforthecolonelandcarriedthemout。Itwaspitifultoseethem，boys，"
putinthedancer。"Astheyturnedthemoveroneseemedstillaliveand，wouldyoubelieveit，hejabberedsomethingintheirlingo。"
"Butthey’reacleanfolk，lads，"thefirstmanwenton；"hewaswhite—aswhiteasbirchbark—andsomeofthemaresuchfinefellows，youmightthinktheywerenobles。"
"Well，whatdoyouthink？Theymakesoldiersofallclassesthere。"
"Buttheydon’tunderstandourtalkatall，"saidthedancerwithapuzzledsmile。"Iaskedhimwhosesubjecthewas，andhejabberedinhisownway。Aqueerlot！"
"Butit’sstrange，friends，"continuedthemanwhohadwonderedattheirwhiteness，"thepeasantsatMozhayskweresayingthatwhentheybeganburyingthedead—wherethebattlewasyouknow—well，thosedeadhadbeenlyingtherefornearlyamonth，andsaysthepeasant，’theylieaswhiteaspaper，clean，andnotasmuchsmellasapuffofpowdersmoke。’"
"Wasitfromthecold？"askedsomeone。
"You’reacleverfellow！Fromthecoldindeed！Why，itwashot。Ifithadbeenfromthecold，ourswouldnothaverottedeither。’But，’
hesays，’gouptooursandtheyareallrottenandmaggoty。So，’hesays，’wetieourfacesupwithkerchiefsandturnourheadsawayaswedragthemoff：wecanhardlydoit。Buttheirs，’hesays，’arewhiteaspaperandnotsomuchsmellasawhiffofgunpowder。’"
Allweresilent。
"Itmustbefromtheirfood，"saidthesergeantmajor。"Theyusedtogobblethesamefoodasthegentry。"
Noonecontradictedhim。
"ThatpeasantnearMozhayskwherethebattlewassaidthemenwereallcalledupfromtenvillagesaroundandtheycartedfortwentydaysandstilldidn’tfinishcartingthedeadaway。Andasforthewolves，hesays……"
"Thatwasarealbattle，"saidanoldsoldier。"It’stheonlyoneworthremembering；butsincethat……it’sonlybeentormentingfolk。"
"Anddoyouknow，Daddy，thedaybeforeyesterdayweranatthemand，myword，theydidn’tletusgetnearbeforetheyjustthrewdowntheirmusketsandwentontheirknees。’Pardon！’theysay。That’sonlyonecase。TheysayPlatovtook’Poleonhimselftwice。Buthedidn’tknowtherightcharm。Hecatcheshimandcatcheshim—nogood！Heturnsintoabirdinhishandsandfliesaway。Andthere’snowayofkillinghimeither。"
"You’reafirst—classliar，Kiselev，whenIcometolookatyou！"
"Liar，indeed！It’stherealtruth。"
"Ifhefellintomyhands，whenI’dcaughthimI’dburyhiminthegroundwithanaspenstaketofixhimdown。Whatalotofmenhe’sruined！"
"Well，anyhowwe’regoingtoendit。Hewon’tcomehereagain，"
remarkedtheoldsoldier，yawning。
Theconversationflagged，andthesoldiersbegansettlingdowntosleep。
"Lookatthestars。It’swonderfulhowtheyshine！Youwouldthinkthewomenhadspreadouttheirlinen，"saidoneofthemen，gazingwithadmirationattheMilkyWay。
"That’sasignofagoodharvestnextyear。"
"Weshallwantsomemorewood。"
"Youwarmyourbackandyourbellygetsfrozen。That’squeer。"
"OLord！"
"Whatareyoupushingfor？Isthefireonlyforyou？Lookhowhe’ssprawling！"
Inthesilencethatensued，thesnoringofthosewhohadfallenasleepcouldbeheard。Othersturnedoverandwarmedthemselves，nowandagainexchangingafewwords。Fromacampfireahundredpacesoffcameasoundofgeneral，merrylaughter。
"HarkatthemroaringthereintheFifthCompany！"saidoneofthesoldiers，andwhatalotofthemthereare！"
OneofthemengotupandwentovertotheFifthCompany。
"They’rehavingsuchfun，"saidhe，comingback。"TwoFrenchieshaveturnedup。One’squitefrozenandtheother’sanawfulswaggerer。He’ssingingsongs……"
"Oh，I’llgoacrossandhavealook……"
AndseveralofthemenwentovertotheFifthCompany。
BK15CH9
CHAPTERIX
Thefifthcompanywasbivouackingattheveryedgeoftheforest。
Ahugecampfirewasblazingbrightlyinthemidstofthesnow，lightingupthebranchesoftreesheavywithhoarfrost。
Aboutmidnighttheyheardthesoundofstepsinthesnowoftheforest，andthecracklingofdrybranches。
"Abear，lads，"saidoneofthemen。
Theyallraisedtheirheadstolisten，andoutoftheforestintothebrightfirelightsteppedtwostrangelycladhumanfiguresclingingtooneanother。
TheseweretwoFrenchmenwhohadbeenhidingintheforest。Theycameuptothefire，hoarselyutteringsomethinginalanguageoursoldiersdidnotunderstand。Onewastallerthantheother；heworeanofficer’shatandseemedquiteexhausted。Onapproachingthefirehehadbeengoingtositdown，butfell。Theother，ashortsturdysoldierwithashawltiedroundhishead，wasstronger。Heraisedhiscompanionandsaidsomething，pointingtohismouth。ThesoldierssurroundedtheFrenchmen，spreadagreatcoatonthegroundforthesickman，andbroughtsomebuckwheatporridgeandvodkaforbothofthem。
