Wet to the skin, splashed from head to foot in mud and mire, cold, shivering, unshaven (the foundation laid of acute rheumatism, to which a pension of _five pence_ a day, in some cases ten pence, was applied by a grateful country, to its indelible disgrace), such was the condition of those brave hearts who were about to make the name of “Waterloo-man” a household word for all the ages. * * * * * The Brussels road runs across a shallow valley, three-quarters of a mile in width, all green and golden with the ripening grain, dipping sharply into it by the white-walled, blue-roofed farmstead of La Haye Sainte, and rising gently out again at the cabaret of La Belle Alliance on its way to the frontier beyond Charleroi. The valley is bounded by two ridges: on the northern one along the cross road which runs nearly the whole length of the position, our army was posted in the form of a thin crescent; on the southern ridge and the slopes leading down into the valley the French forces were afterwards distributed, also, to some extent, in crescent shape. These crescents had their tips advanced towards each other, and enclosed in the oval thus formed were two important strongholds--La Haye Sainte, in advance of our left centre, and the château of Hougoumont, some distance in front of our right wing; while away to the extreme left, the white buildings of Papelotte partly concealed Ter La Haye farm and the red-tiled hamlet of Smohain, the end of our line in that direction. [Illustration: _D. H. Parry, inv._] _R. Simkin, del._ THE FIELD OF WATERLOO ON THE MORNING OF THE BATTLE, SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 1815. A and B, Napoleons first and second positions; C, Napoleon’s last position, from which he saw the defeat of the Imperial Guard; D, Wellington’s position when the battle began; E, where Wellington stood when he ordered the whole line to advance; F, Mercer’s post when he repulsed three charges of the Guard; G, post of 27th Regiment when Lambert’s Brigade came into the front line; H, the 23rd Regiment, of Mitchell’s Brigade, is shown, behind Byng, the others are out of plan at H, except company of 51st keeping the _abattis_. The spectator is supposed to be behind Mont St. Jean farm, a little to the left, and raised above the field.] [Illustration: “A SHOUT OF ‘VIVE L’EMPEREUR!’ ROLLED ALONG THE FIELD” (_p._ 58).]