"And ask whether sharpshooters have been posted," he added.

" What are they doing? What are they doing?" he murmured to himself, still not replying to the Austrian.

Prince Andrew galloped off to execute the order.

Overtaking the battalions that continued to advance, he stopped the third division and convinced himself that there really were no sharpshooters in front of our columns.

The colonel at the head of the regiment was much surprised at the commander in chief's order to throw out skirmishers.