at the
Kremlin--at Dresden--and at Fontainebleau. The cry of the approaching
soldiery of Soult was already in his ear, inviting him to be once more
their Emperor. On the other hand, it was now too obvious, that the army
alone retained any reverence for him; and, lastly, what after all could
he hope to effect with at most 60,000 men, against the victorious hosts
of Wellington and Blucher, backed, as they were about to be, by great
reinforcements from England and Prussia, and by the whole armies of
Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and the Czar?--Napoleon well knew that
ere six weeks more elapsed, 800,000 foreigners would be cantoned within
the boundaries of France. He at length yielded; and on the 29th of June
left Malmaison, accompanied by Savary, Bertrand, Las Cazes, and others
of his attached servants, and attended by a considerable guard.

Napoleon reached Rochefort on the 3rd of July; and took up his residence
in the prefect's house, with the view of embarking immediately: but he
forthwith was informed, that a British line-of-battle ship (the
_Bellerophon_, Captain Maitland) and some smaller vessels of war were
off the roads, and given to understand that the commanders of the
squadron at his own disposal showed no disposition to attempt the
passage out in face of these watchers. A Danish merchant-ship was then
hired, and the Emperor occupied himself with various devices for
concealing his person in the hold of this vessel. But the Danish captain
convinced him ere long that the British searchers would not be likely to
pass him undetected, and this plan too was abandoned. Some young French
midshipmen then gallantly offered to act as the crew of a small flat
coasting vessel, a _chausse-marree_, and attempt the escape in this way
under cloud of night. But all experienced seamen concurred in
representing the imminent hazard of exposing such a vessel to the
Atlantic, as well as the numberless chances of its also being detected
by the English cruisers. "Where-ever wood can swim," said Napoleon,
"there I am sure to find this flag of England."

Meanwhile time passed on; and it became known that the French army had
once more retired from before the walls of Paris under a convention:
that Wellington and Blucher were about to enter the city, and reseat
Louis on his throne; that the royalists were everywhere assuming the
decided advantage--that the white flag was already hoisted in the
neighbouring town of Rochelle--and that it wo