CHAPTER XXIV. A FRAGMENT OF A MAITRE d'ARMES EXPERIENCES
Stunned, and like one but half awake, I followed the tide of marchingmen which swept past like a mighty river, the roar of the artillery andthe crash of battle increasing the confusion of my brain. All distinctmemory of the remainder of the day is lost to me. I can recollectthe explosion of several wagons of the ammunition train, and how thesplinters wounded several of those around me; I also have a vague,dreamy sense of being hurried along at intervals, and then seeing massesof cavalry dash past. But the great prevailing thought above all othersis, of leaning over the edge of a charrette, where I lay with somewounded soldiers, to watch the retreat of the Prussians, as they werepursued by Murat's cavalry. Francois was at my side, and described tome the great events of the battle; but though I seemed to listen, thesounds fell unregarded on my ear. Even now, it seems to me like a dream;and the only palpable idea before me is the heated air, the dark andlowering sky, And the deafening thunder of the guns.
It is well known how the victory of Jena was crowned by the gloriousissue of the battle of Auerstadt, where the main body of the Prussians,under the command of the king himself, was completely beaten by Davoustwith a force not half their number. The two routed armies crossed intheir flight, while the headlong fury of the French cavalry pressed downon them; nor did the terrible slaughter cease till night gave respite tothe beaten.
The victors and the vanquished entered Weimar together, a distance offull six leagues from the field of battle. All struggle had long ceased.An unresisting massacre it was; and such was the disappointment andanger of the people of the country, that the Prussian officers werefrequently attacked and slain by the peasantry, whose passionateindignation made them suspect treachery in the result of the battle.
All whose wounds were but slight, and whose health promised speedyrestoration, were mounted into wagons taken from the enemy, and sentforward with the army. Among this number I found myself, and that samenight slept soundly and peacefully in the straw of the charrette inwhich I travelled from Jena.
The Emperor's headquarters were established at Weimar, and thither allthe ambulances were conveyed; while the marshals, with their severaldivisions, were sent in pursuit of the enemy. As for myself, before theweek elapsed, I was sufficiently recovered to move about; for happilythe stunning effects which immediately followed the injury were itsworst consequences, and my wound in the shoulder proved but trifling.
"And so you are determined to join the cavalry again?" said Francois,as he sat by my side under a tree, where a cheerful fire of blazingwood had drawn several to enjoy its comfort. "That is what I cannotcomprehend by any stretch of ingenuity,--how a man who has once seensomething of voltigeur life can go back to the dull routine of dragoonservice."
"Perhaps I have had enough of skirmishing, Francois," said I, smiling.
"Is it of that knock on the pate you speak?" said he, contemptuously."Bah! the heavy shako you wear would give a worse headache. Come, come;think better on 't. I can tell you"--here he lowered his voice to awhisper--"I can tell you, Burke, the major noticed the manner youheld your ground in the old farmhouse. I heard him refuse to send areinforcement when the Prussians made their second attack. 'No, no,'said he; 'that hussar fellow yonder does his work so well, he wants nohelp from us.' When he said that, my friend, be assured your promotionis safe enough. You were made for a voltigeur."
"Come, Francois, it's no use; all your flattery won't make me desert.I 'll try and join my brigade to-morrow; that is, if I can find them."
"You never told me in what way you first became separated from yourcorps. How was it?"
"There's something of a secret there, Francois; you mustn't ask me."
"Ah, I understand," said he, with a knowing look, and a gesture of hishand, as if making a pass with his sword. "Did you kill him?"
"No, not exactly," said I, laughing.
"Merely gave him that pretty lunge _en tierce_ you favored me with,"said he, putting his hand on his side.
"Nor even that."
"_Diable!_ then how was it?"
"I have told you it was a secret."
"Secret! Confound it, man, there are no secrets in a campaign, exceptwhen the military chest is empty or the commissary falls short of grub;these are the only things one ever thinks of hushing up. Come, out withit!"
"Well, if it must be, I may as well have the benefit of your advice. Sodraw closer, for I don't wish the rest to hear it."
