ngth and
breadth, he waved it high above his head as he electrified the
audience with the cry, 'Aux armes citoyens!' and subsequently, when
in the last verse he sank upon one knee, and folding the standard
to his heart, raised his eyes towards heaven, he drew all hearts
with him; tears flowed, hand grasped hand, and deeply solemn was
the intonation of the volunteer chorus following the call to arms!

"The month of July was drawing to a close when the emperor took his
departure for Metz, where he was to assume the post of generalissimo.
With him went gayly the young Prince Imperial, then fourteen years
old. Their starting-point was the small rustic summer-house in
the park of Saint-Cloud, the termination of a miniature branch
railroad connecting with the great lines of travel. There the father
and son parted from the empress, who removed the same day to the
Tuileries, where she administered the imperial government under
the title of empress-regent.

"It would have been injudicious for the emperor at this time to
risk a public departure from Paris. The Parisians were so full of
confidence and enthusiasm that he might have received an inconvenient
ovation in advance."

Skirmishing had been going on along the frontier between the French
and German outposts since July 21. On August 2 the campaign began
in earnest. After luncheon on that day, the emperor and the Prince
Imperial set out by rail from Metz, and returned to Metz to dinner,
having invaded German territory and opened the war. They had alighted
at Forbach, and proceeded thence to make a reconnaissance into the
enemy's territory near Saarbrueck,--a small town of two thousand
inhabitants, where, strange to say, an International Peace Congress
had held its session not many months before. This place had an
ordinary frontier garrison, and lay two and a half miles beyond the
boundary of France. General Frossard, under the emperor's direction
and supervision, led on his men to attack the place. The first
gun was fired by the Prince Imperial, who here, as his father's
telegram that night reported to the empress, received his "baptism
of fire." The garrison returned the fire, and then, having lost
two officers and seventy-two men, it retired, leaving the French
in possession of the heights above the town. Poor Prince Imperial!
Some harsh lines concerning his first exploit were published in
the London "Spectator:"--

"'How jolly, papa! how funny!
How the blue me