Chapter 4 Chapter Four

Prince Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky's estate, Bald Hill, is sixty versts behind Smolensk and three versts from Moscow Avenue. On the evening of the evening when the prince gave Alpatych instructions, Dessalle asked Princess Marya to tell her that, in view of the prince's ill health and the fact that he had not taken any measures for his own safety, according to Prince Andrei's It was clear from the letter that it was not safe to remain in Bald Mountain, so he respectfully advised her to write a letter herself to the Governor, and have Alpatitch brought to Smolensk, begging him to inform her of the situation and the threat to Bald Mountain. she.Dessalles wrote a letter to the governor for Princess Marya, signed it, and handed it to Alpatych, ordering him to send it to the governor.If you are in danger, come back as soon as possible.

Alpatych, having received the instructions, put on a white wool cap (a gift from the duke), carried a cane like a duke, accompanied by his family, and as soon as he went out he drove three stout, russet horses. And a leather-covered carriage drawn by a horse with a black mane. The big bell was wrapped up, and the little one was stuffed with paper, because the Duke would not let a carriage with bells ride in Bald Mountain.But Alpatych likes to have bells and bells on his car when he travels.The "courtiers" of Alpatitch - the chief executive, the clerk, and the cook (two old ladies, one black and one white) are originally written by Tang Hanyu.Discuss the "Tao" that distinguishes Confucianism from Buddhism and Taoism. , Cossack children, coachmen, and various serfs; all came out to see him off.

His daughter put printed duck down cushions on his backs and under his body, and his sister-in-law secretly gave him a small package.Then a coachman helped him into the carriage. "Hey, all the old women! Old women, old women!" said Alpatych, panting and hastily, just like the old prince, before getting into the car.At the same time, the Chief Executive made the final instructions related to affairs.This time he did not do what the Duke had done, and took his hat from his bald head, and made the sign of the cross three times. "You, if there is anything... come back, Yakov Alpatitch; for Christ's sake, have mercy on us!" his wife cried to him, alluding to his words about the war and the enemy. gossip.

"Old women, old women, old women, all out!" said Alpatych to himself, and as he set out on the road, he looked around at the fields, where the rye was already yellow, and where the leaves were green. oats, and in some places black soil that has just begun to be plowed.Sitting in the car, Alpatych was admiring the rare good harvest of spring crops that year. He looked carefully at the plots of the rye field. Harvesting had already begun in several places, so he thought about sowing and harvesting carefully, and then wondered whether Forget what the duke ordered. The horses were fed twice on the way, and on the evening of August 4th Alpatych arrived in the city.

On the way, Alpatych met and overtook baggage trains and troops.As he was approaching Smolensk, he heard gunshots in the distance, but they did not startle him.What surprised him most was when, as he approached Smolensk, he saw some soldiers cutting a field of well-grown oats, apparently for horses.And there was a barracks in the oat-fields; this fact surprised Alpatych; but he soon forgot about it, preoccupied with his own affairs. All the interests of Alpatitch's life for more than thirty years were confined to the prince's wishes, and he never went beyond them.Anything that had nothing to do with carrying out the prince's orders was not only of no interest to him, but did not exist for Alpatych.

On the evening of August 4, Alpatych arrived in Smolensk and lodged at Ferapontov's hotel in the suburb of Gachinsk, across the Dnieper, where he had been accustomed for thirty years.Twelve years before, Ferapontov, under Alpatych's favor, had bought a grove from the prince, set up a business, and now had a house, an inn, and an inn in the provincial town. A flour shop.Ferapontov is a fat, dark and red-faced farmer in his forties. His lips are thick, his nose looks like a thick sarcoid, and there are two equally thick sarcoids above his wrinkled bushy eyebrows. , in addition to a protruding belly.

