第 17 节
作者:插翅难飞      更新:2021-04-30 17:18      字数:9322
  madI; Etienne Gerard!
  In a moment it came upon me; this spirit of sport; this desire to excel;
  this hatred of the fox。        Accursed animal; should he then defy us?                 Vile
  robber; his hour was come!
  Ah; it is a great feeling; this feeling of sport; my friends; this desire to
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  trample the fox under the hoofs of your horse。              I have made the fox chase
  with the English。       I have also; as I may tell you some day; fought the box…
  fight   with   the   Bustler;   of   Bristol。 And   I   say  to   you   that   this   sport   is   a
  wonderful thingfull of interest as well as madness。
  The farther we went the faster galloped my horse; and soon there were
  but three men as near the dogs as I was。
  All   thought   of   fear   of   discovery   had   vanished。  My   brain   throbbed;
  my blood ran hotonly one thing upon earth seemed worth living for; and
  that was to overtake this infernal   fox。          I passed one of the  horsemena
  Hussar like myself。        There were only two in front of me now: the one in a
  black   coat;   the   other   the   blue   artilleryman   whom   I   had   seen   at   the   inn。
  His grey whiskers streamed in the wind; but he rode magnificently。                   For a
  mile or   more we kept in this order; and then; as we galloped up a steep
  slope; my lighter weight brought me to the front。
  I passed them both; and when I reached the crown I was riding level
  with the little; hard…faced English huntsman。
  In front of us were the dogs; and then; a hundred paces beyond them;
  was   a   brown   wisp   of   a   thing;   the   fox   itself;   stretched   to   the   uttermost。
  The sight of him fired my blood。             〃Aha; we have you then; assassin!〃 I
  cried; and shouted my encouragement to the huntsman。                   I waved my hand
  to show him that there was one upon whom he could rely。
  And now there were only the dogs between me and my prey。                        These
  dogs; whose duty it is to point out the game; were now rather a hindrance
  than    a  help   to  us;   for  it   was  hard  to   know   how   to  pass   them。    The
  huntsman   felt   the   difficulty  as   much   as   I;   for  he   rode   behind   them;   and
  could     make    no   progress    toward    the  fox。   He     was   a  swift   rider;  but
  wanting in enterprise。        For my part; I felt that it would be unworthy of the
  Hussars of Conflans if I could not overcome such a difficulty as this。
  Was Etienne Gerard to be stopped by a herd of fox…dogs?
  It was absurd。      I gave a shout and spurred my horse。
  〃Hold hard; sir!      Hold hard!〃 cried the huntsman。
  He was   uneasy  for   me; this good   old   man;  but I   reassured him  by  a
  wave and a smile。         The dogs opened in front of me。              One or two may
  have been hurt; but what would you have?                 The egg must be broken for
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  the   omelette。    I   could   hear   the   huntsman   shouting   his   congratulations
  behind   me。     One   more   effort;   and   the   dogs   were   all   behind   me。 Only
  the fox was in front。
  Ah; the joy and pride of that moment!            To know that I had beaten the
  English at their own sport。        Here were three hundred; all thirsting for the
  life of this animal; and yet it was I who was about to take it。             I thought of
  my comrades of the light cavalry brigade; of my mother; of the Emperor;
  of France。     I had brought honour to each and all。            Every instant brought
  me nearer to the fox。       The moment for action had arrived; so I unsheathed
  my sabre。      I waved it in the air; and the brave English all shouted behind
  me。
  Only then did I understand how difficult is this fox chase; for one may
  cut again and again at the creature and never strike him once。               He is small;
  and   turns   quickly   from   a   blow。   At   every   cut   I   heard   those   shouts   of
  encouragement from behind me; and they spurred me to yet another effort。
  And then at last the supreme moment of my triumph arrived。                   In the very
  act of turning I caught him fair with such another back…handed cut as that
  with which I killed the aide…de…camp of the Emperor of Russia。                  He flew
  into two pieces; his head one way and his tail another。              I looked back and
  waved the blood… stained sabre in the air。          For the moment I was exalted …
  …superb!
  Ah!   how   I   should   have   loved   to   have   waited   to   have   received   the
  congratulations of these generous enemies。
  There were fifty of them in sight; and not one who was not waving his
  hand    and   shouting。     They   are    not  really  such   a  phlegmatic     race;   the
  English。     A gallant deed in war or in sport will always warm their hearts。
  As to the old huntsman; he was the nearest to me; and I could see with my
  own eyes how overcome he was by what he had seen。                   He was like a man
  paralysed; his mouth open; his hand; with outspread fingers; raised in the
  air。   For a moment my inclination was to return and to embrace him。
  But   already   the   call  of  duty   was   sounding     in  my   ears;  and   these
  English; in spite of all the fraternity which exists among sportsmen; would
  certainly   have   made   me   prisoner。     There   was   no   hope   for   my   mission
  now; and I had done all that I could do。          I could see the lines of Massena's
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  camp   no   very   great   distance   off;   for;   by   a   lucky   chance;   the   chase   had
  taken us in that direction。
  I turned from the dead fox; saluted with my sabre; and galloped away。
  But they would not leave me so easily; these gallant huntsmen。                 I was
  the fox now; and the chase swept bravely over the plain。                  It was only at
  the moment when I started for the camp that they could have known that I
  was a Frenchman; and now the whole swarm of them were at my heels。
  We were within gunshot of our pickets before they would halt; and then
  they stood in knots and would not go away; but shouted and waved their
  hands at me。       No; I will not think that it was in enmity。          Rather would I
  fancy   that   a   glow   of   admiration   filled   their   breasts;   and   that   their   one
  desire was   to embrace   the stranger   who had   carried himself so gallantly
  and well。
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  IV。 How the Brigadier Saved the
  Army
  I have told you; my friends; how we held the English shut up for six
  months; from October; 1810; to March; 1811; within their lines of Torres
  Vedras。    It was during this time that I hunted   the fox in their  company;
  and showed them that amidst all their sportsmen there was not one who
  could    outride   a  Hussar   of  Conflans。    When     I  galloped   back   into  the
  French lines with the blood of the creature still moist upon my blade the
  outposts who had seen what I had done raised a frenzied cry in my honour;
  whilst   these   English   hunters   still   yelled   behind   me;   so  that   I   had   the
  applause of both armies。        It made the tears rise to my eyes to feel that I
  had    won   the  admiration    of  so  many    brave   men。    These     English   are
  generous foes。      That very evening there came a packet under a white flag
  addressed 〃To the Hussar officer who cut down the fox。〃              Within; I found
  the fox itself in two pieces; as I had left it。      There was a note also; short
  but hearty; as the English fashion is; to say that as I had slaughtered the
  fox it only remained for me to eat it。       They could not know that it was not
  our French custom to eat foxes; and it showed their desire that he who had
  won the honours of the chase should also partake of the game。                It is not
  for a Frenchman to be outdone in politeness; and so I returned it to these
  brave hunters; and begged them to accept it as a side…dish for their next
  dejeuner de la chasse。
  It is thus that chivalrous opponents make war。
  I had brought back with me from my ride a clear plan of the English
  lines; and this I laid before Massena that very evening。
  I had hoped that it would lead him to attack; but all the marshals were
  at each other's throats;