雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第84部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ssness　when　he　had　neither　petard　nor　powder　sacks；　the　miring　of　the　batteries；　the　fifteen　unescorted　pieces　overwhelmed　in　a　hollow　way　by　Uxbridge；　the　small　effect　of　the　bombs　falling　in　the　English　lines；　and　there　embedding　themselves　in　the　rain…soaked　soil；　and　only　succeeding　in　producing　volcanoes　of　mud；　so　that　the　canister　was　turned　into　a　splash；　the　uselessness　of　Pire's　demonstration　on　Braine…l'Alleud；　all　that　cavalry；　fifteen　squadrons；　almost　exterminated；　the　right　wing　of　the　English　badly　alarmed；　the　left　wing　badly　cut　into；　Ney's　strange　mistake　in　massing；　instead　of　echelonning　the　four　divisions　of　the　first　corps；　men　delivered　over　to　grape…shot；　arranged　in　ranks　twenty…seven　deep　and　with　a　frontage　of　two　hundred；　the　frightful　holes　made　in　these　masses　by　the　cannon…balls；　attacking　columns　disorganized；　the　side…battery　suddenly　unmasked　on　their　flank；　Bourgeois；　Donzelot；　and　Durutte　promised；　Quiot　repulsed；　Lieutenant　Vieux；　that　Hercules　graduated　at　the　Polytechnic　School；　wounded　at　the　moment　when　he　was　beating　in　with　an　axe　the　door　of　La　Haie…Sainte　under　the　downright　fire　of　the　English　barricade　which　barred　the　angle　of　the　road　from　Genappe　to　Brussels；　Marcognet's　division　caught　between　the　infantry　and　the　cavalry；　shot　down　at　the　very　muzzle　of　the　guns　amid　the　grain　by　Best　and　Pack；　put　to　the　sword　by　Ponsonby；　his　battery　of　seven　pieces　spiked；　the　Prince　of　Saxe…Weimar　holding　and　guarding；　in　spite　of　the　te　d'Erlon；　both　Frischemont　and　Smohain；　the　flag　of　the　105th　taken；　the　flag　of　the　45th　captured；　that　black　Prussian　hussar　stopped　by　runners　of　the　flying　column　of　three　hundred　light　cavalry　on　the　scout　between　Wavre　and　Plancenoit；　the　alarming　things　that　had　been　said　by　prisoners；　Grouchy's　delay；　fifteen　hundred　men　killed　in　the　orchard　of　Hougomont　in　less　than　an　hour；　eighteen　hundred　men　overthrown　in　a　still　shorter　time　about　La　Haie…Sainte；all　these　stormy　incidents　passing　like　the　clouds　of　battle　before　Napoleon；　had　hardly　troubled　his　gaze　and　had　not　overshadowed　that　face　of　imperial　certainty。　Napoleon　was　accustomed　to　gaze　steadily　at　war；　he　never　added　up　the　heart…rending　details；　cipher　by　cipher；　ciphers　mattered　little　to　him；　provided　that　they　furnished　the　total；　victory；　he　was　not　alarmed　if　the　beginnings　did　go　astray；　since　he　thought　himself　the　master　and　the　possessor　at　the　end；　he　knew　how　to　wait；　supposing　himself　to　be　out　of　the　question；　and　he　treated　destiny　as　his　equal：
　　he　seemed　to　say　to　fate；　Thou　wilt　not　dare。
　　posed　half　of　light　and　half　of　shadow；　Napoleon　thought　himself　protected　in　good　and　tolerated　in　evil。
　　He　had；　or　thought　that　he　had；　a　connivance；　one　might　almost　say　a　plicity；　of　events　in　his　favor；　which　was　equivalent　to　the　invulnerability　of　antiquity。
　　Nevertheless；　when　one　has　Beresina；　Leipzig；　and　Fontainebleau　behind　one；　it　seems　as　though　one　might　distrust　Waterloo。　A　mysterious　frown　bees　perceptible　in　the　depths　of　the　heavens。