Ferapontov, in a waistcoat and a floral shirt, was standing by the flour shop facing the street, and seeing Alpatych, he went up to him. "Welcome, welcome, Yakov Alpatitch! Everyone is out of town, and you are coming in," said the innkeeper. "Why go out of town?" asked Alpatych. "I also said, ordinary people are too stupid! Aren't they afraid of the French!" "Old women's knowledge, old women's knowledge!" said Alpatitch. "That's what I thought too, Yakov Alpatitch. I said it was right to say that they were not allowed to come in with the order. But the peasants wanted three rubles for the fare, because they really Conscience is gone!"

Yakov Alpatitch listened indifferently.He ordered a pot of tea and hay for the horses, and when he had had his tea he lay down to sleep. All night long, the army passed the hotel in the street without stopping.The next day Alpatych put on his waistcoat, which he wore only in the city, and went out to run some errands.The sun was shining brightly in the morning, and it was very hot by eight o'clock.According to Alpatitch, it is a good day to harvest the crops.Gunfire had been heard outside the city since morning. From eight o'clock in the morning, the sound of rifles was mixed with the roar of cannons. There were many pedestrians and soldiers in a hurry on the street who didn't know where to go, but it was still the same as usual. In shops, in churches.Alpatych visited shops, government offices, and the post office, and visited the governor.In government offices, shops, and post offices, everyone was talking about the army, about the enemy who had begun to attack the city; everyone was asking each other what to do, and everyone was trying to comfort each other.

Alpatitch found many people in front of it where the governor lived, Cossack soldiers and one of the governor's wagons.Yakov Alpatitch met two noble gentlemen on the steps, one of whom he knew.The nobleman he knew, the ex-prefect of the county police, was saying excitedly: "It's no joke, you know!" he said. "It's easy for anyone alone. One person is unlucky, but a family of thirteen, and all the property . . . What kind of officer? . . . Well, these brigands should be hanged . . . " "Come on! Come on!" said another nobleman. "I'm breaking the law, let him hear it! We're not dogs," said the former police chief, and looking back, he saw Alpatych.

"Oh, Yakov Alpatitch, what are you doing here?" "By order of His Excellency the Duke, I have come to see the Viceroy." After replying, Alpatych raised his head haughtily and put a hand in his bosom, as he always did when he mentioned the Duke. ... "Send me to find out how the campaign is going," he said. "Yes, just ask!" A landlord present shouted loudly, "They lost a cart, and even nothing!... Isn't that right, did you hear?" He said Pointing in the direction of the gunshots. "It's ruined everybody... dog robber!" he said a few more words before descending the steps.

