AbovetheKolocha, inBorodinoandonbothsidesofit, especiallytotheleftwheretheVoynaflowingbetweenitsmarshybanksfallsintotheKolocha, amisthadspreadwhichseemedtomelt, todissolve, , andoverthewholeexpanseandthroughthatmisttheraysofthemorningsunwerereflected, flashingbacklikelightningfromthewater, fromthedew, , andhereandtheretheroofsofhutsinBorodinoaswellasdensemassesofsoldiers, , orseemedtomove, , soalongtheentirelineoutsideandaboveitandespeciallyinthewoodsandfieldstotheleft, inthevalleysandonthesummitsofthehighground, cloudsofpowdersmokeseemedcontinuallytospringupoutofnothing, nowsingly, nowseveralatatime, sometranslucent, othersdense, which, swelling, growing, rolling, andblending, extendedoverthewholeexpanse.
Thesepuffsofsmokeand (strangetosay) thesoundofthefiringproducedthechiefbeautyofthespectacle.
"Puff!"—suddenlyaroundcompactcloudofsmokewasseenmergingfromvioletintograyandmilkywhite, and "boom!" camethereportasecondlater.
"Puff! puff!"—andtwocloudsarosepushingoneanotherandblendingtogether; and "boom, boom!" camethesoundsconfirmingwhattheeyehadseen.
Pierreglancedroundatthefirstcloud, whichhehadseenasaroundcompactball, andinitsplacealreadywereballoonsofsmokefloatingtooneside, and—"puff" (withapause)—"puff, puff!" threeandthenfourmoreappearedandthenfromeach, withthesameinterval—"boom—boom, boom!" camethefine, firm, , fields, , overfieldsandbushes, thoselargeballsofsmokewerecontinuallyappearingfollowedbytheirsolemnreports, whilenearerstill, inthehollowsandwoods, thereburstfromthemusketssmallcloudletsthathadnotimetobecomeballs, buthadtheirlittleechoesinjustthesameway."Trakh-ta-ta-takh!" camethefrequentcrackleofmusketry, butitwasirregularandfeebleincomparisonwiththereportsofthecannon.
Pierrewishedtobetherewiththatsmoke, thoseshiningbayonets, thatmovement, , , and, asitseemedtohim, .
"Go, mydearfellow, go...andChristbewithyou!" Kutuzovwassayingtoageneralwhostoodbesidehim, nottakinghiseyefromthebattlefield.
HavingreceivedthisorderthegeneralpassedbyPierreonhiswaydowntheknoll.
"Tothecrossing!" saidthegeneralcoldlyandsternlyinreplytooneofthestaffwhoaskedwherehewasgoing.
"I'llgotheretoo, Itoo!" thoughtPierre, andfollowedthegeneral.
, askingwhichwasthequietest, clamberedontoit, seizeditbythemane, andturningouthistoespressedhisheelsagainstitssidesand, feelingthathisspectacleswereslippingoffbutunabletoletgoofthemaneandreins, hegallopedafterthegeneral, causingthestaffofficerstosmileastheywatchedhimfromtheknoll.