In as few words as I was able, I explained to Francois the circumstancesof the night march, and the manner of my meeting with the Emperor at theravine, where the artillery train was stopped. But when I came to theincident of the picket, and mentioned how, in rescuing the Emperor, myhorse had been killed under me, he could no longer restrain himself, butturned to the rest, who, to the number of fifteen or sixteen, sat aroundthe fire, and burst forth,--
"_Mille tonnerres!_ but the boy is a fool!" And then, before I couldinterpose a word, blurted out the whole adventure to the company.
There was no use now to attempt any concealment at all; neither wasthere to feel anger at his conduct. One would have been as absurd asthe other; and so I had to endure, as best I could, the various commentsthat were passed on my behavior, on the prudence of which certainly nosecond opinion existed.
"You must be right certain of promotion, Captain," said an old sergeant,with a gray beard and mustache, "or you wouldn't refuse such a chance asthat."
"_Diable!_" cried Francois; "don't you see he wouldn't accept of it.He is too proud to wait on the Petit Caporal, though he asked him to doso."
"He 'd have given you the cross of the Legion anyhow," said another.
"Ay, by Jove!" exclaimed the riding-master of a dragoon regiment, "andsent him a remount from his own stud."
"And you think that modesty!" said Francois, whose indignation at myfolly knew no bounds. "_Par Saint Joseph!_ if I'd been as modest, it'snot maitre d'armes of a voltigeur battalion I 'd be to-day; though I maysay, without boasting, I'm not afraid to cross a rapier with any man inthe army. No, no; that's not the way I managed."
"How was that, Maitre Francois?" said a young officer, who felt curiousto learn the circumstance to which he seemed to attach a story.
"If the honorable society cares to hear it," said Francois, uncovering,and bowing courteously to all around, "I shall have great pleasure inrecounting a little incident of my life."
A general cry of acclamation and "bravo" met the polite proposal; whileFrancois, accepting a _goutte_ from a canteen presented to him, beganthus:--
"I began my soldier's life at the first step of the ladder. I was adrummer-boy at Jemappes; and, when I grew old enough to exchange thedrumstick for the sword, I was attached to the _chasseurs a cheval_, andwent with them to Egypt. I could tell you some strange stories ofour doings there,--I don't mean with the Turks, mark you, but amongstourselves,--for we had little affairs with the sword almost everyday; and I soon showed them I was their master. But that is not to thepurpose; what I am about to speak of happened in this wise.
"At break of day, one morning, the picket to which I was joined receivedorders to mount, and accompany the general along the bank of the Nileto the village of Chebrheis, where we heard that a Mameluke force wereassembling, whose strength and equipment it was important to ascertain.Our horses were far from fresh when we started; the day previous hadbeen spent in a fatiguing march from Rhemanieh, crossing a drearydesert, with hot sands and no water. But General Bonaparte alwaysexpected us to turn out, as if we had got a general remount; and so wemade the best of it, and set out in as good style as we could. We hadnot gone above a league and a half, however, when we found that theslapping pace of the general had left the greater part of the escort outof sight; and of a score of four squadrons, not above twenty horsemenwere present.
"The Emperor--you know he was only general then, but it 's all thesame--laughed heartily when he found he had outridden the rest; indeed,for that matter, he laughed at our poor
blown beasts, that shook onevery limb, and seemed like to push their spare, gaunt bones through thetrappings with which, for shame's sake, we endeavored to cover them. Buthis joke was but shortlived; for just then, from behind the wall of anold ruined temple--whiz!--there came a shattering volley of musketry inthe midst of us; the only miracle is how one escaped. The next momentthere was a wild hurrah, and we beheld some fifty Mameluke fellows,all glittering with gold, coming down full speed on us, on their Arabchargers. _Mille cadavres!_ what was to be done? Nothing, you'd say, butrun for it. And so we should have done, if the beasts were able: but nota bit of it; they couldn't have raised a gallop if Mourad Bey had beenthere with his whole army. And so we put a good face on it, and drew upacross the way, and looked as if going to charge. Egad! the Turks wereamazed. They halted up short, and stared about them to see what infantryor artillery there might be coming up to our assistance, so boldly didwe hold our ground.