Alpatych shook his head and went upstairs.In the reception room there were merchants, women, and officials, all of whom looked at each other in silence.The office door opened and everyone stood up and moved forward.An official ran out of the door, said a few words to the merchant, called a fat official with a cross around his neck to follow him, and went back in the door.Obviously to avoid everyone looking down and asking him questions.Alpatych moved forward, and when the official came out again, he thrust his hand into the breast of his buttoned frock coat, greeted the official, and handed him two letters. "This is a letter from Admiral Prince Bolkonski to Mr. Baron Ashe," he declared so solemnly and eloquently that the official turned to him and took the letter.A few minutes later the governor received Alpatych and addressed him hastily. "Report to the Duke and Duchess that I don't know anything, because I was acting on orders from the highest authorities—you see..." Then he handed Alpatych a document. "However, because the prince's health is not good, I advise him to go to Moscow. I am leaving soon. Please tell me..." But before the governor could finish his sentence, a dusty and sweaty officer ran through the door, He began to say some unknown words in French.There was a look of horror on the governor's face. "Go!" He nodded to Alpatych and began to ask the officer again.When he walked out of the governor's office, those eager, frightened, and helpless eyes fell on Alpatych.Alpatych could not help listening to the sound of gunfire, which was now very close and still loud, and hastened back to the inn.The governor's official letter to Alpatych was as follows: "I assure you that the city of Smolensk is not in the slightest danger now, and it is unbelievable that it could be threatened. Lens to join forces in front, so that the combined forces of the two armies will jointly defend the countrymen of your province, until we strive to drive back the enemy of the motherland, or our valiant ranks fight to the last man. From this, you have full power to comfort Sri Lanka. Citizens of Smolensk. For those who are defended by such valiant troops, they may be trusted to triumph." (Barclay de Tolly's Instructions to Baron Ash, Governor of Smolensk. 1812). People walked up and down the street with uneasy expressions. Carts loaded with household utensils, chairs and cabinets are constantly driving out of the gates of houses and driving along the street.In front of the door next door to Ferapontov's house, several carriages were parked, and the women were crying and talking as they said good-bye to each other.A watchdog whined and whirled around before getting into a horse-drawn carriage. Alpatitch walked toward the inn with a more hasty step than usual, and went directly to the stable where his carriage was parked.The coachman fell asleep, he woke him, gave orders to harness the horses, and went into the hall.In the shopkeeper's main room they heard the cry of a child, the tearful wail of a woman, and Ferapontov's hoarse, angry screams.Just as Alpatitch came in, the cook was scurrying about in the hall like a frightened hen. "He's been beaten to death—the proprietress has been beaten to death! . . . Beating and delaying again! ..." "For what?" asked Alpatych. "She begged to get out of here. Women! She said; take me away! Don't let me and the children be ruined together; everyone is gone, and she said, why don't we go? So it started Hit her. Hit her again; dragged on!" When Alpatych heard this, he nodded as if in agreement, but, not wishing to hear any more, he went to the door of the shopkeeper's main house opposite, where his purchases were kept. "You villain, murderer!" cried a thin, pale woman, with a child in her arms, her kerchief torn from her head, rushing out of the door, descending the steps to Running into the yard, Ferapontov followed her, and as soon as he saw Alpatych he straightened his waistcoat and hair, yawned, and followed Alpatych into the house. "Do you want to go?" he asked. Alpatych neither answered nor looked back at the shopkeeper, but went over his purchases and asked the shopkeeper how much the rent should be paid. "Let's figure it out! Well, did you go to the governor?" asked Ferapontov. "Any decision?" Alpatych replied that the Governor had not said anything to him at all. "Would it be possible for someone in our line of work to move away?" Ferapontov said. "It costs seven rubles to rent a cart at Dorogobzh. That's why I say they're out of their minds!" he said. "Selivanov took a chance on Thursday and sold flour to the army for nine rubles a bag. How about it? Would you like some tea?" he added.While harnessing the horses, Alpatych and Ferapontov drank tea together and talked about the price of grain, the harvest, and the fine weather for it. "It stopped after all!" Ferapontov finished drinking three cups of tea, stood up and said, "Our army must have won the battle. I have already told them not to let them in. That is to say, we have Ability . . . the other day Matvey Ivanitch Platov is said to have driven them into the Marina, and they drowned about eighteen thousand people a day, didn't they!" -------- ①M. I. Platov (1761～1818), Russian cavalry general, made outstanding achievements in fighting the French army in 1812, and was the initiator and organizer of the Don Cossack People's Army at that