Book Two: 1805 - Chapter VII

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Two of the enemy's shots had already flown across the bridge,where there was a crush. Halfway across stood Prince Nesvitski, whohad alighted from his horse and whose big body was body was jammedagainst the railings. He looked back laughing to the Cossack who stooda few steps behind him holding two horses by their bridles. Eachtime Prince Nesvitski tried to move on, soldiers and carts pushedhim back again and pressed him against the railings, and all hecould do was to smile.

　　"What a fine fellow you are, friend!" said the Cossack to a convoysoldier with a wagon, who was pressing onto the infantrymen who werecrowded together close to his wheels and his horses. "What a fellow!You can't wait a moment! Don't you see the general wants to pass?"

　　But the convoyman took no notice of the word "general" and shoutedat the soldiers who were blocking his way. "Hi there, boys! Keep tothe left! Wait a bit." But the soldiers, crowded together shoulderto shoulder, their bayonets interlocking, moved over the bridge in adense mass. Looking down over the rails Prince Nesvitski saw therapid, noisy little waves of the Enns, which rippling and eddyinground the piles of the bridge chased each other along. Looking onthe bridge he saw equally uniform living waves of soldiers, shoulderstraps, covered shakos, knapsacks, bayonets, long muskets, and,under the shakos, faces with broad cheekbones, sunken cheeks, andlistless tired expressions, and feet that moved through the sticky mudthat covered the planks of the bridge. Sometimes through themonotonous waves of men, like a fleck of white foam on the waves ofthe Enns, an officer, in a cloak and with a type of face differentfrom that of the men, squeezed his way along; sometimes like a chip ofwood whirling in the river, an hussar on foot, an orderly, or atownsman was carried through the waves of infantry; and sometimes likea log floating down the river, an officers' or company's baggagewagon, piled high, leather covered, and hemmed in on all sides,moved across the bridge.

　　"It's as if a dam had burst," said the Cossack hopelessly. "Arethere many more of you to come?"

　　"A million all but one!" replied a waggish soldier in a torn coat,with a wink, and passed on followed by another, an old man.

　　"If he" (he meant the enemy) "begins popping at the bridge now,"said the old soldier dismally to a comrade, "you'll forget toscratch yourself."

　　That soldier passed on, and after him came another sitting on acart.

　　"Where the devil have the leg bands been shoved to?" said anorderly, running behind the cart and fumbling in the back of it.

　　And he also passed on with the wagon. Then came some merrysoldiers who had evidently been drinking.

　　"And then, old fellow, he gives him one in the teeth with the buttend of his gun..." a soldier whose greatcoat was well tucked up saidgaily, with a wide swing of his arm.

　　"Yes, the ham was just delicious..." answered another with a loudlaugh. And they, too, passed on, so that Nesvitski did not learn whohad been struck on the teeth, or what the ham had to do with it.

　　"Bah! How they scurry. He just sends a ball and they think they'llall be killed," a sergeant was saying angrily and reproachfully.

　　"As it flies past me, Daddy, the ball I mean," said a youngsoldier with an enormous mouth, hardly refraining from laughing, "Ifelt like dying of fright. I did, 'pon my word, I got thatfrightened!" said he, as if bragging of having been frightened.

　　That one also passed. Then followed a cart unlike any that hadgone before. It was a German cart with a pair of horses led by aGerman, and seemed loaded with a whole houseful of effects. A finebrindled cow with a large udder was attached to the cart behind. Awoman with an unweaned baby, an old woman, and a healthy German girlwith bright red cheeks were sitting on some feather beds. Evidentlythese fugitives were allowed to pass by special permission. The eyesof all the soldiers turned toward the women, and while the vehicle waspassing at foot pace all the soldiers' remarks related to the twoyoung ones. Every face bore almost the same smile, expressing unseemlythoughts about the women.

　　"Just see, the German sausage is making tracks, too!"

　　"Sell me the missis," said another soldier, addressing the German,who, angry and frightened, strode energetically along with downcasteyes.

　　"See how smart she's made herself! Oh, the devils!"

　　"There, Fedotov, you should be quartered on them!"

　　"I have seen as much before now, mate!"

　　"Where are you going?" asked an infantry officer who was eating anapple, also half smiling as he looked at the handsome girl.

　　The German closed his eyes, signifying that he did not understand.

　　"Take it if you like," said the officer, giving the girl an apple.

　　The girl smiled and took it. Nesvitski like the rest of the men onthe bridge did not take his eyes off the women till they had passed.When they had gone by, the same stream of soldiers followed, withthe same kind of talk, and at last all stopped. As often happens,the horses of a convoy wagon became restive at the end of thebridge, and the whole crowd had to wait.

