The mountain Democrat., 1863-10-31

tnoSe hoStopcnln diamonds.
Take charge of this officer l said to
the picket of grenadiers that accompa-
MED me, and wait below. l have bust
ness here
Another of Marshal Mortier's robbers
muttered the Cossack but l did not deign
a reply.
leaped through the shattered door,
and in moment was up the staircase.-
That moment gun was discharged, and
a bullet shivcred the balustrade that my
hands rested upon. drew my sword,
and ran into room on the third story
where the doGr was open.
Istumbled over still smoking musket.
There, in the halflit room, with light
streaming through the broken shutters,
were Krautzer and the Jew, bending over
a hole in the floor, from whence they had
removed two layers of cedar planks and
much plaster and fresh earth. There,
between them, was the malachite cabinet
the forced-of lid carefully replaced.
was in furious rage at the attempted
assassination. / don't know which of
you it was that shot at me, said /, but
one Of you it was. If it was this accursed
Jew-whom already know to be spy,
and half suspect to be a murderer-I will
kill him on the spot. If you, Monsieur
Krautzer, l shall report you to Marshal
Mortier.'
Il know what you want said Krautzer
sullenly, looking up. Don't swagger.-
You want your share; well, then, here,
take it, and so saying, he threw off the
lid of the malachite cabinet, with hide
GUS grin of triumph. twas empty; its
velvet-lined rccesses still bore the impress
of tiaras, carcanets, chains and bracelets.
You see We were too late; other men
had the fruit, and left the shell for u.s.
As for the shot, we took you for q stray
Russian, and being here alone, feared vi.
olence: For that shot, thousand par.
dons, my dear doctor; but pray, keep
this casket as small remembrance OF
Moscow
left the room with a curse, dashing
} the malachite box to pieces with kick of
my foot, and saw no more of KrautZer
and his Jew for many day, although l
heard rumor that he had undertaken,
for several thousand rubles, to convey
back to France a Russian lady of rank,
whose husband had been taken prisoner
at wilma and sent to the Temple. nev-
er knew man so transformed by lust
for wealth as that Krautzer-iame, sci.
ence, honor, had all been sacrificed to
that Moloch.
That night, our ruin began-the Rus
SLAMS fred Moscow, the flames first break.
ing out in the coachmakers' warehouses
From that moment, the Emperor knew it
was all over with him. The fatal retreat
soon after began.
Every day, matters grew worse and
worse. When one morning, on the 9Th
November, at Dorogobuj, the first snow
fakes fell. us large as halfcrowns the
Russian prisoners smiled bitterly, for they
knew well what was coming. From that
day it grew worse and worse-thicker
and thicker; and the Cossacks skinned
round US like Arabs round plague-struck
caravan. AS Segur grandly says in his
] great work: { In the vast wreck, the ar
my, like great ship tossed by tremen-
dous tempest, threw into that vast vel.
tering see of ice and snow all that could
impede its progress First, plunder,
guns, arms. powder, shot; and then, the
wounded, the women, the sick, suffers,
prisoners, standards At the convent of
kolotskoi, it went to my heart to find
thousands OF my poor wounded dead and
the rest, whom We could not move, crowd
ing to the door, lame and bandaged,
stretching out their arms, and praying US
to take them with US. There was no ford
but some wagons and guns were aban-
doned at it; mo storm but Cossacks
swept off some miserable stragglers; no
bivouac fire lit but in the morning some
: Of our wretchcd soldiers were found dead,
with their feet half burned off, and their
hair frozen to the ground.
Pounded corn and horse-flesh had grad
ually been superseded by birch bark and
sawduSt loaves. The Emperor gave or
derS to destroy one-half of the wagons,
so as to use the horses and draught.oxen
to help to forward the artillery. Many Of
the cavalry, by the time we reached Stud
zianka-and many even Of the Sacred
} Squadron, the FIVE hundred officers who
formed the bodyguard Of the Emperor
were dismounted. Some of our men had
their bleeding feet bandaged with rags,
to replace their worn-out shoes. There
were generals wrapped in women's pelis,
ses. All discipline was rapidly going.
During the retreat, had frequent
glimpses of Krautzer, who was always
followed by the Jew. The day we left
Moscow, l had seen him riding beside the
sumptuous carriage that contained the
Russian lady of rank whom he had un.
dertaken to convey to Paris. A day or
two later, when we halted at the Lake Of
Semelin, to throw into it the ancient ar.
NOR, cannon, the great cross of Ivan, and
other trophies of Moscow, the carriage
had disappeared, and Krautzer and his
charge were both mounted on horses
There was no sun visible, and the thick
fog suddenly changed into heavy snow,
that blew around US, and almost blinded
the soldiers. Emaciated, dirty and un-
shaven, our men already had begun to
look more like hungry brigands than
Grenadiers Of the Grand Army. 1t was
on this day that the Emperor himself
dismounted, seized musket and marched
at the head Of the Old Guard, to encour-
age them. When shut my eyes, can
see him now, with the stern, gripped
mouth, and the broad, white forehead,
over which one tress of black hair fell.-
l was riding quietly along with the van.
guard, wrapped in thought, when one Of
my assistant surgeons tapped me on the
shoulder, and pointed to Krautzer.
Look at that man, Monsieur Frochet,
he said; 'Observo how his holsters are
stuffed out. The soldiers tell me they
are full ofjewels that he stole from pal
ace in Moscow. Parbleu / would give a.
hatful of diamonds myself to be safe in
the Boulevards.'