f halted an hour
at the convent of the Hospitallers, which stands on the summit of this
mighty mountain. The good fathers of the monastery had been warned
beforehand of the march, and they had furnished every soldier as he
passed with a luncheon of bread and cheese and a glass of wine; for
which seasonable kindness, they now received the warm acknowledgments of
the chief.[35] It was here that he took his leave of a peasant youth,
who had walked by him, as his guide, all the way from the convent of St.
Maurice. Napoleon conversed freely with the young man, and was much
interested with his simplicity. At parting, he asked the guide some
particulars about his personal situation; and, having heard his reply,
gave him money and a billet to the head of the monastery of St. Maurice.
The peasant delivered it accordingly, and was surprised to find that,
in consequence of a scrap of writing which he could not read, his
worldly comforts were to be permanently increased. The object of his
generosity remembered, nevertheless, but little of his conversation with
the Consul. He described Napoleon as being "a very dark man" (this was
the effect of the Syrian sun), and having an eye that, notwithstanding
his affability, he could not encounter without a sense of fear. The only
saying of the hero which he treasured in his memory was, "I have spoiled
a hat among your mountains: well, I shall find a new one on the other
side."--Thus spoke Napoleon, wringing the rain from his covering as he
approached the hospice of St. Bernard.--The guide described, however,
very strikingly, the effects of Buonaparte's appearance and voice, when
any obstacle checked the advance of his soldiery along that fearful
wilderness which is called emphatically, "The Valley of Desolation." A
single look or word was commonly sufficient to set all in motion again.
But if the way presented some new and apparently insuperable difficulty,
the Consul bade the drums beat and the trumpets sound, as if for the
charge; and this never failed. Of such gallant temper were the spirits
which Napoleon had at command, and with such admirable skill did he
wield them!

On the 16th the vanguard, under Lannes, reached the beautiful vale of
Aosta, and the other divisions descended rapidly on their footsteps.
This part of the progress was not less difficult than the ascent before.
The horses, mules, and guns, were to be led down one slippery steep
after another--and we may judge with what