The Boy Life of Napoleon, Afterwards Emperor of the FrenchFoa, Eugénie
History
The Boy Life of Napoleon, Afterwards Emperor of the French
Foa, Eugénie
Napoleon I, emperor of the French, 1769-1821 -- Childhood and youth
"The same," replied old Nonesuch, "for so the English called it. But
they had to give it up. We filled the Little Gibraltar so full of our
sugar-plums that the English had to get out. Then it was that I saw a
thin little captain at the guns. I knew him at once. It was Bonaparte of
Brienne school. This is what he did. An artillery man was killed while
charging his piece. I do not know how many had been cut off at that same
gun. It was warm--it was hot there, I can tell you! No one wished to
approach it. Then my little captain--my Bonaparte of Brienne--dashed at
the gun. He loaded it; he was not killed. Oh, what a pleasure-party that
was! There he met two other tough ones like himself,--Duroc and Junot.
Ah, that Junot! He became my general later. He was a cool joker.
Napoleon wished some one to write for him. He asked for a corporal or a
sergeant who could write and stand fire at the same time. Sergeant Junot
came to him. 'Write!' said Napoleon. And as Junot wrote, look you a
cannon-ball ploughed the earth at his feet, and scattered the dirt over
his paper. 'Good!' cried this Junot, never looking up from his paper. 'I
needed sand to blot my ink.' That made Napoleon his friend forever. Then
those in power at Paris took offence at something Napoleon did. They
called him back to Paris. He was disgraced. But he had courage, had my
Napoleon. He cared nothing for those stupid ones at Paris. 'I will
make them see,' said he, 'that I am master.' He took post for Paris.
Everything was wrong there. Every one was hungry. They fought for bread,
as horses when there is no hay in the rack. Then, crack! Napoleon came.
In two moves he had established order. Then who so great as he? He was
made general. He was sent to Italy. He fought at Lodi. You remember
Lodi, Corsican?"
"Ha! the fight on the bridge; do I not, though!" the Corsican answered
excitedly. "It was there he led everything; it was there he conquered
everything; it was there he sighted the cannon against the Austrians; it
was there he led us straight across the bridge; it was there we cheered
for him, and called him the 'Little Corporal!'"
"Eh, was it not! Cheer for the Little Corporal, comrades!" cried old
Nonesuch, swinging his hat; and all the veterans sprang up, and stamped
and shouted: "Long live the Little Corporal!"
"As he has!" said old Nonesuch. "See you, Corsican! what said I? The
emperor lives, I tell you!"
"And that was Italy, was it?" said the scholar.
"Yes; that was Italy," the veteran replied. "It was there we were
going; and, with our Little Corporal to lead us, turned everything into
victory."
"Tell us of it, Father Nonesuch," demanded the youngster.
"Yes; tell us of it," echoed the younger veterans, their scarred old
faces full of interest and excitement. "I will, my children. It was
thus, you see,"--puff--puff, "eh--Stephen, fill my pipe again!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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