"'We'll keep them in check, General,' said the officer of the picket.'Lose no time now, but make a dash for it, and you'll get away.' And so,without more ado, Bonaparte turned his horse's head round, and, drivinghis spurs into him, set out at top speed.
"This was the signal for the Mameluke charge; and down they came._Sacristi!_ how the infidels rode us down! Over and over our fellowsrolled, men and horses together, while they slashed with their keencimeters on every side; few needed a second cut, I warrant you.
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"By some good fortune, my beast kept his legs in the _melee_, and, witheven better luck, got so frightened that he started off, and struck outin full gallop after the general, who, about two hundred paces in frontof me, was dashing along, pursued by a Mameluke, with a cimeter heldover his head. The Turk's horse, however, was wounded, and could notgain even on the tired animal before him, while mine was at every strideovertaking him.
"The Mameluke, hearing the clatter behind, turned his head. I seized themoment, and discharged my only remaining pistol at him,--alas! withouteffect. With a wild war-cry the fellow swerved round and came down uponme, intending to take my horse in flank, and hurl me over. But the goodbeast plunged forward, and my enemy passed behind, and only grazed thehaunches as he went; the moment after he was at my side. _Parbleu!_ Idid n't like the companionship. I knew every turn of a broadsword or arapier well; but a curved cimeter, keen as a razor, of Damascus steel,glittering and glistening over my head, was a different thing: the greatdark eyes of the fellow, too, glared like balls of fire, and his whiteteeth were clenched. With a swing of his blade over his head, so looselydone I thought he had almost flung the weapon from his hand, he aimeda cut at my neck; but, quick as lightning, I dropped upon the mane,and the sharp blade shaved the red feather from my shako, and sent itfloating in the air, while, with a straight point, I ran him throughthe body, and heard his death-shout as he fell bathed in blood upon thesands. The general saw him fall, and cried out something; but I couldnot hear the words, nor, to say truth, did I care much at the time: myhappiest thought just then was to see the remainder of the escort, whichwe had left behind, coming up at a smart canter.
"The Turks no sooner perceived them than they wheeled and fled; and so wereturned to the camp, with a loss of some twenty brave fellows, and nonethe wiser for all our trouble.
"'What shall I do for you, friend?' said the general to me, as I stoodby his orders at the door of his tent, 'what shall I do for you?'
"_Ma foi!_ said I, with a shrug of my shoulders, 'I can't well say at amoment; perhaps the best thing would be to promise you 'd never takeme as one of your escort when you make such an expedition as thismorning's.'
"'No, no, I 'll not say that. Who are you? What's your grade?'
"'Francois, maitre d'armes of the Fourth Chasseurs of the Guard,' saidI, proudly. And, indeed, I thought he might have known me without thequestion.
"'Ah, indeed!' replied he, gravely. 'Promotion is then of no use here;a maitre d'armes, like a general of division, is at the top of the tree.Come, I have it; a fellow of your sort is never out of scrapes,--alwaysduelling and quarrelling, under arrest three days in every week; I knowyou well. Now, Maitre Francois, I 'll forgive you the first time you askme for any offence within my power to pardon. Go; you are satisfied withthat promise,--is it not so?'
"'Yes, General; and I'll soon jog your memory about it,' said I,saluting and retiring from the tent.
"I see some old 'braves' of the Pyramids about me now," continuedFrancois, "and so I need not dwell on the events of the campaign. Youall know how General Bonaparte left the army to Kleber, and went back toFrance; and somehow we never had much luck after that. But so it was, Icame back with the regiment, and was at the battle of Marengo when ourbrigade captured four guns of Skal's battery, and carried off eleven oftheir officers our prisoners. You'd wonder now, Comrades, how that pieceof good fortune should turn out so ill for me; but such was the case.After the battle was gained, General Bonaparte retired to Gerofola withhis staff, and I was ordered to proceed after him, with the HauptmannKlingenswert of the Austrian army,--one of our prisoners who had servedon Melas's staff, and knew everything about the effective strength ofthe army and all their plans.