TheexhaustedFrenchofficerwasRamballeandthemanwithhisheadwrappedintheshawlwasMorel，hisorderly。
WhenMorelhaddrunksomevodkaandfinishedhisbowlofporridgehesuddenlybecameunnaturallymerryandchatteredincessantlytothesoldiers，whocouldnotunderstandhim。Ramballerefusedfoodandrestinghisheadonhiselbowlaysilentbesidethecampfire，lookingattheRussiansoldierswithredandvacanteyes。Occasionallyheemittedalong—drawngroanandthenagainbecamesilent。Morel，pointingtohisshoulders，triedtoimpressonthesoldiersthefactthatRamballewasanofficerandoughttobewarmed。ARussianofficerwhohadcomeuptothefiresenttoaskhiscolonelwhetherhewouldnottakeaFrenchofficerintohishuttowarmhim，andwhenthemessengerreturnedandsaidthatthecolonelwishedtheofficertobebroughttohim，Ramballewastoldtogo。Heroseandtriedtowalk，butstaggeredandwouldhavefallenhadnotasoldierstandingbyheldhimup。
"Youwon’tdoitagain，eh？"saidoneofthesoldiers，winkingandturningmockinglytoRamballe。
"Oh，youfool！Whytalkrubbish，loutthatyouare—arealpeasant！"
camerebukesfromallsidesaddressedtothejestingsoldier。
TheysurroundedRamballe，liftedhimonthecrossedarmsoftwosoldiers，andcarriedhimtothehut。Ramballeputhisarmsaroundtheirneckswhiletheycarriedhimandbeganwailingplaintively：
"Oh，youfinefellows，mykind，kindfriends！Thesearemen！Oh，mybrave，kindfriends，"andheleanedhisheadagainsttheshoulderofoneofthemenlikeachild。
MeanwhileMorelwassittinginthebestplacebythefire，surroundedbythesoldiers。
Morel，ashortsturdyFrenchmanwithinflamedandstreamingeyes，waswearingawoman’scloakandhadashawltiedwomanfashionroundhisheadoverhiscap。Hewasevidentlytipsy，andwassingingaFrenchsonginahoarsebrokenvoice，withanarmthrownroundthenearestsoldier。Thesoldierssimplyheldtheirsidesastheywatchedhim。
"Nowthen，nowthen，teachushowitgoes！I’llsoonpickitup。Howisit？"saidtheman—asingerandawag—whomMorelwasembracing。
"ViveHenriQuatre！Viveceroivaliant！"sangMorel，winking。"Cediableaquatre……"*
*"LongliveHenrytheFourth，thatvaliantking！Thatrowdydevil。"
"Vivarika！Vif—seruvaru！Sedyablyaka！"repeatedthesoldier，flourishinghisarmandreallycatchingthetune。
"Bravo！Ha，ha，ha！"rosetheirrough，joyouslaughterfromallsides。
Morel，wrinklinguphisface，laughedtoo。
"Well，goon，goon！"
"Quieutletripletalent，Deboire，debattre，Etd’etreunvertgalant。"*
*WhohadatripletalentFordrinking，forfighting，Andforbeingagallantoldboy……
"Itgoessmoothly，too。Well，now，Zaletaev！"
"Ke……"Zaletaev，broughtoutwitheffort："ke—e—e—e，"hedrawled，laboriouslypursinghislips，"le—trip—ta—la—de—bu—de—ba，ede—tra—va—ga—la"hesang。
"Fine！JustliketheFrenchie！Oh，hoho！Doyouwantsomemoretoeat？"
"Givehimsomeporridge：ittakesalongtimetogetfilledupafterstarving。"
TheygavehimsomemoreporridgeandMorelwithalaughsettoworkonhisthirdbowl。Alltheyoungsoldierssmiledgailyastheywatchedhim。Theoldermen，whothoughtitundignifiedtoamusethemselveswithsuchnonsense，continuedtolieattheoppositesideofthefire，butonewouldoccasionallyraisehimselfonanelbowandglanceatMorelwithasmile。
"Theyarementoo，"saidoneofthemashewrappedhimselfupinhiscoat。"Evenwormwoodgrowsonitsownroot。"
"OLord，OLord！Howstarryitis！Tremendous！Thatmeansahardfrost……"
Theyallgrewsilent。Thestars，asifknowingthatnoonewaslookingatthem，begantodisportthemselvesinthedarksky：nowflaringup，nowvanishing，nowtrembling，theywerebusywhisperingsomethinggladsomeandmysterioustooneanother。
BK15CH10
CHAPTERX
TheFrencharmymeltedawayattheuniformrateofamathematicalprogression；andthatcrossingoftheBerezinaaboutwhichsomuchhasbeenwrittenwasonlyoneintermediatestageinitsdestruction，andnotatallthedecisiveepisodeofthecampaign。IfsomuchhasbeenandstilliswrittenabouttheBerezina，ontheFrenchsidethisisonlybecauseatthebrokenbridgeacrossth...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看：
第42章