網頁圖片
PDF
ePub 版

Grand Monarque, after talking to Madame Gauthier and her daughters about Dumas and his visit to their hotel.

Dumas had given Madame Gauthier half-a-dozen copies of his work, and I prevailed upon her the next morning to let me take one, as a memento of her kind hospitality in war time, and of the occasion generally. Beneath her name she wrote this date: "Le 30 Aôut, 1870: Année mémorable !"

[ocr errors]

'Jour mémorable" she might also have written, for a few hours later the Prussians and Bavarians began at Beaumont the fighting which only ended two days afterwards at Sedan. It has since been pointed out by some observer of curious coincidences that the 30th of August, 1870, was the hundredth anniversary of Hegel's birthday. The centenary of the historical philosopher who had pointed to the coming predominance of Germany in Europe, and the moral and military means by which it would be brought about, was to have been celebrated that day at the German Universities. But war broke out, and it was commemorated in a more striking manner by Saxons, Bavarians, Wurtemburghers, and Prussians, on French battlefields.

CHAPTER VII.

INVASION OF A DISTRICT HELD BY THE ENEMY.

UTSIDE Varennes, on the road to Buzancy,

I passed a camp full, as usual, of picturesque and grotesque sights-an ox's head stuck on a pole, a cuirassier plucking a fowl, a party of uhlans roasting a goose over a wood fire; in the background a number of huts in the form of bowers, constructed with branches torn from the trees in the adjacent forest. The Prussians do not burden themselves with canvas and poles, but improvise their huts out of any materials at hand, as they want them, and their camp architecture is often admirable.

At Buzancy I rested for a time at an hotel, with next to nothing in it. An interesting personage, however, soon entered-an officer of one of the cavalry regiments of the Prussian Guard-who said that he was very hungry, that he had not eaten

[graphic]

cven a piece of The laf and made meil ton, I had brought smil

I ale transferred. The hogy dice hig

lly satisfied the cravings is stomath, Hegran to came his lack, saying that is regiment was

e put in reserve, that there would the a ale that very day, and that he should see

such as no reserves could possibly He had been out on a reconnaissance Monday, August 29), and knew

the French. They were
the German armies ready to

2000 strong-eight army
them at their full

deuld con-
p of this immense

The de with the

[graphic]

by at a rapid trot, the infantry standing aside ke way for them. Then a battalion of inmarched hurriedly past without knapsacks, napsacks being driven after them in carts. unition waggons followed and to some extent ed up the road, so that for the moment it was

my attempting to get on. I accordingly ned for the next quarter of an hour talking officer who had been out on a reconnaissance. id he was very sorry to take the whole of my meat, but he was so hungry, and war had what demoralized him, so that he now often

himself doing things which in strict politehe, perhaps, ought not to do. I assured him I had had an excellent breakfast, and, more(little knowing what I was talking about!), I should be able to buy whatever I wanted at next village. I promised to dine with him day in Berlin (it was difficult, under the cirtances, to fix the day), and he then got on back and rode off to his regiment, encamped where at the back of Buzancy, while I drove ard after the advancing troops, who, in the obliging manner, made way for me to pass

I had not gone 20 yards before, on turning ner, I heard the sound of artillery. The achad already begun. After about ten minutes. reports became fainter and fainter, and then

92

Gra

and

their

Du.

copies

next m

her kind

generally

[ocr errors]

"Le 30 "Jour 1

for a few 1 began at 1

two days af pointed out

dences that

hundredth an.

centenary of t

pointed to the c Europe, and the which it would be celebrated that da But war broke out, a more striking manne temburghers, and Prus

[graphic]
« 上一頁繼續 »