support and honor them in their old age. Nothing like them was ever
seen, they were so accustomed to march, to dress their lines, to load,
and fire, and cross bayonets, that it was done mechanically in a
measure, whenever there was a necessity. When they advanced, carrying
arms, with their great caps, their white waistcoats and gaiters, they
all looked just alike; you could plainly see that it was the right arm
of the Emperor which was coming. When it was said in the ranks, "The
Guard is going to move," it was as if they had said, "The battle is
gained."

But now, after this terrible massacre, after the repulse of these
furious attacks, on seeing the Prussians fall on our flank, we said,
"This is the decisive blow."

And we thought, "If it fails, all is lost."

This was why we all looked at the Guard as they marched steadily up on
the road.

It was Ney who commanded them, as he had commanded the cuirassiers.
The Emperor knew that nobody could lead them like Ney, only he should
have ordered them up an hour sooner, when our cuirassiers were in the
squares; then we should have gained all.

But the Emperor looked upon his Guard as upon his own flesh and blood;
if he had had them at Paris five days later, Lafayette and the rest of
them would not have remained long in their chamber to depose him, but
he had them no longer.

This was why he waited so long before sending them; he hoped that Ney
would succeed in overwhelming the enemy with the cavalry, or that the
thirty-two thousand men under Grouchy would return, attracted by the
sound of the cannon, and then he could send them in place of his Guard;
because he could always replace thirty or forty thousand by
conscription; but to have another such Guard, he must commence at
twenty-five, and gain fifty victories, and what remained of the best,
most solid, and the toughest would be _the Guard_.

It came, and we could see it. Ney, old Friant, and several other
generals, marched in front. We could see nothing but _the Guard_--the
roaring cannon, the musketry, the cries of the wounded, all were
forgotten.

But the lull did not last long; the English perceived as well as we,
that this was to be the decisive blow, and hastened to rally all their
forces to receive it.

That part of our field at our left was nearly deserted; there was no
more firing, either because their ammunition was exhausted, or the
enemy were forming in a new order.

On the right, on the contra