Early the next morning, Napoleon led his army into a vast forest where the leaves had started turning yellow.
Dalmagne stared at the giant oak trees towering in front of him and painfully covered his head with a coat, then asked his attendant to check the seams of his boots.
Though it was already October, the forest still had plenty of active poisonous insects. Especially spiders, which seemed to be in a reproductive period and were extremely aggressive, attacking if people got too close.
He was truly frightened by the bites.
An Indian officer saw his predicament and smiled as he handed over a small wooden bottle: "You could try applying some of this."
Dalmagne shook his head in frustration: "No thanks."
This insect repellent concocted by the Indians was quite effective, but when he applied it earlier, his skin turned as red as if scalded by hot water, and it itched terribly.
He gritted his teeth and urged his horse into the thicket.