　　At　the　moment　when　Wellington　retreated；　Napoleon　shuddered。　He　suddenly　beheld　the　table…land　of　Mont…Saint…Jean　cleared；　and　the　van　of　the　English　army　disappear。
　　It　was　rallying；　but　hiding　itself。
　　The　Emperor　half　rose　in　his　stirrups。　The　lightning　of　victory　flashed　from　his　eyes。
　　Wellington；　driven　into　a　corner　at　the　forest　of　Soignes　and　destroyedthat　was　the　definitive　conquest　of　England　by　France；　it　was　Crecy；　Poitiers；　Malplaquet；　and　Ramillies　avenged。　The　man　of　Marengo　was　wiping　out　Agincourt。
　　So　the　Emperor；　meditating　on　this　terrible　turn　of　fortune；　swept　his　glass　for　the　last　time　over　all　the　points　of　the　field　of　battle。
　　His　guard；　standing　behind　him　with　grounded　arms；　watched　him　from　below　with　a　sort　of　religion。
　　He　pondered；　he　examined　the　slopes；　noted　the　declivities；　scrutinized　the　clumps　of　trees；　the　square　of　rye；　the　path；　he　seemed　to　be　counting　each　bush。
　　He　gazed　with　some　intentness　at　the　English　barricades　of　the　two　highways；two　large　abatis　of　trees；　that　on　the　road　to　Genappe　above　La　Haie…Sainte；　armed　with　two　cannon；　the　only　ones　out　of　all　the　English　artillery　which　manded　the　extremity　of　the　field　of　battle；　and　that　on　the　road　to　Nivelles　where　gleamed　the　Dutch　bayonets　of　Chasse's　brigade。
　　Near　this　barricade　he　observed　the　old　chapel　of　Saint　Nicholas；　painted　white；　which　stands　at　the　angle　of　the　cross…road　near　Braine…l'Alleud；　he　bent　down　and　spoke　in　a　low　voice　to　the　guide　Lacoste。
　　The　guide　made　a　negative　sign　with　his　head；　which　was　probably　perfidious。
　　The　Emperor　straightened　himself　up　and　fell　to　thinking。
　　Wellington　had　drawn　back。
　　All　that　remained　to　do　was　to　plete　this　retreat　by　crushing　him。
　　Napoleon　turning　round　abruptly；　despatched　an　express　at　full　speed　to　Paris　to　announce　that　the　battle　was　won。
　　Napoleon　was　one　of　those　geniuses　from　whom　thunder　darts。
　　He　had　just　found　his　clap　of　thunder。
　　He　gave　orders　to　Milhaud's　cuirassiers　to　carry　the　table…land　of　Mont…Saint…Jean。


BOOK　FIRST。…WATERLOO
CHAPTER　IX　
　　THE　UNEXPECTED
　　　There　were　three　thousand　five　hundred　of　them。
　　They　formed　a　front　a　quarter　of　a　league　in　extent。
　　They　were　giant　men；　on　colossal　horses。
　　There　were　six　and　twenty　squadrons　of　them；　and　they　had　behind　them　to　support　them　Lefebvre…Desnouettes's　division；the　one　hundred　and　six　picked　gendarmes；　the　light　cavalry　of　the　Guard；　eleven　hundred　and　ninety…seven　men；　and　the　lancers　of　the　guard　of　eight　hundred　and　eighty　lances。　They　wore　casques　without　horse…tails；　and　cuirasses　of　beaten　iron；　with　horse…pistols　in　their　holsters；　and　long　sabre…swords。　That　morning　the　whole　army　had　admired　them；　when；　at　nine　o'clock；　with　braying　of　trumpets　and　all　the　music　playing　〃Let　us　watch　o'er　the　Safety　of　the　Empire；〃　they　had　e　in　a　solid　column；　with　one　of　their　batteries　on　their　flank；　another　in　their　centre；　and　deployed　in　two　ranks　between　the　roads　to　Genappe　and　Frischemont；　and　taken　up　their　position　for　battle　in　that　powerful　second　line；　so　cleverly　arranged　by　Napoleon；　which；　having　on　its　extreme　left　Kellermann's　cuirassiers　and　on　its　extreme　right　Milhaud's　cuirassiers；　had；　so　to　speak；　two　wings　of　iron。
