Pagina 482 de 3800

Wishing to find out where the commander in chief was, he rode up

to a convoy. Directly opposite to him came a strange one-horse

vehicle, evidently rigged up by soldiers out of any available

materials and looking like something between a cart, a cabriolet,

and a caleche. A soldier was driving, and a woman enveloped in

shawls sat behind the apron under the leather hood of the

vehicle. Prince Andrew rode up and was just putting his question

to a soldier when his attention was diverted by the desperate

shrieks of the woman in the vehicle. An officer in charge of

transport was beating the soldier who was driving the woman's

vehicle for trying to get ahead of others, and the strokes of his

whip fell on the apron of the equipage. The woman screamed

piercingly. Seeing Prince Andrew she leaned out from behind the

apron and, waving her thin arms from under the woolen shawl,

cried: