19
The Promised Land
doubt to have come thus far. His feet though seemed to be in a mess,
wrapped up in sacking and rags as they were.
The Cossack just uttered a snort of disappointment prodding the
corpse with the tip of his spear as if somehow he thought the Frenchman, for
that was what he seemed to be, was only feigning death. He
dismounted and rooted round in the man's stiffened clothes and pockets and
with a cry of triumph came up with a fob watch. He looked at
it and then up towards a chink of sky where the weak sun was faintly
gleaming through the snow-heavy forest canopy then peered at the
dial again. He shook it a couple of times but it was frozen, then with
a curse he put it inside his own coat somewhere.
'"How low can you get?"' I thought to myself. He looked up the
trail and shouted out that there was another one. Then with a sharp
cry to his horse he urged it on into a trot continuing up the path
following a fainter track which continued further. Left to my own
devices, I looked back again at the body. I could just see his dirty blue
threadbare tunic with the remaining buttons which had the French
imperial eagle embossed upon them, under a woman's fur stole and
cloak which the wolf must have loosened as he mauled the body
about. On his head he was wearing a French military shako, wrapped
in its oilskin cover, strapped under the chin and stuffed with bits of
evergreen foliage which poked out around his face. The whole lot was
held in place by a scarf tied up under his chin. This man you could
see was in a terrible state before he froze to death. I think this must
have been a merciful release. Scattered nearby I found his satchel and
a musket wrapped up in waterproof. I noticed that he had a pistol
tucked in his belt right round the back. You know me Jonas, I hate to
see anything wasted, it wasn't really a personal effect, not like a watch,
so I took it from him, having to prise it away where it was held fast
by the build up of frost, and put it in my pocket under my coat. As
I looked round on the other side of the log I noticed that a makeshift
shelter had been made up against it with pine branches and there were
signs that two people had rested there. There were the remains of a