stood round the Emperor's carriage
in the early morning, I observed with anxiety that not a single French
soldier was to be seen upon the long, white road behind us. We had
outstripped the army. I looked round to see what means of defence were
left to us. The horses of the Chasseurs of the Guard had broken down,
and only one of them, a grey-whiskered sergeant, remained.

There were Soult, Lobau, and Bertrand; but, for all their talents,
I had rather, when it came to hard knocks, have a single
quartermaster-sergeant of Hussars at my side than the three of them put
together. There remained the Emperor himself, the coachman, and a valet
of the household who had joined us at Charleroi--eight all told; but of
the eight only two, the Chasseur and I, were fighting soldiers who could
be depended upon at a pinch. A chill came over me as I reflected how
utterly helpless we were. At that moment I raised my eyes, and there
were the nine Prussian horsemen coming over the hill.

On either side of the road at this point are long stretches of rolling
plain, part of it yellow with corn and part of it rich grass land
watered by the Sambre. To the south of us was a low ridge, over which
was the road to France. Along this road the little group of cavalry
was riding. So well had Count Stein obeyed his instructions that he had
struck far to the south of us in his determination to get ahead of
the Emperor. Now he was riding from the direction in which we were
going--the last in which we could expect an enemy. When I caught that
first glimpse of them they were still half a mile away.

"Sire!" I cried, "the Prussians!"

They all started and stared. It was the Emperor who broke the silence.

"Who says they are Prussians?"

"I do, Sire--I, Etienne Gerard!"

Unpleasant news always made the Emperor furious against the man who
broke it. He railed at me now in the rasping, croaking, Corsican voice
which only made itself heard when he had lost his self-control.

"You were always a buffoon," he cried. "What do you mean, you numskull,
by saying that they are Prussians? How could Prussians be coming from
the direction of France? You have lost any wits that you ever
possessed."

His words cut me like a whip, and yet we all felt toward the Emperor as
an old dog does to its master.

His kick is soon forgotten and forgiven. I would not argue or justify
myself. At the first glance I had seen the two white stockings on the
forelegs of the leading