1827.] Luck and Ill-Luck. 153 



rank among the illustrious warriors of the north. An opportunity was 

 soon presented. The famous Tliamas Kouli Khan, who had usurped the 

 throne of Persia, covered all of a sudden the shores of the Caspian with 

 .his warlike hordes. A considerable body of independent Tartars,; excited 

 by him, threatened the banks of the Volga, and I marched to oppose 

 them, at the head of veteran troops, trained in the Swedish wars, rein- 

 forced by some brave Circassian Tartars, who had just implored the pro- 

 tection of Russia. The prospect of success did not appear to me even 

 doubtful, Thamas was still far distant ; my adversaries were not soldiers, 

 but brigands, without discipline, commanded by chiefs without experience. 

 .Nevertheless, not dazzled by such brilliant appearances, I called to my 

 assistance all the resources, all the stratagems of tactics : I harassed and 

 disturbed the enemy by false marches, I deceived him by false reports, 

 and chose the most advantageous point of attack, after having drawn up 

 .on his flanks a strong ambuscade, to divert him if he obtained any ad- 

 vantage at first, and to destroy him on his retreat. Well, Monsieur le 

 Comte ! would you believe it, I was beaten after all ! In the middle of 

 the action, when the battalions of the enemy were on the very point of 

 running away, a north-easter arose all on a sudden, and drove at once 

 into our ranks a cloud of dust so thick, and burning, that they were 

 blinded, and could not distinguish allies from adversaries. The Circas- 

 sians and Russians fell upon one another ; and the enemy, recalled to the 

 battle by the advantage of his position, conquered us without any diffi- 

 culty, alter having, I know not how, destroyed the ambuscade which I 

 had prepared with so much skill. Thus were the hopes of a great name-, 

 the confidence of an empress, the fruits of many years of glory and danger, 

 .blown away by a cloud of dust! Dust rendered useless the superiority of 

 my troops, the wisdom of my measures, and the efforts of my provident 

 tactics. But judge what was my astonishment and indignation, when I 

 learned that the miserable vagabonds, my conquerors, had been com- 

 manded during the action by that eternal Bernard, who came across me 

 every where in my days of misfortune! I shall not explain to. you 

 by what chance he was in Asia, as head of a horde of bandits for I do 

 not know it. I had little time to think of him at that moment ; I had 

 enough to do to think of myself. My government of Astracan was taken 

 away from me ; and, fearing something worse than disgrace, I hastened 

 to return to Europe, with a design of speedily regaining France. But my 

 destiny had decreed otherwise. A new misfortune awaited me in Ger- 

 many : I fell in love. 



, " You will not ask how a young, handsome, rich, and romantic x;o- 

 quette had the art of winning ray heart, by affecting alternately the 

 tone of sentiment, or the airs of reserve and coldness. By means of atten- 

 tions, tendresses, and sacrifices of all kinds, I thought that I at last 

 had succeeded in disarming her rigour. One day, in a delicious iite-a-t&te, 

 she deigned to shew me that I was not hated/ I knew that the pathetic 

 alone pleased her in love. 1 was violently smitten, and became eloquent : 

 I prayed, conjured, wept, and I saw her becoming gradually more and 

 more tender ; when, to put a seal on this scene of delirium, I thought it 

 necessary to fall at her feet. I did so ; and, as ill-fate would have it, I 

 put my knee on the paw of her pet lap-dog, who barked and bit me. 

 There was an end of the pathetic ! My beauty burst out into an immoderate 

 fit of laughter, which was my formal dismissal ; for she respected herself 

 too much to give her hand to a lover who made her laugh, and thereby 

 M.M. New Series. VoL.HI. No.14. X 



