Year: 1860

doubt whatever, hut that he would have been
shaved with sabre. However, the beard
was taken Of, more or less according TO art
and given 10 Bilboqhet, who folded Il up care
fully in piece of paper, and slowed Il away
in his pocket .'.f .t.J


When Bilboquet's regained his quarters
he got the regiment tailor TO sew the jew
beard, OF BilboqIets beard az Il had now be-
come, TO a strip of parchment out from an old
drum, and then, without giving any explana-
ton Of his design, put il at the very bottom Of
his knapsaek His comrades bothered him
about the matter for few DAYS, but then the
regiment started eastward, and after the bat
tie of Borodino, and the taking of Moscow,
such incidents as Bilboquets adventures with
the jew Of Smolensk, naturally escaped re-
collection. t


Then came the horrors ofthe retteat---cold,
Cossacks, and famine. Napoleon's army was
decimated in the'%orst sense that Is TO say,
every tenth man was spared, while the nine
others fell victims to the Cossack's lances,
hunger, or TO the Russian snow The ninth
regiment formed part of the rear guard
which fought so magnifcently under the
leadership and auspices of Ney Little Bill
boquet was among the most Fortunate for he
was neither wounded nor frostbitten.


A few days AFTER the terrible passage of tho
Beresino, the troops had TO cross small river,
over which the engineers had already thrown
a bridge. Bilboquets brigade, which formed
the extreme rear, had passed over in safety,
and the great poiAt now was. TO prevent the
Russians from following The general order
ed the sappers 10 blow up the bridge, but the
explosion was attended with only partial sue
cess. One half of the bridge was connected
with the other by means Of a single beam. If
this beam could be cut in two, the whole
structure would fall into the water. Otherwise
the enemy would have no difficulty III repair
ing the bridge and their pursuit would not be
delayed for more than an hour at most Some
sappers were directed TO get on q raft, and en-.
deavor to destroy the bridge altogether; but
the Russians arrived on the opposite bank of
river before the order could be obeyed, and
opened murderous fire which seemed TO rem
der its execution quite impossible The French
returned the fire hhd the army was about to
move on, when suddenly, soldier with
hatchet on his shoulder plunged into the river
dived and come up half minute Afterwards
at short distance from the beam, which il
was desired to sever. By his long beard, il
was easy TO see that this was a sapper who was
so nobly sacrificing, himself for the sake of his
comrades. The brave man swan vigorously
towards the important point and continued
his course through a shower Of bullets which
caused the water 30 boil all around him, until
at last he reached the center pile and climb
ing up TO it, got on the bridge The beam was
not so large as Il appeared from the shore, and
il was already half divided With one blow
the soldier cut it in two, when the bridge and
himself with it, fell into the water with a ire
mendous crash


| The Russians, in their astonishment, ceased
firing for a moment, but the Frenchman soon
rose 10 the.surface and was then again saluted
with storm Of shot Now, hundred poles
we're extended to the daring sapper, and the
general himself, was among the most cnthusi
astic applauders Of his gallant exploit.


Suddenly, thegeneral gave start.
"What is thhtp he exclaimed
| He might well be astonished, for the sup
posed sapper who had destroyed the bridge
was no other than young Bilboquet the drum
mer with his celebrated black beard tied un-
der his chin


"What in the name of heaven does this
mean p inquired the general scarcely credit
ing his eyes


at is only me, said Bilboquet, 'the drum
mer boy that you said you d give the cross TO,
when he had hair on his chin I've a beard
now, general, and capital one, tool gave
your forty francs for it and | think it ought
to be good


The general was fairly Supplied by the
youngsters courage, and scarcely less so by
his originality and humor He took Bilbo.
quet by the hand, and without moments de-
lay, gave him tha cross he had been wearing
on his own breast


| From this moment, even the veterans of
the regiment treated Blboquet with respect,
and the drum major never struck him any
more with his long cane.