CHAPTER XIX.
RIDING OVER THE BATTLEFIELD--DESTRUCTION OF BAZEILLES--MISTAKES OF THE FRENCH--MARSHAL BAZAINE ON TO PARIS--A WEEK IN MEAUX--RHEIMS--ON THE PICKETLINE-UNDER FIRE--A SURRENDER--AT VERSAILLES--GENERAL BURNSIDE AND Mr.FORBES IN PARIS.
The Crown Prince having got to the bottom of his medal basket-that is to say, having finished his liberal distribution of decorations to his officers--Forsyth and I rode off by way of Wadelincourt to Bazeilles to see what had taken place on that part of the field, and the sight that met our eyes as we entered the village was truly dreadful to look upon.

Most of the houses had been knocked down or burned the day before, but such as had been left standing were now in flames, the torch having been applied because, as it was claimed, Frenchmen concealed in them had fired on the wounded.

The streets were still encumbered with both German and French dead, and it was evident that of those killed in the houses the bodies had not been removed, for the air was loaded with odors of burning flesh.

From Bazeille we rode on toward the north about two miles, along where the fight had been largely an artillery duel, to learn what we could of the effectiveness of the Krupp gun.

Counting all the French dead we came across killed by artillery, they figured up about three hundred -- a ridiculously small number; in fact, not much more than one dead man for each Krupp gun on that part of the line.