Never had he played so desperate a game--six years of victory
against the crown of France!

Suddenly he roused from his revery. Amid the dreadful roar of cannon and
musketry his ear caught the hoof-beats of a galloping horse. He raised
his head. A rider, dashing along at full speed, his horse covered with
white froth, came from the direction of Novi. When he was within fifty
feet, Bonaparte gave one cry:

"Roland!"

The latter dashed on, crying: "Desaix! Desaix! Desaix!"

Bonaparte opened his arms; Roland sprang from his horse, and flung
himself upon the First Consul's neck.

There was a double joy for Bonaparte in this arrival--that of again
seeing a plan whom he knew would be devoted to him unto death, and
because of the news he brought.

"And Desaix?" he questioned.

"Is within three miles; one of your aides met him retracing his steps
toward the cannon."

"Then," said Bonaparte, "he may yet come in time."

"How? In time?"

"Look!"

Roland glanced at the battlefield and grasped the situation in an
instant.

During the few moments that had elapsed while they were conversing,
matters had gone from bad to worse. The first Austrian column, the one
which had marched on Castel-Ceriolo and had not yet been engaged, was
about to fall on the right of the French army. If it broke the line the
retreat would be flight--Desaix would come too late.

"Take my last two regiments of grenadiers," said Bonaparte. "Rally
the Consular guard, and carry it with you to the extreme right--you
understand? in a square, Roland!--and stop that column like a stone
redoubt."

There was not an instant to lose. Roland sprang upon his horse, took the
two regiments of grenadiers, rallied the Consular guard, and dashed to
the right. When he was within fifty feet of General Elsnitz's column, he
called out: "In square! The First Consul is looking at us!"

The square formed. Each man seemed to take root in his place.

General Elsnitz, instead of continuing his way in the movement to
support Generals Melas and Kaim--instead of despising the nine
hundred men who present no cause for fear in the rear of a victorious
army--General Elsnitz paused and turned upon them with fury.

Those nine hundred men were indeed the stone redoubt that General
Bonaparte had ordered them to be. Artillery, musketry, bayonets, all
were turned upon them, but they yielded not an inch.

Bonaparte was watching them with admiration, when, turning in the
direc