e mischief take those who will not allow that it was wafted over
by God Himself, so as to add to the honor and glory of France!

But there was the Emperor of Russia, a friend of our Emperor's, who was
put out because he had not married a Russian lady. So the Russian backs
up our enemies the English; for there had always been something to
prevent Napoleon from putting a spoke in their wheel. Clearly an end
must be made of fowl of that feather. Napoleon is vexed, and he says to
us:

"Soldiers! You have been the masters of every capital in Europe, except
Moscow, which is allied to England. So, in order to conquer London and
India, which belongs to them in London, I find it absolutely necessary
that we go to Moscow."

Thereupon the greatest army that ever wore gaiters, and left its
footprints all over the globe, is brought together, and drawn up with
such peculiar cleverness, that the Emperor passed a million men in
review, all in a single day.

"Hourra!" cry the Russians, and there is all Russia assembled, a lot
of brutes of Cossacks, that you never can come up with! It was country
against country, a general stramash; we had to look out for ourselves.
"It was all Asia against Europe," as the Red Man had said to Napoleon.
"All right," Napoleon had answered, "I shall be ready for them."

And there, in fact, were all the kings who came to lick Napoleon's hand.
Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Poland, and Italy, all speaking us
fair and going along with us; it was a fine thing! The Eagles had never
cooed before as they did on parade in those days, when they were reared
above all the flags of all the nations of Europe. The Poles could not
contain their joy because the Emperor had a notion of setting up their
kingdom again; and ever since Poland and France have always been like
brothers. In short, the army shouts, "Russia shall be ours!"

We cross the frontiers, all the lot of us. We march and better march,
but never a Russian do we see. At last all our watch-dogs are encamped
at Borodino. That was where I received the Cross, and there is no
denying that it was a cursed battle. The Emperor was not easy in his
mind; he had seen the Red Man, who said to him, "My child, you are going
a little too fast for your feet; you will run short of men, and your
friends will play you false."

Thereupon the Emperor proposes a treaty. But before he signs it, he says
to us:

"Let us give these Russians a drubbing!"

"All right!" cri