"We set off at daybreak. It was in June, and a lovely morning too; andas my prisoner was an officer and a man of honor, I took no escort, butrode along at his side. We halted at noon to dine in a little grove ofcedars, where I opened my canteen and spread the contents on the grass:and after regaling ourselves pleasantly, we lighted our meerschaumsand chatted away like old comrades over the war and its chances. A moreagreeable fellow than the Austrian I never met. He told me his wholehistory, and I told him mine; and we drank Bruederschaft together, andswore I don't know how many eternal friendships. The devil was justamusing himself with us all this time though, as you 'll see presently;for we soon got into an argument about the charge in which our brigadecaptured the guns. He said that if the ammunition had not failed wenever would have dared the attack; and I swore that the discharges werepouring in while we rode down on the battery.
"We grew warm with the dispute, and drank deeper to cool us; and, whatbetween the wine and our own passion, we became downright angry, andwent so far as to interchange something not like Bruederschaft.
"'Ah, how unfortunate I always am!' said I, sighing. 'If I had only thegood luck to be the prisoner now, and you the escort--'
"'What then?' said he.
"'How easily, and how pleasantly too, could we settle this littleaffair. The ground is smooth as velvet; there is no sun; all still, andquiet, and peaceful.'
"'No, no,' said the Austrian; 'I couldn't do what you propose,--I shouldbe dishonored forever if I took such an advantage of you. You mustknow, Francois,' for he called me so, recurring at once to his tone ofkindliness, 'I am the first swordsman of my brigade.'
"I could scarcely avoid throwing myself into his arms as he spoke; neverwas there such a piece of fortune. 'And I,' cried I, in ecstasy, 'I thefirst of the whole French army!' You know, Comrades, I only said that_en gascon_, and to afford him the greater pleasure in our _rencontre_.
"We soon measured our swords and threw off our jackets. 'Francois,' saidhe, 'I ought to mention to you that my lunge _en tierce_ is my famousstroke; I rarely miss running my adversary through the chest with it.'
"'I know the trick well,' said I; 'take care of my "pass" outside theguard.'
"'Oh! if that's your game,' said he, laughing, 'I'll make short work ofit. Now, to begin.'
"'All ready,' said I; 'en garde!' And we crossed our weapons. Fora German he was a capital swordsman, and had a very pretty trick ofputting in his point over the hilt, and wounding the sword-arm; but ifit had not been for all the wine I drank the affair would have been overin a second or two. As it was, we both fenced loose, and without anyjudgment whatever.
"'Ah! you got that,' said I, 'at last!' as I pierced him in the back,outside the guard.
"'No, no!' cried he, passionately; for his temper was up, and he wouldnot confess a touch.
"'Well, then, th
at's home!' said I, thrusting beneath his hilt, till theblood spurted out along my blade and even in my eyes.
"'Yes, that's home,' said he, staggering back, while one of his legscrossed over the other, and he fell heavily on the grass. I stooped downto feel his heart; and as I did so my senses failed, my limbs tottered,and I rolled headlong over him. Truth was, I was badly wounded, though Inever knew when; for his sword had entered my chest, beneath a rib, andcut some large vessels in the lungs.
"The end of it all was, the Austrian was buried, and I was broke theservice without pay or pension, my wound being declared by the doctorsan incapacity to serve in future.
"Comrades, we often hear men talk of the happy day before them when theyshall leave the army and throw off the knapsack, and give up the musketfor the mattock. Well, trust me, it's no such pleasure as they deem it,after all. There was I, turned loose upon the world, with nothing but asuit of ragged clothes my comrades made up amongst them, my old rapier,and a bad asthma. Such was my stock-in-trade, to begin life anew, at theage of forty-seven. And so, I set out on my weary way back to Paris."
"Didn't you try your chance with the Petit Caporal first?" asked one ofthe listeners.
"To be sure I did. I sent him a long petition, setting forth the wholecircumstance, and detailing every minute particular of the duel; but Ireceived it back, unopened,--with Duroc's name, and the word 'Rejected,'on the back.
