nd on the opposite bank among willows which
would scuttle the boat, and with a flood of unknown extent? The syndic
concluded, then, that the operation was physically impossible. In vain
did the Emperor tempt them with an offer of 6,000 francs per man; even
this could not persuade them, though, as they said, they were poor
boatmen with families, and this sum would be a fortune to them. But, as
I have already said, some lives must be sacrificed to save those of the
greater number, and the knowledge of this makes commanders sometimes
pitiless. The Emperor was inflexible, and the grenadiers received orders
to take the poor men, whether they would or not, and we went down to the
town.

The corporal who had been assigned to me was an intelligent man. Taking
him for my interpreter, I charged him as we went along to tell the
syndic of the boatmen that as he had got to come along with us, he had
better in his own interest show us his best boat, and point out
everything that we should require for her fitting. The poor man obeyed;
so we got an excellent vessel, and we took all that we wanted from the
others. We had two anchors, but as I did not think we should be able to
make use of them, I had sewn to the end of each cable a piece of canvas
with a large stone wrapped in it. I had seen in the south of France the
fishermen use an apparatus of this kind to hold their boats by throwing
the cord over the willows at the water's edge. I put on a cap, the
grenadiers took their forage caps, we had provisions, ropes, axes, saws,
a ladder,--everything, in short, which I could think of to take.

Our preparations ended, I was going to give the signal to start, when
the five boatmen implored me with tears to let the soldiers escort them
to their houses, to take perhaps the last farewell of their wives and
children; but, fearing that a tender scene of this kind would further
reduce their small stock of courage, I refused. Then the syndic said,
'Well, as we have only a short time to live, allow us five minutes to
commend our souls to God, and do you do the same, for you also are going
to your death.' They all fell on their knees, the grenadiers and I
following their example, which seemed to please the worthy people much.
When their prayer was over, I gave each man a glass of the monks'
excellent wine, and we pushed out into the stream.

I had bidden the grenadiers follow in silence all the orders of the
syndic who was steering; the current was