IT was getting dusk on the 8th of November, the last day of the battle of Krasnoe, when the soldiers reached their halting-place for the night. The whole day had been still and frosty, with now and then a few light flakes¹ of snow. Towards evening the sky began to grow clearer. Through the snowflakes could be seen a dark, purplish, starlit sky, and the frost was growing more intense.

A regiment² of musketeers, which had left Tarutino three thousand strong, but had now dwindled³ to nine hundred, was among the first to reach the halting-place, a village on the high road. The quartermasters, on meeting the regiment, reported that all the cottages were full of sick and dead Frenchmen, cavalrymen, and staff-officers. There was only one cottage left for the colonel of the regiment.

The colonel went on to his cottage. The regiment passed through the village, and stacked their guns up at the furthest cottages along the road.

Like a huge, many-legged monster, the regiment set to work preparing its food and lodging⁴ for the night. One party of soldiers trudged⁵ off, knee-deep in the snow, into the birch copse, on the right of the village, and the ring of axes and cutlasses, the crash of breaking branches, and the sounds of merry voices were immediately heard coming thence. Another group were busily at work all round the regimental baggage-waggons, which were drawn⁶ up all together. Some fed the horses, while others got out cooking-pots and biscuits. A third section dispersed⁷ about the village, getting the cottages ready for the staff-officers, carrying out the dead bodies of the French lying in the huts, and dragging away boards, dry wood, and straw from the thatch⁸ roofs, to furnish fuel for their fires and materials for the shelters they rigged up.

Behind the huts at the end of the village fifteen soldiers were trying with merry shouts to pull down the high wattle wall of a barn from which they had already removed the roof.

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1 flakes
小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人
参考例句：
It's snowing in great flakes. 天下着鹅毛大雪。 It is snowing in great flakes. 正值大雪纷飞。

2 regiment
n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制
参考例句：
As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活，所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。 They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。

3 dwindled
v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。 His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lodging
n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍
参考例句：
The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。 Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

5 trudged
vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。 He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 dispersed
adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的
参考例句：
The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。 After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

8 thatch
vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋)
参考例句：
They lit a torch and set fire to the chapel's thatch.他们点着一支火把，放火烧了小教堂的茅草屋顶。 They topped off the hut with a straw thatch. 他们给小屋盖上茅草屋顶。

9 velvety
adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的
参考例句：
a velvety red wine 醇厚的红葡萄酒 Her skin was admired for its velvety softness. 她的皮肤如天鹅绒般柔软，令人赞叹。

10 peremptory
adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的
参考例句：
The officer issued peremptory commands.军官发出了不容许辩驳的命令。 There was a peremptory note in his voice.他说话的声音里有一种不容置辩的口气。

11 sergeant
n.警官，中士
参考例句：
His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。 How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

12 gentry
n.绅士阶级，上层阶级
参考例句：
Landed income was the true measure of the gentry.来自土地的收入是衡量是否士绅阶层的真正标准。 Better be the head of the yeomanry than the tail of the gentry.宁做自由民之首，不居贵族之末。

13 grumbling
adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的
参考例句：
She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。 We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。

14 interspersing
v.散布，散置( intersperse的现在分词 )；点缀
参考例句：

15 trampled
踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯
参考例句：
He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊，怕他让暴民踩着。 People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。

16 shanties
n.简陋的小木屋( shanty的名词复数 )；铁皮棚屋；船工号子；船歌
参考例句：
A few shanties sprawl in the weeds. 杂草丛中零零落落地歪着几所棚屋。 来自辞典例句 The workers live in shanties outside the factory. 工人们住在工厂外面的小棚屋内。 来自互联网

17 propped
支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。 This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。