itants of the country by telling them that we had come to
set them free; and then, of course, they gave us quarters and took the
best of care of us. And it was not only the men: the women took care of
us too, which showed their good judgment!

Well, it finally ended in this way: in Ventose, 1796,--which was the
same time of year that our March is now,--we were penned up in one
corner of the marmot country: but at the end of the first campaign, lo
and behold! we were masters of Italy, just as Napoleon had predicted.
And in the month of March following--that is, in two campaigns, which we
fought in a single year--he brought us in sight of Vienna. It was just a
clean sweep. We had eaten up three different armies in succession, and
had wiped out four Austrian generals; one of them--a white-haired old
chap--was burned alive at Mantua like a rat in a straw mattress. We had
conquered peace, and kings were begging, on their knees, for mercy.
Could a man have done all that alone? Never! He had the help of God;
that's certain! He divided himself up like the five loaves of bread in
the Gospel; he planned battles at night and directed them in the
daytime: he was seen by the sentries going here and there at all hours,
and he never ate or slept. When the soldiers saw all these wonderful
things, they adopted him as their father.

But the people at the head of the government over there in Paris, who
were looking on, said to themselves: "This schemer, who seems to have
the watchword of Heaven, is quite capable of laying his hands on France.
We'd better turn him loose in Asia or America. Then maybe he'll be
satisfied for a while." So it was written that he should do just what
Jesus Christ did--go to Egypt. You see how in this he resembled the Son
of God. But there's more to come.

He gathered together all his old fire-eaters--the fellows that he had
put the spirit of the Devil into--and said to them: "Boys! They've given
us Egypt to chew on--to keep us quiet for a while; but we'll swallow
Egypt in one time and two movements--just as we did Italy; All you
private soldiers shall be princes, with lands of your own. Forward!"

"Forward, boys!" shouted the sergeants.

So we marched to Toulon, on our way to Egypt. As soon as the English
heard of it, they sent out all their ships of war to catch us; but when
we embarked, Napoleon said to us: "The English will never see us; and
it is only proper for you to know now that your general has a st