Sunday, March 7, 2010

Volume I, Book II, Chapter XVI

The Hurt Locker just won best picture. Still haven't seen it, but now I must, especially considering the War portion I'm reading now.

Andrei is surveying from the incline where the Russian army is, overlooking the valley near the village of Schongraben. Andrei can see the French troops, and how outnumbered they are, but retreat's difficult with a ravine behind them. Andrei has been made the commander of the rear flanks (in the last chapter).

While he's thinking about possible routes if they are fired at, he hears voices. One is familiar - it's three men in a lean-to, officers talking about death and philosophizing about life. There is the voice he recognizes, the younger voice, and a manly voice. The voice he recognizes is the compact, attractive artillery man from the last chapter, who was barefoot in a tent waiting for his boots to dry. Tushin is his name - in this chapter T says he has a "kindly, intelligent face." Just when they're about to have some herb liquor and talk more, there's a whisting sound, and a cannonball crashes into the earth.

I guess Napoleon has arrived.

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