personal memoirs-2-及59准
梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響
Germans into negotiations through the medium of a third party only
for purposes of delay。 So the next morning Lord Lyons's secretary
Mr。 Edward Malet察returned to Paris empty´handed察except that he bore
a communication positively declining mediation察which message
however察led no doubt to an interview between Bismarck and Favre a
couple of days later。
The forenoon of September 19 the King removed to the Chateau
Ferrieresa castle belonging to the Rothschild family察where
Napoleon had spent many happy days in the time of his prosperity。
His Majesty took up his quarters here at the suggestion of the owner
we were told察so that by the presence of the King the magnificent
chateau and its treasures of art would be unquestionably protected
from all acts of vandalism。
All of the people at headquarters except the King's immediate suite
were assigned quarters at Lagny察and while Forsyth and I察accompanied
by Sir Henry Havelock察of the British army察were driving thither察we
passed on the road the representative of the National Defense
Government察Jules Favre察in a carriage heading toward Meaux。
Preceded by a flag of truce and accompanied by a single察companion
be was searching for Count Bismarck察in conformity察doubtless察with
the message the Chancellor had sent to Paris on the 17th by the
British secretary。 A half´mile further on we met Bismarck。 He too
was traveling toward Meaux察not in the best of humor either察it
appeared察for having missed finding the French envoy at the
rendezvous where they had agreed to meet察he stopped long enough to
say that the ;air was full of lies察and that there were many persons
with the army bent on business that did not concern them。;
The armies of the two Crown Princes were now at the outskirts of
Paris。 They had come from Sedan mainly by two routesthe Crown
Prince of Saxony marching by the northern line察through Laon and
Soissons察and the Crown Prince of Prussia by the southern line
keeping his right wing on the north bank of the Marne察while his left
and centre approached the French capital by roads between that river
and the Seine。
The march of these armies had been unobstructed by any resistance
worth mentioning察and as the routes of both columns lay through a
region teeming with everything necessary for their support察and rich
even in luxuries察it struck me that such campaigning was more a vast
picnic than like actual war。 The country supplied at all points
bread察meat察and wine in abundance察and the neat villages察never more
than a mile or two apart察always furnished shelter察hence the
enormous trains required to feed and provide camp equipage for an
army operating in a sparsely settled country were dispensed with察in
truth察about the only impedimenta of the Germans was their wagons
carrying ammunition察pontoon´boats察and the field´telegraph。
On the morning of the 20th I started out accompanied by Forsyth and
Sir Henry Havelock察and took the road through Boissy St。 George
Boissy St。 Martins and Noisy Le Grand to Brie。 Almost every foot of
the way was strewn with fragments of glass from wine bottles察emptied
and then broken by the troops。 There was察indeed察so much of this
that I refrain from making any estimate of the number of bottles
lest I be thought to exaggerate察but the road was literally paved
with glass察and the amount of wine consumed none was wasted must
have been enormous察far more察even察than I had seen evidence of at
any time before。 There were two almost continuous lines of broken
bottles along the roadsides all the way down from Sedan察but that
exhibit was small compared with what we saw about Brie。
At Brie we were taken charge of by the German commandant of the
place。 He entertained us most hospitably for an hour or so察and
then察accompanied by a lieutenant察who was to be our guide察I set out
ahead of my companions to gain a point on the picket´line where I
expected to get a good look at the French察for their rifle´pits were
but a few hundred yards off across the Marne察their main line being
just behind the rifle´pits。 As the lieutenant and I rode through the
village察some soldiers warned us that the adventure would be
dangerous察but that we could probably get to the desired place unhurt
if we avoided the French fire by forcing our horses to a run in
crossing some open streets where we would be exposed。 On getting to
the first street my guide galloped ahead to show the way察and as the
French were not on the lookout for anything of the kind at these
dangerous points察only a few stray shots were drawn by the
lieutenant察but when I followed察they were fully up to what was going
on察and let fly a volley every time they saw me in the open。
Fortunately察however察in their excitement they overshot察but when I
drew rein alongside of my guide under protection of the bluff where
the German picket was posted察my hair was all on end察and I was about
as badly scared as ever I had been in my life。 As soon as I could
recover myself I thought of Havelock and Forsyth察with the hope that
they would not follow察nor did they察for having witnessed my
experience察they wisely concluded that察after all察they did not care
so much to see the French rifle´pits。
When I had climbed to the top of the bluff I was much disappointed
for I could see but littleonly the advanced rifle´pits across the
river察and Fort Nogent beyond them察not enough察certainly察to repay a
non´combatant for taking the risk of being killed。 The next question
was to return察and deciding to take no more such chances as those we
had run in coming out察I said we would wait till dark察but this
proved unnecessary察for to my utter astonishment my guide informed me
that there was a perfectly safe route by which we might go back。 I
asked why we had not taken it in coming察and he replied that he had
thought it ;too long and circuitous。; To this I could say nothing
but I concluded that that was not quite the correct reason察the truth
is that early that morning the young fellow had been helping to empty
some of the many wine bottles I saw around Brie察and consequently had
a little more ;Dutch courage;was a little more rashthan would
have been the case under other conditions。
I rode back to Brie by the ;long and circuitous; route察and inquiring
there for my companions察found Havelock waiting to conduct me to the
village of Villiers察whither察he said察Forsyth had been called to
make some explanation about his passport察which did not appear to be
in satisfactory shape。 Accordingly we started for Villiers察and
Havelock察being well mounted on an English ;hunter察─and wishing to
give me an exhibition of the animal's training and power察led the way
across ditches and fences察but my horse察never having followed ;the
hounds察─was unsafe to experiment with察so察after trying a low fence
or two察I decided to leave my friend alone in his diversion察and a
few moments later察seeing both horse and rider go down before a ditch
and high stone wall察I was convinced that my resolution was a
discreet one。 After this mishap察which luckily resulted in no harm
I hoped Sir Henry would give up the amusement察but by failure
becoming only the more determined察in a second effort he cleared the
wall handsomely and rode across´country to the villages。 Following
the road till it passed under a railway bridge察I there thought I saw
a chance to gain Villiers by a short´cut察and changing my course
accordingly察I struck into a large vineyard to the left察and
proceeding a few hundred yards through the vines察came suddenly upon
a German picket´post。 The guard immediately leveled their rifles at
me察when察remembering my Rezonville experience of being taken for a
French officer because of my uniform察I hastily flung myself from the
saddle in token of surrender。 The action being rightly interpreted
the men held their fire察and as my next thought was the King's pass I
reached under my coat´skirt for the document察but this motion being
taken as a grab for my pistol察the whole lot of themsome ten in
numberagain aimed at me察and with such loud demands for surrender
that I threw up my hands and ran into their ranks。 The officer of
the guard then coming up察examined my credentials察and seeing that
they were signed by the King of Prussia察released me and directed the
recovery of my horse察which was soon caught察and I was then conducted
to the quarters of the commandant察where I found Forsyth with his
pass properly vised察entirely ignorant of my troubles察and
contentedly regaling himself on cheese and beer。 Havelock having got
to the village ahead of me察thanks to his cross´country ride察was
there too察sipping beer with Forsyth察nor was I slow to follow their
example察for the ride of the day察though rather barren in other
results察at any rate had given me a ravenous appetite。
Late that evening察the 20th察we resumed our old quarters at Lagny