time. Alpatitch packed up his purchases, handed them over to the driver who entered the house, and settled the bill with the shopkeeper.A buggy rolled out of the gate, and there was the sound of wheels, horseshoes, and little bells. It was long past noon, half the street was in shadow, and the other side was brightly lit by the sun.Alpatitch glanced out of the window and went to the door.Suddenly there was a strange distant whistling and crashing sound, followed by the boom of shells shaking the glass windows. Alpatych went out into the street, where two people were running towards the bridge.From all directions came the whoosh and boom of shells and the explosion of grenades falling on the city.But these sounds are almost inaudible compared with the gunfire outside the city, and they are not noticed by the citizens.It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Napoleon ordered a hundred and thirty cannon to bombard the city.At first, the common people did not understand the significance of the bombing. The sound of falling grenades and shells aroused only curiosity at first.Ferapontov's wife has been crying in the shed until now, and she is silent, holding the child and walking towards the gate, silently watching the passers-by, listening to the sound of guns and guns. The cook and a waiter also came to the gate.All tried to watch, with pleasant curiosity, the shells flying past their heads.A few people approached from the corner of the street, talking excitedly about something. "It's powerful!" said one. "It blows the roof and the ceiling to pieces." "Like a pig digging into dirt," said another. "How exciting! What power!" he said with a smile. "It's a good thing you jumped away, otherwise it would blow you to pieces!" People are looking at these two people.They paused to tell of a shell that was falling on the house next to them.At this time, some shells continued to fly over the people's heads, sometimes with a rapid and dull whistle, which was a round shell, and sometimes with a pleasant whistling, which was a grenade; Shells fell nearby and flew past.Alpatych got into the leather cab and drove off, the innkeeper still standing at the door. "There's nothing to see!" he called to the cook.The cook, in her red dress, with her sleeves rolled up, swaying her bare elbows, stepped into the corner to listen to them. "How strange!" she said.But when she heard her master's voice, she put down her raised skirt and came back. There was another whistling sound, but this time it was very close, like a bird swooping down. There was a flash of fire in the middle of the street, and something exploded, and the street was filled with gunpowder smoke. "Bastard, what are you doing?" the owner shouted, and ran to the cook. At this moment, women from all directions cried out in misery, a child cried out in terror, and people with pale faces gathered silently around the cook.Among this crowd, the groans and voices of the cook are still clearly heard. "Oh, my good man! My dear ones! Don't let me die! My good man!  …" Five minutes later, the street was empty.A grenade fragment had wounded the cook in the thigh, and she was carried into the kitchen.Alpatitch, his coachman, Ferapontov's wife, the children, and the porter sat in the cellar and waited.The booming of the cannon, the whistling of the shells, and the pathetic wail of the cook, louder than the rest, never ceased for a moment.Now the innkeeper was rocking and coaxing the child, and now asking all who entered the cellar in piteous whispers where her husband, who had been left in the street, was.The clerk in the cellar told her that the shopkeeper and others had gone to the cathedral to carry the Smolensk apparition icon. As dusk approached, the sound of shells began to die down.Alpatych came out of the cellar and stood by the door.At first the clear night sky was filled with smoke, and then a new moon hung high in the sky and shone strangely through the smoke.After the terrible cannonade had ceased, the sky over the city seemed to be silent, as if only the sound of footsteps, groans, distant shouts and loud beeping broke the silence all over the city.The cook's groans were also silenced now.In two places, groups of black smoke rose into the air and spread.Soldiers in various uniforms, like ants escaping from a destroyed ant nest, walked and ran in different directions without forming a formation.Alpatych saw with his own eyes some of the soldiers running towards Ferapontov's yard.And he went to the gate.One regiment retreated hastily back and forth, blocking up the streets. "This city has given up, let's go, let's go!" said the officer who saw his figure, and immediately turned and shouted at the soldiers: "I told you to run into other people's yards!" He shouted. Alpatitch returned to the house, called the coachman, and told him to drive on the road.All Ferapontov's family followed Alpatitch and the coachman out of the house.The women, who had been silent until now, saw the billowing smoke, and especially the flames, which were now evident in the twilight, and looked at the place of the fire and wept.The same cries came from other corners of the street, which seemed to echo them from afar.Under the eaves Alpatitch and the coachman were untangling the tangles of tangles and lanyards with trembling hands. When Alpatych came out of the gate and got into his cart, he saw a