When the smoke from the cannon2 had cleared, the Sectionists who remained standing3 could see, not fifty paces from them, Bonaparte on horseback in the midst of his gunners, who were reloading their guns. They replied to the cannonade by a heavy fire. Seven or eight of the gunners fell, and Bonaparte's black horse sank to the ground, shot dead by a bullet in the forehead.
"Fire!" cried Bonaparte as he fell.
The cannon thundered a second time. Bonaparte had time to rise. He had concealed4 the battalion5 of '89 in the Cul-de-sac de Dauphine, which they had reached through the stables.
"This way, volunteers!" he cried, drawing his sword.
The battalion of volunteers rushed toward him with drawn6 swords. They were tried men who had seen all the first battles of the Revolution. Bonaparte noticed an old drummer standing in a corner.
"Come here," he said, "and beat the charge."
"The charge, my boy," said the old drummer, who saw that he had to do with a young man of twenty-five; "you want the charge? well, you shall have it; and a warm one."
[Pg 330]
And, placing himself at the head of the battalion of '89, he beat the charge. The regiment7 marched straight to the church steps, and, with their bayonets, pinned to the doors all the Sectionists who had remained standing.
The cannon obeyed as if they understood the command. The guns had been reloaded while the battalion of volunteers were marching against Saint-Roch.
"Wheel to the right!" said Bonaparte to the gunners in charge of one of the cannon.
"To the left," he cried to the others.
Then, to both at the same time, he shouted: "Fire!"
And he swept the whole length of the Rue Saint-Honoré with two charges of grape-shot.
The Sectionists, annihilated10, without being able to tell whence the thunderbolt had fallen, took refuge in the church of Saint-Roch, in the Théatre du République, now the Théatre-Fran?aise, and in the Palais-égalité. Bonaparte had put them to flight, had broken and dispersed11 their ranks; it was for others to drive them from their last intrenchments. He mounted another horse which was brought him, and shouted: "Patriots12 of '89, the honor of the day is yours! Finish what you have so well begun."
These men who did not know him were astonished at being commanded by a boy. But they had seen him at work and were dazzled by his calmness under fire. They scarcely knew his name; they certainly did not know who he was. They put their hats on the ends of their muskets13 and cried: "Long live the Convention!"
The wounded, who were stretched along the side of the houses, raised themselves upon the doorsteps or clung to the gratings of the windows, shouting: "Long live the Republic!"
The dead lay in heaps in the street, and blood poured through the gutters14 as in a slaughter15 house, but enthusiasm hovered16 over the corpses17.
[Pg 331]
"I have nothing more to do here," said the young general.
And putting spurs to his horse, he rode across the Place Vend18?me, which was now empty, and reached the Rue Florentin almost in the midst of the fugitives19 whom he seemed to be pursuing, and from thence he passed into the Place de la Révolution.
There he directed General Montchoisy, who was in command of the reserves, to form a column, to take two twelve-pounders, and to advance by way of the Boulevard to the Porte-Saint-Honoré, in order to return to the Place Vend?me; from there he was to effect a junction20 with the guard attached to the staff in the Rue des Capucines, and with it to return to the Place Vend?me, and thus drive out all the Sectionists who might remain there.
At the same time General Brune, obeying General Bonaparte's order, passed through the Rues21 Nicaise and Saint-Honoré. All the Sectionists from the Barrière des Sergents to the Place Vend?me, attacked on three sides at once, were either killed or taken prisoners. Those who escaped by the Rue de la Loi, formerly22 the Rue Richelieu, erected23 a barrier at the head of the Rue Saint-Marc.
It was General Danican who made this attempt with some ten thousand men, whom he had gathered together at the point nearest the Convention, believing he had only to force the wicket of L'Echelle to reach the Assembly. Wishing to reserve all the honors of the day for himself, he had forbidden Morgan, who commanded on the Pont-Neuf, and Coster de Saint-Victor, who was stationed at the Quai Conti, to take a single step.
Suddenly Morgan perceived Danican with the remnant of his ten thousand men advancing through the Rue des Halles and the Place du Chatelet. The impetus24 thus given extended to the Quai du Louvre and also to the Quai Conti. This was the movement which Bonaparte had foreseen when he left the church of Saint-Roch.
From the Place de la Révolution he saw them advancing[Pg 332] in close columns, on the one side from the garden of the Infanta and on the other from the Quai Malaquais. He sent two batteries to take up their positions on the Quai des Tuileries, and ordered them to commence firing at once diagonally across the river. He then set off at a gallop for the Rue du Bac, turned three guns, ready loaded, upon the Quai Voltaire, and cried "Fire!" just as the column emerged from behind the Institute.
Obliged to march in a compact body, as they passed between the monument and the quai, the Sectionists massed into a deep but narrow body, and it was at this moment that the artillery25 commenced to fire, and the shot swept through their ranks, literally26 mowing27 down the battalions28 as with a scythe29. The battery consisted of six guns, of which only three were fired at a time, the other three reloading and then firing again in turn; consequently the firing was incessant30.
The Sections wavered and drew back. Coster de Saint-Victor put himself at their head, rallied them, and was the first to cross the narrow passage. His men followed him. The cannon thundered on their flank and in front. His men fell around him while he remained standing about ten feet in front of the mutilated column, the remnant of which rapidly withdrew.
The young chief sprang upon the parapet of the bridge, where he stood, a target for every shot, and harangued31 them—insulted them, even. Stung by his sarcasms32, the Sectionists attempted once again to cross the passage. Coster leaped from the parapet and again put himself at their head.
The artillery made terrible havoc33 as the shot plowed34 through the ranks; a single shot killing35 or wounding at least three or four men. Coster's hat, which he held in his hand, was carried away, but the hurricane of fire passed around him without touching36 him.
Coster looked around only to find himself alone. He recognized the impossibility of restoring the courage of his[Pg 333] followers37; then he glanced in the direction of the Quai du Louvre, and saw that Morgan was waging deadly battle there with Cartaux. He darted38 through the Rue Mazarin to the Rue Guénégaud, and thence to the summit of the Quai Conti, which was heaped with dead, exposed as it was to the fire of the battery on the Quai des Tuileries. On his way he rallied round him a thousand men, crossed the Pont-Neuf with them, and emerged at their head upon the Quai de l'école.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
rout
|
|
| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
cannon
|
|
| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
battalion
|
|
| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
regiment
|
|
| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
gallop
|
|
| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
rue
|
|
| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
annihilated
|
|
| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
dispersed
|
|
| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
patriots
|
|
| 爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
muskets
|
|
| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
gutters
|
|
| （路边）排水沟( gutter的名词复数 )； 阴沟； （屋顶的）天沟； 贫贱的境地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
slaughter
|
|
| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
hovered
|
|
| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
corpses
|
|
| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
vend
|
|
| v.公开表明观点，出售，贩卖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
fugitives
|
|
| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
junction
|
|
| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
rues
|
|
| v.对…感到后悔( rue的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
22
formerly
|
|
| adv.从前，以前 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
ERECTED
|
|
| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
impetus
|
|
| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
artillery
|
|
| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
literally
|
|
| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
mowing
|
|
| n.割草，一次收割量，牧草地v.刈，割( mow的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
battalions
|
|
| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
scythe
|
|
| n. 长柄的大镰刀，战车镰； v. 以大镰刀割 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
incessant
|
|
| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
harangued
|
|
| v.高谈阔论( harangue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
sarcasms
|
|
| n.讥讽，讽刺，挖苦( sarcasm的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
havoc
|
|
| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
plowed
|
|
| v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
killing
|
|
| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
followers
|
|
| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
darted
|
|
| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |