The captain agreed, admitting that the horses of his squadron could go no farther, and that the men were entirely unable to support the fatigues of such a venture. We left them accordingly, and pushed on henceforth alone. It was a relief to discover a road where a man could pass without stepping over the dead bodies of his comrades, and for a full hour we rode with none of those dreadful emblems of tragedy to which we had become so accustomed. In the end we entered a little defile which stood upon the brink of the forest. The high road became narrower, and was often wholly obliterated by the snow. I perceived that we were lost, and, drawing rein, I compelled my nephew to realise the extent of our misfortune.
"There are no dead here," said I. "If the army had passed by this road, you know what we should have witnessed. The stars seem to tell me that we are too far to the north; there is nothing for it but to return as we came."
He cursed and swore at this, for he was as impetuous as every zealous soldier should be.
"If day finds the Emperor at Bobr," said he, "all is lost. We should have taken a guide in the village; that is the folly of it, mon oncle. We have acted like children, and deserve what we get. Had we listened to Valerie——"
"Ah," said I, "always the women! Well, what did she say?"
"That she would conduct us to Bobr herself. I would have named it to the marshal, but you know what he thinks of women. There is nothing for it, as you say, but to return, and God keep us from a court-martial when we get there."
We turned about, and began to ride up the defile. A light shone through the trees almost at the head of it, and we perceived what we had overlooked on our western journey—a house standing in a clearing and lighting a welcome patch in that lonely forest. The idea came to me that these people might set us on the road, and, without waiting to ask my nephew's opinion, I turned aside and knocked upon the door. It was opened immediately by as handsome a young Jew as I have ever seen. Alas! he could not understand a word I addressed to him, but, drawing back as one in great fear, he called to someone inside; and presently there appeared a young woman as good-looking, but very much less afraid of the soldiers.
To my astonishment, a greeting in my own tongue was responded to immediately by this intelligent girl.
"Come in, messieurs," said she. "We do not fear your countrymen; we know that the French are our friends."
I hallooed to Léon to come down to the place, and then entered the cottage. A bright lamp burned upon the table, and food was set out there. When I remembered that it must have been nearly one o'clock of the morning, the fact seemed not a little suspicious; but a thought immediately came to me, and I turned to the girl and questioned her.