human
And you were a prisoner when we entered Dawendorff?
gpt
About that, general. I did not know the road to Haguenau was invested until I was stopped by some Prussians, who were preparing to drink my samples when, happily, an officer arrived who took me to the commander-in-chief. I thought I had nothing more to fear than the loss of my samples, and was already consoling myself with that notion when the word 'spy' fell upon my ears. At that, as you can readily understand, I began to think, and then I asked to be taken to the commander of the royalists.
human
The Prince de Condé?
gpt
I would have asked for the devil himself, as you can well imagine! They took me to the Prince, who examined my papers, and as I answered all his questions frankly, and he saw, after tasting my wine, that it was not of a kind that a dishonest man would carry, he told his allies, the Prussians, that I was a Frenchman, and that he would detain me as his prisoner.
human
And was your detention hard?
gpt
Not at all, replied citizen Fenouillot;
human
Ah, ha! exclaimed Pichegru;
gpt
Yes, general.
human
What day was Toulon taken?
gpt
The 19th.
human
And to-day is the 21st. Impossible! The devil! the Prince de Condé has not the telegraph at his disposal.
gpt
No, replied the other;
human
And do you know what they were?
gpt
The city capitulated on the 19th. That same day part of the besieging army entered, and, in the evening, by order of the commissioner of the Convention, two hundred and thirteen persons were shot.
human
Is that all? Did it not mention a certain Buonaparte?
gpt
Yes, indeed; it said that the capture of the city was due to him.
human
He is certainly my cousin,
gpt
And my pupil, added Pichegru.
human
Faith, so much the better! The Republic needs men of genius to offset such wretches as Fouché.
gpt
Fouché?
human
Was it not Fouché who followed the French army to Lyons, and on the first day he was in power ordered two hundred and thirteen men shot?
gpt
Ah, yes; but that was at Lyons. At Toulon it is citizen Barras.
human
And who is citizen Barras?
gpt
Only a deputy from the Var, who has served in India, and learned there to imitate the habits of the Nabobs. At the Convention he sits with the Mountain. At all events; it looks as if they were going to shoot all the population, and raze the town.
human
Let them destroy and shoot! The sooner they do it, the quicker they will get through, said Pichegru.
gpt
Faith! I prefer our former good God to the modern Supreme Being who permits such horrors.
human
And what do they say of my cousin Buonaparte?
gpt
They say that he is a young artillery officer, continued citizen Fenouillot,
human
Come, general, said Abatucci,
gpt
Speaking of protection, said citizen Fenouillot,
human
Very kind of the Duc de Bourbon, said Pichegru, laughing.
gpt
What did he tell you?
human
That it was his father, the Prince de Condé, to whom you owed your first promotion.
gpt
Yes,
human
How was that?
gpt
I was serving as a common soldier in the royal artillery, when one day the Prince de Condé, who was present at the battery exercises at Besançon, came over to the gun which he considered the best managed; but while the gunner was sponging the piece it went off and shot away his arm. The prince attributed this accident to me, accusing me of not having properly closed the orifice with my thumb. I let him talk, and my only reply was to show him my bleeding hand. My thumb was turned back, and almost torn from the hand. Here, he continued, holding out his hand;
human
Why, what are you doing?
gpt
I? Nothing, said Charles.
human
I admire you.
gpt
Your pardon, captain, said one of the soldiers to Abatucci;
human
Of course I want to see him.
gpt
There, is it true?
human
It must be so, as the captain says it is.
gpt
Just imagine, he did not want to come; we had to drag him here by main force.
human
Why didn't you want to come?
gpt
Oh! I thought it was just to say silly things to me.
human
What do you mean?
gpt
See here, general; I will make you the judge.
human
I am listening to you, Falou.
gpt
Why, you know my name! Then, turning to his comrades, he cried,
human
Say, the general knows my name.
gpt
I have said that I am listening to you; what is it you wish to say?
human
Yes.
gpt
My horse shied to avoid stepping on a wounded man--you know those animals are so intelligent.
human
Yes, I know.
gpt
And mine especially. I found myself face to face with one of those emigrated nobles. Ah! he was a fine young fellow, not more than twenty-two at the most. When he aimed a blow at my head I had to defend myself--
human
Certainly.
gpt
And to return the blow; there was no other way, was there?
human
No, of course not.
gpt
One doesn't need to be a provost to know that! He fell. He had swallowed more than six inches of steel.
human
That was certainly more than he needed.
gpt
Yes, general, said Falou, laughing at the joke he had in mind to say,
human
I was not blaming you, Falou.
