who were dogged enough
to stand in the river so as to build the bridges on which the army
crossed over, and so escaped the Russians, who still respected the Grand
Army on account of its past victories. And Gondrin is an accomplished
soldier," he went on, pointing to his friend, who was gazing at him with
the rapt attention peculiar to deaf people, "a distinguished soldier who
deserves to have your very highest esteem.

"I saw the Emperor standing by the bridge," he went on, "and never
feeling the cold at all. Was that, again, a natural thing? He was
looking on at the loss of his treasures, of his friends, and those who
had fought with him in Egypt. Bah! there was an end of everything. Women
and wagons and guns were all engulfed and swallowed up, everything went
to wreck and ruin. A few of the bravest among us saved the Eagles, for
the Eagles, look you, meant France, and all the rest of you; it was the
civil and military honor of France that was in our keeping, there must
be no spot on the honor of France, and the cold could never make her bow
her head. There was no getting warm except in the neighborhood of the
Emperor; for whenever he was in danger we hurried up, all frozen as we
were--we who would not stop to hold out a hand to a fallen friend.

"They say, too, that he shed tears of a night over his poor family of
soldiers. Only he and Frenchmen could have pulled themselves out of such
a plight; but we did pull ourselves out, though, as I am telling you,
it was with loss, ay, and heavy loss. The Allies had eaten up all our
provisions; everybody began to betray him, just as the Red Man had
foretold. The rattle-pates in Paris, who had kept quiet ever since the
Imperial Guard had been established, think that HE is dead, and hatch a
conspiracy. They set to work in the Home Office to overturn the Emperor.
These things come to his knowledge and worry him; he says to us at
parting, 'Good-bye, children; keep to your posts, I will come back
again.'

"Bah! Those generals of his lose their heads at once; for when he
was away, it was not like the same thing. The marshals fall out among
themselves, and make blunders, as was only natural, for Napoleon in his
kindness had fed them on gold till they had grown as fat as butter,
and they had no mind to march. Troubles came of this, for many of them
stayed inactive in garrison towns in the rear, without attempting to
tickle up the backs of the enemy behind us, and we were being drive