　　"And why are they stopping? There's no proper order!" said thesoldiers. "Where are you shoving to? Devil take you! Can't you wait?It'll be worse if he fires the bridge. See, here's an officer jammedin too"- different voices were saying in the crowd, as the menlooked at one another, and all pressed toward the exit from thebridge.

　　Looking down at the waters of the Enns under the bridge, Nesvitskisuddenly heard a sound new to him, of something swiftly approaching...something big, that splashed into the water.

　　"Just see where it carries to!" a soldier near by said sternly,looking round at the sound.

　　"Encouraging us to get along quicker," said another uneasily.

　　The crowd moved on again. Nesvitski realized that it was a cannonball.

　　"Hey, Cossack, my horse!" he said. "Now, then, you there! get out ofthe way! Make way!"

　　With great difficulty he managed to get to his horse, and shoutingcontinually he moved on. The soldiers squeezed themselves to makeway for him, but again pressed on him so that they jammed his leg, andthose nearest him were not to blame for they were themselves pressedstill harder from behind.

　　"Nesvitski, Nesvitski! you numskull!" came a hoarse voice frombehind him.

　　Nesvitski looked round and saw, some fifteen paces away butseparated by the living mass of moving infantry, Vaska Denisov, redand shaggy, with his cap on the back of his black head and a cloakhanging jauntily over his shoulder.

　　"Tell these devils, these fiends, to let me pass!" shouted Denisovevidently in a fit of rage, his coal-black eyes with their bloodshotwhites glittering and rolling as he waved his sheathed saber in asmall bare hand as red as his face.

　　"Ah, Vaska!" joyfully replied Nesvitski. "What's up with you?"

　　"The squadwon can't pass," shouted Vaska Denisov, showing hiswhite teeth fiercely and spurring his black thoroughbred Arab, whichtwitched its ears as the bayonets touched it, and snorted, spurtingwhite foam from his bit, tramping the planks of the bridge with hishoofs, and apparently ready to jump over the railings had his riderlet him. "What is this? They're like sheep! Just like sheep! Out ofthe way!... Let us pass!... Stop there, you devil with the cart!I'll hack you with my saber!" he shouted, actually drawing his saberfrom its scabbard and flourishing it

　　The soldiers crowded against one another with terrified faces, andDenisov joined Nesvitski.

　　"How's it you're not drunk today?" said Nesvitski when the other hadridden up to him.

　　"They don't even give one time to dwink!" answered Vaska Denisov."They keep dwagging the wegiment to and fwo all day. If they mean tofight, let's fight. But the devil knows what this is."

　　"What a dandy you are today!" said Nesvitski, looking at Denisov'snew cloak and saddlecloth.

　　Denisov smiled, took out of his sabretache a handkerchief thatdiffused a smell of perfume, and put it to Nesvitski's nose.

　　"Of course. I'm going into action! I've shaved, bwushed my teeth,and scented myself."

　　The imposing figure of Nesvitski followed by his Cossack, and thedetermination of Denisov who flourished his sword and shoutedfrantically, had such an effect that they managed to squeeze throughto the farther side of the bridge and stopped the infantry. Beside thebridge Nesvitski found the colonel to whom he had to deliver theorder, and having done this he rode back.

　　Having cleared the way Denisov stopped at the end of the bridge.Carelessly holding in his stallion that was neighing and pawing theground, eager to rejoin its fellows, he watched his squadron drawnearer. Then the clang of hoofs, as of several horses galloping,resounded on the planks of the bridge, and the squadron, officers infront and men four abreast, spread across the bridge and began toemerge on his side of it.

　　The infantry who had been stopped crowded near the bridge in thetrampled mud and gazed with that particular feeling of ill-will,estrangement, and ridicule with which troops of different arms usuallyencounter one another at the clean, smart hussars who moved pastthem in regular order.

　　"Smart lads! Only fit for a fair!" said one.

　　"What good are they? They're led about just for show!" remarkedanother.

　　"Don't kick up the dust, you infantry!" jested an hussar whoseprancing horse had splashed mud over some foot soldiers.

　　"I'd like to put you on a two days' march with a knapsack! Your finecords would soon get a bit rubbed," said an infantryman, wiping themud off his face with his sleeve. "Perched up there, you're morelike a bird than a man."

　　"There now, Zikin, they ought to put you on a horse. You'd lookfine," said a corporal, chaffing a thin little soldier who bentunder the weight of his knapsack.

　　"Take a stick between your legs, that'll suit you for a horse!"the hussar shouted back.