Cannonball

When  a  man  rides  such  a  horse  as  my  Lithuanian,  you  can easily  conceive,  gentlemen,  that  he  would  be  capable  of  performing another  achievement,  which  appears,  at  first  sight,  to  border on  the  fabulous.  We  were  besieging  a  town,  whose  name  I have  forgotten,  and  it  was  of  great  importance  that  our  general should  know  what  was  going  on  in  the  place.  It  seemed impossible  to  effect  an  entrance ;   for  one  would   have   to  get past  the  outposts,  the  mainguard,  and  the  outworks  ;  there  was not  a  man  who  would  venture  on  such  an  enterprise.  A  little too  vain  of  my  valour,  perhaps,  and  carried  away  by  my  zeal,  I went  and  stood  close  to  one  of  our  great  guns.  When  it  was fired,  I  jumped  on  to  the  ball  with  the  design  of  penetrating by  this  means  into  the  town ;  but,  when  I  had  got  half-way,  I began  to  reflect.

"Hum,"  thought  I,  "going  may  be  all  very  well;  but  how am  I  to  get  back  ?  What  will  happen  to  you  when  you  have got  into  the  place?  You  will  be  treated  as  a  spy,  and  be hung  on  the  first  tree.  That  will  not  be  an  end  worthy  of Munchausen ! "

Having  made  this  reflection,  which  was  succeeded  by  many others  of  the  same  nature,  I  perceived  a  ball,  fired  from  the fortress  against  our  camp,  passing  at  a  short  distance  from  me ; I  jumped  on  to  it,  and  came  back  into,  the  midst  of  my  friends, without  having  accomplished  my  purpose,  it  is  true,  but,  at least,  safe  and  sound.

- Chapter 4