dozen soldiers in Ferapontov's open shop, talking loudly and filling their pockets and knapsacks with flour and sunflower seeds.At that moment Ferapontov came back from the street and went into the shop.When he saw the soldier, he wanted to shout something, but he stopped suddenly, grabbed his hair, and burst into tears and laughter. "Take it all, brethren! Don't leave it to the devil!" he shouted, carrying sacks of flour himself and throwing them into the street.Some soldiers were scared away, while others were still pretending.Seeing Alpatych, Ferapontov turned to him. "It's over! Russia!" he yelled. "Alpatitch! It's over! I'm going to set the fire myself. It's over..." Ferapontov ran into the yard. The continuous flow of soldiers passing through the street blocked the whole street, so Alpatitch had to wait.Ferapontov's wife and children were also sitting in a large car, and they did not pass until it was time to pass. It was completely dark.Stars appeared in the sky, and from time to time a new moon flashed through the smoke.On the slope to the Dnieper, the wagon of Alpatitch and the shopkeeper's wife moved slowly among the soldiers and other vehicles, and sometimes had to stop.In an alley not far from the intersection where the car was parked, a house and several shops were on fire, but the fire was almost out.Sometimes the flame dies and disappears in black smoke, and sometimes it flares up brightly again.It shines extremely clearly on the faces of the people crowded at the intersection.There were a few dark figures looming in front of the fire, and people's talking and shouting could be heard through the constant crackling of the flames.Alpatitch, seeing that his car was temporarily blocked, got out of the car and turned into the alley to watch the fire.Soldiers kept running back and forth by the fire, and Alpatych saw two soldiers and a man in a heavy woolen overcoat dragging a burning log out of the fire, and several others carrying hay to the other side of the street. to the yard. Alpatych came up to a large group of people who were standing opposite a tall warehouse that was all burning, the walls were in flames, the back wall had collapsed, the plank roof had caved in, and the rafters were burning.Apparently, the crowd was waiting for the roof to come in.Alpatych was also waiting for this moment. "Alpatitch!" Suddenly a familiar voice called the old man's name. "My God, it's His Excellency the Prince!" replied Alpatych, who recognized at once the voice of the little prince. Prince Andrei, in his overcoat and riding a black horse, was standing at the back of the crowd looking at Alpatych. "How did you get here!" he asked. "Prince... my lord prince!" Alpatych began to cry... "My lord... my lord prince, are we finished? My God! . . . " "How did you come here!" Prince Andrew asked again. At this moment the flame burned brightly, illuminating the pale and haggard face of Alpatych's little master.Alpatitch told how he had been sent here and how he had managed to get out. "Why, my lord, are we really finished?" he asked again. Prince Andrew made no answer, took out his notebook, raised his knees, and wrote to his sister in pencil on a torn page: "Smolensk is giving up! The Bald Mountains will be taken by the enemy in a week's time. Leave immediately for Moscow. Tell me at once when you will be on your way, and send a messenger to Usvijazh." When he had finished, he handed the note to Alpatych, and told him verbally how to take care of the prince, princess, his son, and the teacher on their way, how to answer the letter immediately, and where to send it.Before he could finish these instructions, a chief of staff galloped towards him with his attendants on horseback. "Are you the regimental commander?" the chief of staff called out in the German accent familiar to Prince Andrew. "You stand still while burning houses in front of you? What does that mean? You are responsible!" cried Berg, who was now deputy chief of staff to the commander of the left wing of the First Corps Infantry, as Berg said. That said, it was an apparently desirable job. Prince Andrei looked at him, made no answer, and went on to Alpatitch: "You tell him that I'll wait until the tenth for a reply. If I don't get news of their departure on the tenth, I'll give up everything and go to Tongshan myself." "Prince, I only say this because I have to carry out orders," said Berg, recognizing Prince Andrei, "because I have always been strict in carrying out them, . . . Please forgive me!" Berg defended himself . "There was a crackling in the flames. Then the flames went out for a while; billows of smoke continued to rise from under the roof. There was another terrible crash in the flames, and something huge collapsed. "Ouch!" people roared with the sound of the ceiling of the granary collapsing, and the smell of bread from the burned grain exuded from the granary.The flames rose suddenly again, illuminating the excited, cheerful, and exhausted faces of the people standing around the big field. A man in a heavy woolen army coat raised his hand and shouted: "Okay! Come on! Brothers, yes...." "This is the person from our store!" They said in unison. "Then, then," said Prince Andrew to Alpatych, "tell them everything I have told you." But he did not answer a word to the man who stood beside him in silence. Berg touched the horse and walked into the alley.