necessary. The French general
himself passed the night in walking about the outposts, so great was his
anxiety.

At one of these he found a grenadier asleep by the root of a tree; and
taking his gun, without wakening him, performed a sentinel's duty in his
place for about half an hour; when the man, starting from his slumbers,
perceived with terror and despair the countenance and occupation of his
general. He fell on his knees before him. "My friend," said Napoleon,
"here is your musket. You had fought hard, and marched long, and your
sleep is excusable; but a moment's inattention might at present ruin the
army. I happened to be awake, and have held your post for you. You will
be more careful another time."

It is needless to say how the devotion of his men was nourished by such
anecdotes as these flying ever and anon from column to column. Next
morning there ensued a hot skirmish, recorded as the battle of St.
George. Provera was compelled to retreat, and Wurmser, who had sallied
out and seized the causeway and citadel of La Favorita, was fain to
retreat within its old walls, in consequence of a desperate assault
headed by Napoleon in person.

Provera now found himself entirely cut off from Alvinzi, and surrounded
with the French. He and 5000 men laid down their arms on the 16th of
January. Various bodies of the Austrian force, scattered over the
country between the Adige and the Brenta, followed the example;[14] and
the brave Wurmser, whose provisions were by this time exhausted, found
himself at length under the necessity of sending an offer of
capitulation.

General Serrurier, as commander of the blockade, received Klenau, the
bearer of Wurmser's message, and heard him state, with the pardonable
artifice usual on such occasions, that his master was still in a
condition to hold out considerably longer, unless honourable terms were
granted. Napoleon had hitherto been seated in a corner of the tent
wrapped in his cloak; he now advanced to the Austrian, who had no
suspicion in whose presence he had been speaking, and taking his pen,
wrote down the conditions which he was willing to grant. "These," said
he, "are the terms to which your general's bravery entitles him. He may
have them to-day; a week, a month hence, he shall have no worse.
Meantime, tell him that General Buonaparte is about to set out for
Rome." The envoy now recognised Napoleon; and on reading the paper
perceived that the proposed terms were more lib