gpt
Well, then, he fell, and there was a magnificent horse without a rider. I took him by the bridle, and just then I saw the captain, who had no horse at all, and so I said to myself: 'This horse belongs to the captain.' I put spurs to him, and he struggled like the devil in holy water in the midst of five or six aristocrats. I killed one and wounded another. 'Come, captain!' I called out to him, 'put your foot in the stirrup.' When his foot was in the stirrup it did not take him long to mount, and that's all there is to it.
human
No, that is not all; for you cannot make me a present of a horse.
gpt
Why can't I make you a present of a horse? Are you too proud to take it from me?
human
No; and to prove it, my brave fellow, will you do me the honor to put your hand there.
gpt
The honor will be mine, captain,
human
Now I am paid, and I even owe you something; but no money, captain,
gpt
Very well; you have exposed your life for me, and--
human
Exposed my life for you? cried Falou.
gpt
I defended it, that was all. Would you like to see how the aristocrat went? Here!
human
You can see that my hand was not weak; but we are well cared for, captain, and I shall get another sword. But sell you a horse--I, Falou? Never! Never!
gpt
Come here, my brave fellow.
human
You are a Franc-Comtois?
gpt
A little, general.
human
From what part?
gpt
Boussière.
human
Are your parents still living?
gpt
I have an old mother. Can I call that parents?
human
Yes. And what does your old mother do?
gpt
Oh! poor dear woman, she knits my socks and spins my shirts.
human
And how does she support herself?
gpt
With what I send her. But as the Republic is in debt, and my pay is five months in arrears, she cannot be getting along very well. But, thanks to the Prince de Condé's treasure wagon, we shall be paid up. Noble prince, how my mother will bless him!
human
What, your mother will bless an enemy of France?
gpt
How will she know the difference? The good God will know that she is in her dotage.
human
Then you are going to send her your pay?
gpt
Oh! I shall keep a bit for a drop of wine.
human
Keep it all.
gpt
And the old woman?
human
I will take care of her.
gpt
General, said Falou, shaking his head,
human
I don't understand.
gpt
Let me see your sword.
human
Oh! said Falou,
gpt
In other words, said the general, drawing his from its scabbard,
human
But, general, what shall I do with your sword?
gpt
You will defend yourself, and return blow for blow.
human
I should never dare to use it.
gpt
Then you will let it be taken from you.
human
I! I will defend it with my life.
gpt
That will do. When the sword of honor that I have sent for comes, you can return me this one.
human
Oh! said Falou,
gpt
Well, then, keep it, animal; and do not put on so many airs.
human
Oh! comrades! cried Falou, darting out of the room,
gpt
Very fine, said a voice in the corridor;
human
What is the meaning of that? said Pichegru.
gpt
Go see, Charles, and receive these ambassadors.
human
General, they are delegates from the regiment of the Indre, who have come in the name of their comrades, with Corporal Faraud at their head.
gpt
Who is Corporal Faraud?
human
The man of the wolves last night.
gpt
But last night he was a common soldier.
human
And now, general, he is a corporal; to be sure his stripes are made of paper.
gpt
Paper stripes?
human
Oh! I don't know,
gpt
Admit the citizen delegates of the regiment of the Indre.
human
What does this mean?
gpt
General, replied Faraud, carrying his hand to his cap,
human
Ah, yes, said Pichegru,
gpt
On the contrary, general, we have come to refuse.
human
To refuse? and why?
gpt
Confound it, general, said Faraud, with a twist of the neck peculiar to himself,
human
Then they refuse?
gpt
Flatly,
human
And the dead, asked Pichegru;
gpt
Who?
human
The dead.
gpt
They have not been consulted, general.
human
Then you may say to your comrades that I never take back what I have once given; the bounty money that I gave to the living will be distributed among the fathers and mothers, the brothers and sisters, the sons and daughters of the dead. Have you any objections to make to that?
gpt
None, general.
human
That is fortunate. And now come here.
gpt
I, general?
human
Yes, you.
gpt
Here I am, general.
human
What are those sardines there?
gpt
Those are my corporal's stripes.
human
Why paper?
gpt
Because we had no woollen stuff.
human
Who made you a corporal?
gpt
My captain.
human
What is your captain's name?
gpt
René Savary.
human
I know him; he is a lad of nineteen or twenty.
gpt
But who can strike hard just the same, general.
human
Why did he make you a corporal?
gpt
You know well enough,
human
Why no, I do not.
gpt
You told me to make two prisoners.
human
Well?
gpt
I made them; two Prussians.
human
Is that true?
gpt
You can read it on my stripes