Austrians. To aid in their expulsion, the formation of an Italian legion
was decreed, and this Pépé hastened to join. Upon reaching Dijon, where
it was organising, he found that every corps had its full compliment of
officers. As a supernumerary he was ordered to a depot, where he would
receive lieutenant's half-pay until his services were required. Like
many others of the exiles, he preferred serving as a volunteer to
remaining idle, and accordingly joined a company of riflemen intended to
be mounted, but who, from the scarcity of horses, were for the most part
on foot. At the beginning of May, 1800, the legion, consisting of six
thousand men, marched into Switzerland, and crossed the St. Bernard.
They were detached from Napoleon's army during the battle of Marengo,
but distinguished themselves at the fight of the Jesia, and in the
Valteline, until, by the truce which followed that memorable campaign,
Pépé again found himself without employment, and in depot at Pavia. His
restless spirit would not tolerate repose, and he entered the service of
the Tuscan republic, where he continued until the truce of Luneville. An
amnesty for Neapolitan political refugees being a condition of the
treaty between France and Naples, he might now have returned home; but
his hatred of the Bourbons indisposed him to such a step, and he
resolved to enter the French army serving in Egypt. Murat was then
commander-in-chief of the French troops in central Italy, and to him the
young officer applied for a commission. He received that of a captain,
and was about to start for Alexandria when his purse was emptied at a
faro table. This compelled him to visit Naples for fresh supplies, and
owing to the delay, before he could embark, the French had received
orders to evacuate Egypt.

Notwithstanding the presence of the French troops, who by the treaty
concluded at Florence, on terms ignominious for Naples, occupied several
Neapolitan provinces, the patriot party again began to conspire against