Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1849-09-26
Napoleon and the Soldier.
A THRILLING STORY.

before the door OF his neat cottage one pleasant
evening in July. He vas surrounded by scVc-
rl village lads who with one voice, cnlreated
him to his promised story. The old
man took his pipe from his mouth, wiped his
lips with the back Of his remaining hand, and
began thus:
In nv time, boys, Frenchmcn would have
scorred to fight with FrcnciIlcn i'll the streets
as they do now. No, no: when IRE fought, it
was for the honor Of France, and against her
foreign enemies. Well, my story begins on the
9Th Of November, 1872, Il short time after the
battle Of Wrlzma. We We're beating 4 retreat,
not before the Russians, for they kept at a re-
spectacle distance from our cantOnclncnts, but
before the biting cold o: their dcstcstablc coun-
try. more terrible to us than Russians, Austrians,
and Bsvarians put together. For the last few
days, our officers had been telling us that We
were approaching Smolensko, where W. should
be certain OF tinding food, fire, brandy and shoes;
but in the meantime we were pcrislling in the
ice, and perpetualIy harrassed by bands of Cos
sack riders.
1--WE had marched for six hours, without
pausin9 to draw breath, for we knew that repose
was certain death. A bitter wind hurled SNOW
flakes against our faces, and now and then We
stumbled over the frozen cOrpScS OF our com
rades. No singing or talking then. Even the
grumblers ceased to complain, and that was a
bad sign. | walked behind my Captain; he was
a short man, strongly built, rugged and severe,
but brave and true as his own sWordbladc. We
called him Captain Positive; for, once he said Il
thing, SO it was-no appeal-he never changed
his mind. He had been wounded at Wrazma,
and his usually red face was now quite pale:
while the pieces Of an old white handkerchief
which he had wrapped round his legs were
soaked with blood. lsaW him first move slowly,
then stagger like Il drunken man, and at last he
fell down like a block.
"Nor6leu. captain" said I, bending over him,
'you can't lie there"
"You see that | can, because | do" he replied,
pointing to his limbs"
"Captain," said |, you mustn't die thus" and
raising him in my arms, | managed to place him
on his feet. He leaned on me and tried to walk;
but in vain: he fell once more, dragging me with
him.
"Jobin," said he, "tis all over here. Just
leave me and join your column as quickly as
You can. One word before you 90. AT
Voreppe, near Grenoble, lives 4 good woman,
eighty two years old, my-my mother. Go to
see her, embrace her and tell her that-that-
tell her whatever you like, but give her this
purse and my cross. That's all"
is that all, captain!"
q said 50. Good bye and make haste"
Boys, | don't know how it was, but | felt
two tears freezing on my checks
"No, captain" cried | 81 won't leave vou:-
either you shall come with me, or l will stay
with YOU"
Il forbid your staying"
"Captain, you might just as well forbid a
woman talking"
"IfI escape, I'll punish you severely"
"You may place me under arrest then, but
just now you must let me do as please
"fou are an ~insolent fellow"
Every likely, captain, but you must come with
me-"
ale bit his lips with anger, but said no more.
I raised him and placed his body across my
shoulders like a sack. You may easily imagine
that while bearing such a burden | could not
move as quickly as my comrades. Indeed, |
soon lost sight of their columns, and could per-
ceive nothing but the white silent plain around
me. moved on, and presently there appear
ed a band of Cossacks galloping toward me,
their lances in rest, and shouting their fiendish
War-cry.
"The captain was by this time in a state of
total Inconsistencies; and resolved, cost what
it might, not to abandon him. D.! laid him on the
ground, covered him with snow, and then crept
under a heap of my dead comrades, leaving
however, my eyes at liberty. Soon the Cos
sacks reached us, and began striking with their
lances right and left, while their horses trampled
the bodies. Presently one of these rude beasts
placed his foot on my LETT arm and crushed it
in pieces. Boys, / did not say a word; | did
not move, save to thrust my right hand into my
mouth to keep down the cry Of torture; and in
q few minntes the Cossacks dispersed.
"When the last ofthem has ridden off,, crept
out and managed to disinter the captain. He
showed few signs of life; nevertheless | contriv-
ed with my one hand to drag him towards a rock,
which afforded a sort of shelter, and then lay
down next him, wrapping my capote around
us. Night was closing in, and the snow con-
tinued to fall. The last Of the r%ear-guard had
long disappeared, and the only sounds that broke
the silence were the whistling of distant bullets,
and the nearer bowling of the wolves, which
were devouring the dead bodies. God knows
what things were passing through my mind
that night, which, | felt assured, would be my
last on earth. But | remembered the prayer
my mother had taught me long ago when 1 was
a child by her side; and kneeling down, | said it
fervently.
"Boys, it did me good; and always remember
that sincere earnest prayer will do you good
too. l felt wonderfully calm when l resumed
my place next the captain. But time passed
on, and | was becoming quite numb, when I
saw a party of French officers approaching.-
Before | had time to address them, the foremost,
a low sized man, dressed in fur pelisse, step
ped towards me saying
"What are you doing here? Why did you
stay behind your Regiment.
sFor two good reasons" said ], pointing first
to captain, and then to my bleeding arm.
"The man speaks the truth, SIRE" said one
of his followers, Il saw him marching behind
the column carrying this officer on his back"
THE Emperor-for, boys, it was he.-gave
NO -ora- &c thnco laoLs which only hinsalf or