The English up there
in Quebec can't do better than that, can they? And will they? No. Does a
man spend money on a hell's foe, unless he means to give it work to do?
Pish! Is His Excellency like to hang back because Monsieur De la Riviere
says he'll fetch the Government? Bah! The bully soldiers would come with
us as they went with the Great Napoleon at Grenoble. Ah, that! His
Excellency told me about that just now. Here stood the soldiers,"--he
mapped out the ground with his sword, "here stood the Great Napoleon, all
alone. He looks straight before him. What does he see? Nothing less than
a hundred muskets pointing at him. What does he do? He walks up to the
soldiers, opens his coat, and says, 'Soldiers, comrades, is there one of
you will kill your Emperor?' Damned if there was one! They dropped their
muskets, and took to kissing his hands. There, my dears, that was the
Great Emperor's way, our Emperor's father's little way."
"But suppose they fired at us 'stead of at His Excellency?" asked the
mealman.
"Then, mealman, you'd settle your account for lightweights sooner than
you want."
Duclosse twisted his mouth dubiously.
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