Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/360

 330 THE CANNONADE OP Cii A P. the hospital, ami perceiving that iiicn shrank (Voiii the duty of lifting him for fear of the pain they must give, he undei'took the task himself, and, by a singular effort, contrived to throw his mangled body upon the litter which awaited him. He was carried to the hospital. There, at intervals, he underwent pangs so cruel as to wring from him more than once a shriek of agony ; but at a moment when he was free from sharp pain, he laid both hands upon the head of the Chief of the Staff who stood at his side, and said, 'Tell every- ' body how pleasant it is to die when the conscience ' is quiet.' lie sent tender words to his wife and to his children ; and from time to time he prayed thus : ' God ! bless IJussia and the Emperor. an anodyne potion he was tranquil, and seemed to be dozing ; but upon an officer cumiug in Avith a story that ' the P]nglish batteries Inul been almost ' silenced, and that only two of their guns were ' still firing,' Korniloff seems to have become aware that the new arrival had brought with it tidings which interested the bystanders, for he roused himself to ask ' Who was there ? ' and as soon as he was told of the English guns being silenced, he collected his last strength and cried out, ' Hurrah ! hurrah ! ' He then became insen- sible. After a few minutes he ceased to breathe.* narrative is given in the ' Matcriaux pour servir.' The story which the officer liail brought in of the English batteries being nearly silenceil was founded apparently upon the circuniataucB
 * Save Sebastopol and the fleet ! ' After taking
 * Narrative by the Chief of the Staff, who was present. The