For the rest, most of the intercepted Russian letters expressed the same astonishment.  “While our villages are blazing,” said they, “we hear nothing here but the ringing of bells, hymns of thanksgiving, and triumphant reports.  It seems as if they would make us thank God for the victories of the French.  Thus there is lying in the air, lying on earth, lying in words and in writing, lying to Heaven and earth, lying in every thing.  Our great men treat Russia like a child, but there is no small degree of credulity in believing us to be so credulous.”

Very just reflections, if means so gross had been employed to deceive those who were capable of writing such letters.  At any rate, though these political falsehoods are generally resorted to, it was plain that when carried to such excess, they were a satire either on the governors or the governed, and, perhaps, on both.

During this time the advanced-guard pushed the Russians as far as Gjatz, exchanging a few balls with them,—­an exchange which was almost always to the disadvantage of the French, the Russians taking care to employ only their long pieces, which would carry much farther than ours.  Another remark which we made was, that from Smolensk the Russians had neglected to burn the villages and the mansions.  As they are of a character which aims at effect, this obscure evil probably appeared to them to be a useless one.  They were satisfied with the more signal conflagrations of their cities.

This defect, if that negligence proceeded from it, turned, as is frequently the case with all other defects, to the advantage of their enemies.  In these villages, the French army found forage, corn, ovens for baking, and shelter.  Others observed on this point, that all these devastations were allotted to cossacks, to barbarians; and that these hordes, either from hatred or contempt of civilization, seemed to take a savage and particular pleasure in the destruction of the towns.

CHAP.  IV.

On the 1st of September, about noon, there was only a copse of fir-trees between Murat and Gjatz.  The appearance of cossacks obliged him to deploy his first regiments, but in his impatience he soon sent for some horse, and having himself driven the Russians from the wood which they occupied, he crossed it and found himself at the gates of Gjatz.  This sight animated the French, and they instantly made themselves masters of the town as far as the river which parts it into two, and the bridges of which had been already set on fire.

There, as at Smolensk and Wiazma, whether by chance, or from the relic of a Tartar custom, the bazaar was on the Asiatic side, on the bank opposite to us.  The Russian rear-guard, secured by the river, had time, therefore, to burn that whole quarter.  Nothing but the promptitude of Murat saved the rest.

The troops crossed the Gjatz as they could, on planks, in a few boats, and by fording.  The Russians disappeared behind the flames, whither our foremost riflemen followed them,—­when they saw an inhabitant come forth, approach them, and cry out that he was a Frenchman.  His joy and his accent confirmed his assertion.  They conducted him to Davoust, who interrogated him.