　　Aide…de…camp　Bernard　carried　them　the　Emperor's　orders。
　　Ney　drew　his　sword　and　placed　himself　at　their　head。
　　The　enormous　squadrons　were　set　in　motion。
　　Then　a　formidable　spectacle　was　seen。
　　All　their　cavalry；　with　upraised　swords；　standards　and　trumpets　flung　to　the　breeze；　formed　in　columns　by　divisions；　descended；　by　a　simultaneous　movement　and　like　one　man；　with　the　precision　of　a　brazen　battering…ram　which　is　effecting　a　breach；　the　hill　of　La　Belle　Alliance；　plunged　into　the　terrible　depths　in　which　so　many　men　had　already　fallen；　disappeared　there　in　the　smoke；　then　emerging　from　that　shadow；　reappeared　on　the　other　side　of　the　valley；　still　pact　and　in　close　ranks；　mounting　at　a　full　trot；　through　a　storm　of　grape…shot　which　burst　upon　them；　the　terrible　muddy　slope　of　the　table…land　of　Mont…Saint…Jean。　They　ascended；　grave；　threatening；　imperturbable；　in　the　intervals　between　the　musketry　and　the　artillery；　their　colossal　trampling　was　audible。　Being　two　divisions；　there　were　two　columns　of　them；　Wathier's　division　held　the　right；　Delort's　division　was　on　the　left。
　　It　seemed　as　though　two　immense　adders　of　steel　were　to　be　seen　crawling　towards　the　crest　of　the　table…land。　It　traversed　the　battle　like　a　prodigy。
　　Nothing　like　it　had　been　seen　since　the　taking　of　the　great　redoubt　of　the　Muskowa　by　the　heavy　cavalry；　Murat　was　lacking　here；　but　Ney　was　again　present。
　　It　seemed　as　though　that　mass　had　bee　a　monster　and　had　but　one　soul。
　　Each　column　undulated　and　swelled　like　the　ring　of　a　polyp。
　　They　could　be　seen　through　a　vast　cloud　of　smoke　which　was　rent　here　and　there。
　　A　confusion　of　helmets；　of　cries；　of　sabres；　a　stormy　heaving　of　the　cruppers　of　horses　amid　the　cannons　and　the　flourish　of　trumpets；　a　terrible　and　disciplined　tumult；　over　all；　the　cuirasses　like　the　scales　on　the　hydra。
　　These　narrations　seemed　to　belong　to　another　age。
　　Something　parallel　to　this　vision　appeared；　no　doubt；　in　the　ancient　Orphic　epics；　which　told　of　the　centaurs；　the　old　hippanthropes；　those　Titans　with　human　heads　and　equestrian　chests　who　scaled　Olympus　at　a　gallop；　horrible；　invulnerable；　sublimegods　and　beasts。
　　Odd　numerical　coincidence；twenty…six　battalions　rode　to　meet　twenty…six　battalions。
　　Behind　the　crest　of　the　plateau；　in　the　shadow　of　the　masked　battery；　the　English　infantry；　formed　into　thirteen　squares；　two　battalions　to　the　square；　in　two　lines；　with　seven　in　the　first　line；　six　in　the　second；　the　stocks　of　their　guns　to　their　shoulders；　taking　aim　at　that　which　was　on　the　point　of　appearing；　waited；　calm；　mute；　motionless。
　　They　did　not　see　the　cuirassiers；　and　the　cuirassiers　did　not　see　them。　They　listened　to　the　rise　of　this　flood　of　men。
　　They　heard　the　swelling　noise　of　three　thousand　horse；　the　alternate　and　symmetrical　tramp　of　their　hoofs　at　full　trot；　the　jingling　of　the　c