"It is strange-how unfit we old soldiers are for any occupation in acivil way, when we 've spent half a lifetime campaigning. When I reachedParis, I could almost have wedged myself into the scabbard of mysword. Long marches and short rations had told heavily on me; and thecustom-house officer at the barrier told me to pass on, without everstopping to see that I carried no contraband goods about me.
"I had a miserable time enough of it for twelve or fourteen months.The only way of support I could find was teaching recruits the swordexercise; and you know they could n't be very liberal in their rewardsfor the service. But even this poor trade was soon interdicted, as thepolice reported that I encouraged the young soldiers to fight duels,--agreat offence, truly! But you see everything went unluckily with me atthat time.
"What was to become of me now I couldn't tell; when an old comrade,pensioned off from Moreau's army, had interest to get me appointedsupernumerary, as they call it, in the Grand Opera, where I used toperform as a Roman soldier, or a friar, or a peasant, or some suchthing, for five francs a week. Not a sou more had I, and the duty washeavier than on active service.
"After two years, the 'big drum' died of a rheumatic fever, from beatinga great solo in a new German Opera, and I was promoted to his place;for by this time I was quite recovered from the effects of my wound, andcould use my arms as well as ever.
"Some of the honorable company may remember the first night thatNapoleon visited the Grand Opera after he was named Emperor. It was aglorious sight, and one can never forget it. The whole house was filledwith generals and field-marshals: it was a grand field-day, by the glareof ten thousand wax-lights. And the Empress was there, and her wholesuite, and all the prettiest women in France. Little time had I to lookat them, though; for there was I, in the corner of the orchestra, withmy big drum before me, on which I was to play the confounded thing thatkilled the other fellow.
"It was a strange performance, sure enough: for in the midst of a greatdin and crash, came a dead pause; and then I was to strike three solemnbangs on the drum,--to be followed by a succession of blows, fastas lightning, for five minutes. This was the composer's notion of abattle,--distant firing! Heaven bless his heart! I was wishing he 'dseen some of it. This was to come on in the second act, up to which timeI had nothing to do.
"Why do I say nothing? I had to gaze at the Petit Caporal, who sat therein the box over my head, looking as stern and as thoughtful as ever, andnot minding much what the Empress said, though she kept prattling intohis ear all the time, and trying to attract his attention. _Parbleu!_ hewas not thinking of all the nonsense before him,--his mind was on realbattles: he had seen real smoke,--that he had! He was fatter and palerthan he used to be; and I thought, too, his frown was darker than whenI saw him last: but, to be sure, that was at Marengo, and he ever lookedpleased on the field of battle. I could n't take my eyes from him: hisfine thoughtful face, so full of determination and energy, reminded meof my old days of campaigning. I thought of Areola and Rivoli, of Cairoand the Pyramids, and the great charge at Marengo when Desaix's divisioncame up,--and my heart was nigh bursting when I remembered that I worethe epaulette no longer. I forgot, too, where I was; and expected everyinstant to hear him call for one of the marshals, or see him stretch outhis hand to point to a distant part of the field. And so absorbed was Iin my reveries, that I had neither eyes nor ears for anything aroundme; when suddenly all the din of the orchestra ceased,--not a sound washeard; and a hand rudely shook me by the arm, while a voice whispered,'Now! now!'
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"Mechanically I seized the drumsticks. But my eyes still were rivetedin the Emperor,--my whole heart and soul were centred in him. Againthe voice called to me to begin; and a low murmur of angry meaning ranthrough the orchestra.
"I sprang to my legs, and in the excitement of the moment, losing allmemory of time and place, I rolled out the _pas de charge!_
"Scarce had the first _roulade_ of the well-known sounds reverberatedthrough the house, when one cry of 'Vive l'Empereur!' burst forth. Itwas not a cheer; it was the heart-given outbreak of ten thousand devotedfollowers. Marshals, generals, colonels, ambassadors, ministers, alljoined; and the vast assembly rocked to and fro like the sea in astorm, while Napoleon himself, slowly rising, bent his proud head inacknowledgment, and then sat down again amid the thundering shouts ofacclamation. It was full twenty minutes before the piece could proceed;and even then momentary outbreaks of enthusiasm would occur to interruptit, and continued to burst forth till the curtain fell.
