of fodder. I parted from my father with much regret and left with the
regiment.

We went along the Corniche as far as Albenga. We crossed the
Apennines, in spite of the snow, and entered the fertile plains of
Piedmont. The commander-in-chief fought a number of actions in the
area round Fossano, Novi and Mondovi, some of which were successful
and others not.

In one of these actions I had the opportunity of seeing
Brigadier-general Macard, a soldier of fortune whom the revolutionary
upheavals had carried almost straight from the rank of trumpet-major
to that of general! He was a good example of a type of officer
created by luck and their personal courage who, although displaying
much bravery before the enemy, were nevertheless incapable of
occupying effectively a senior position because of their lack of
education.

This extraordinary character, a veritable colossus, was well known
for one peculiarity. When about to lead his troops in a charge
against the enemy, it was his custom to shout "Let's go! I'll put on
my animal dress." Then he took off his uniform, his jacket and shirt
and retained only his plumed hat, his leather breeches and his big
boots! Thus, naked to the waist, he displayed a torso almost as hairy
as that of a bear, which gave him a very strange appearance indeed.
Once in his animal dress, as he called it, General Macard, sabre in
hand, hurled himself at the enemy horsemen, swearing like a pagan;
but it so happened that he rarely reached any of them, for at the
unexpected and terrible sight of this kind of giant, half naked and
covered in hair rushing toward them uttering the most fearsome yells