第22章 How the Brigadier Slew the Fox(5)

Now, I was as good a rider as any, and my horse was the best of them all, and so you can imagine that it was not long before he carried me to the front.And when I saw the dogs streaming over the open, and the red- coated huntsman behind them, and only seven or eight horsemen between us, then it was that the strangest thing of all happened, for I, too, went mad--I, 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 totrample 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 thing--full 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 hot--only one thing upon earth seemed worth living for, and that was to overtake this infernal fox.I passed one of the horsemen--a 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 forthe 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'scamp 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.