mille tonnerres de Dieu!"

Napoleon (benignantly). "Calme-toi, mon fidele ami. What will
you? It was fate. Gahagan, at the critical period of the battle,
or rather slaughter (for the English had not slain a man of the
enemy), advised a retreat."

Montholon. "Le lache! Un Francais meurt, mais il ne recule
jamais."

Napoleon. "Stupide! Don't you see why the retreat was ordered?--
don't you know that it was a feint on the part of Gahagan to draw
Holkar from his impregnable entrenchments? Don't you know that the
ignorant Indian fell into the snare, and issuing from behind the
cover of his guns, came down with his cavalry on the plains in
pursuit of Lake and his dragoons? Then it was that the Englishmen
turned upon him; the hardy children of the North swept down his
feeble horsemen, bore them back to their guns, which were useless,
entered Holkar's entrenchments along with his troops, sabred the
artillerymen at their pieces, and won the battle of Delhi!"

As the Emperor spoke, his pale cheek glowed red, his eye flashed
fire, his deep clear voice rung as of old when he pointed out the
enemy from beneath the shadow of the Pyramids, or rallied his
regiments to the charge upon the death-strewn plain of Wagram. I
have had many a proud moment in my life, but never such a proud one
as this; and I would readily pardon the word "coward," as applied
to me by Montholon, in consideration of the testimony which his
master bore in my favour.