For a saving stroke Napoleon put in
Murat’s mighty array of ninety mounted
squadrons to beat back the Russians ad
vancing into the gap where Augereau’s
battalions had gone down. Like a hurri
cane they swept over the frozen ground—
then all was still. Marbot at last came to
his senses, finding his body stripped of all
save one boot. A man was tugging to re
move that, and the jerks given in the op
eration doubt less had brought the victim
to. The vandal only waited to see a sign
of life in the haggard, bloodshot face be
fore him, and made off with his booty.
Marbot tried to recall him, but was too
weak to make a sign and was again left
alone, naked and freezing. Many people
passed by, but seeing only a body like
thousands of others, shorn of its insignia
of rank, no attention was paid to the poor
soul, who lay as helpless us the dead
around him, but whose mind was alive to
all the horrors of his position.
' it
ALONE, NAKED AND FREEZING.
Luck again favored Marbot, and the
wretch who had plundered him also con
tributed to his rescue. Marbot’s chief, the
Marshal Augereau, had in his service a
valet whom the aid once befriended, and
who had reciprocated by little favors to his
Benefactor. One of the trifling favors had
l>een to purchase at Warsaw some gray as
trakhan trimming for a uniform pelisse.