"Just then an aide-de-camp appeared beside the orchestra, and orderedme to the Emperor's box. _Satristi!_how I trembled! I did n't know whatmight come of it.
"'Ah, _coquin!_ said he, as I stood ready to drop with fear at the doorof the box, 'this has been one of thy doings, eh?'
"'Yes, Sire,' muttered I in a half whisper.
"'And how hast thou dared to spoil an opera in this fashion?' said he,frowning fiercely. 'Answer me, sirrah!'
"'It was your Majesty's fault,' said I, becoming reckless of allconsequences. 'You did n't seem to care much for all their scraping andblowing, and so I thought the old _roulade_ might raise you a bit. Youused to like it once; and might still, if the times be not altered.'
"'And they are not,' said he, sternly. 'Who art thou, that seem'st toknow me thus well?'
"'Old Francois, that was maitre d'armes of the Fourth in Egypt, and whosaved you from the stroke of a Mameluke sabre at Chebrheis.'
"'What! the fellow who killed an Austrian prisoner after Marengo? Why, Ithought thee dead.'
"'Better for me I had been!' said I. 'You would n't read my petition.('Yes, you may frown away, General,' said I to Duroc, who kept gloweringat me like a tiger.) I began life at the tambour; I have come down to itagain. You can't bring me lower, _parbleu!_
"The Emperor whispered something to the Empress, who turned roundtowards me and laughed; and then he made a sign for me to withdraw.Before I had got a dozen paces from the box, an aide-de-camp overtookme.
"'Francois,' said he, 'you are to appear before the medical commissionto-morrow; and if their report be favorable, you are to have your oldgrade of maitre d'armes.'
"And so it was. Not only was I restored, but they even placed me in thesame regiment I served in during the campaigns of Egypt and Italy. Thecorps, however, was greatly changed since I knew it before; and soI asked the Emperor to appoint me to a voltigeur battalion, wherediscipline is not so rigid, and pleasant comrades are somewhat moreplentiful. I had my wish, gentlemen. And now, with your permission,we'll drink the 'Faubourg St. Antoine,' the cradle of our arm of theservic
e."
In repeating Maitre Francois's tale, I could only wish it might haveone half the success with my reader it met with from his comrades of thebivouac. This, however, I cannot look for, and must leave it and him totheir fortunes, and now turn to follow the course of my own.
Francois was not the only one who felt surprised at my being able toresist the pleasures of a voltigeurs life; and my companion the corporallooked upon my determination to join the hussar brigade as one of thoseextraordinary instances of duty predominating over inclination. "Not,"said he, "but there may be brave fellows and good soldiers among thedragoons; though having a horse to ride is a sore drawback on a man'scourage. And when one has felt the confidence of standing face to face,and foot to foot, with the enemy, I cannot see how he can ever bringhimself to fight in any other fashion."
"A man can accustom himself to anything, Corporal," said an old,hardy-looking soldier, who sat smoking with the most profound air ofthoughtful reflection. "I remember being in the 'dromedary brigade' atCairo. Few of us could keep our seats at first; and when we fell off,it was often hard enough to resist the Mamelukes and hold the beastsbesides; but even that we learned with time."
This explanation, little flattering as it was to the cavalry, seemed toconvince the listeners that time, which smoothes so many difficulties,will even make a man content to be a dragoon.
"Well, since you will not be 'of ours,'" said Francois, "let us drink aparting cup, and say good-by, for I hear the bugle sounding the call."
"A health to the 'Faubourg St. Antoine,' boys!" cried I, and a heartycheer re-echoed the toast; and with many a shake-hands, and many apromise of welcome whenever I saw the error of my ways sufficiently todoff the dolman for the voltigeur's jacket, I took leave of the gallantTwenty-second, and set out towards Weimar.