The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1854-10-14
NA'OLEON'S ) EETJRN FROM ELHA.
F'~ ,iiIo'fs III, If Ny.j,oa.

-'i''f'hafd. marched with force of six thou
s''i'1 men TO oppose the Emperor. lie posted
his troops III dcfc llankcd bv the noun
'ains and lake. 1t was in the morning of
the 9Th Of March, The crisis which was to
"ec'de all had now arrived. Napoleon was
equal to the emergency. Requesting his col
"h'hS TO halt he rode, at gentle pace, and
almost alone. toward the hostile army. The
peasants. who had in vast numbers assembled
TO witness this marvellous scene. greeted him
with shouts Of "Nive I Empcrcur."
Napoleon, without any hc>i.anry, rode
calmly along upon gentle trot, until he ar
rived within a hundred PAGES of the Glitter
lng hayonets which formed an impa<>ihlc wall
before him. He then di>nountcd. handed
the rcns to one OF the Poles who accompa-
nIcd h'm. crossed his arms upon his breast.
ana advancedunprotectcd and entirely alone
until he arrived within ten PAGES of the
troops. There he stood the mark for every
GUN. He was dressed in that simple costume
which every Frrnchn.an recognized. with the
cooked hat. the cray ovcrcoat. and the hirh
military boots. The commanding officer or
'rrrd tlc soldiers 10 fire. They seemed 10
obey. Every m;!>kct was brought to the
shoulder. and aimed at h;s breast. ualtlcre
been one single man among those Laual;onS
willing to shoot the Emperor he would have
received from the BcurhonS hourd,c~> re-
wards The rcpot; Of 4 >in.c mu<>ct woui
have settled the !r>inic> Of France.
Napoleon. without the change of muscle
Of his features. or the .rcmcr Of a nerve. con
'mu"d 10 advance upon the mu>Nct> lcvclod
at his heart. Then stopping and unco,crns
his breast. he sad, in those Resembling tones.
which. ha,n. been once heard cou! not hc
FORGOTTEN:
">oldicr> il there be one AMONG vou who
woul! Kill his Emperor. let him do it. Here
am
For moment there was a silence as of the
grave. Then the point of one mushct tell
and another. and anothcr Tears BEGAN to
ru>h into lEc ewes of those hardy veterans.
One voi"c. ucmu!ou> with emotion. shouted
"NiNc | EmpcrcUr." 1t was the SIGNAL for a
universal burst, r. echoed bv soldiers ami bv
pcaSantry in a continuous cataract of sound.
The troops from Grcr q lc tho rrona, hoy, of
the guard. and the peasants, all rushed in a
tumuls of JOY upon the Emperor. who opened
lis arms to receive them In the confusion.
the Bourbon commander put spurs to his
horse and disappeared. When the transport
was somewhat moderated the Emperor tax
ing gently by the whi>kcra n veteran. whose
appearance attracted his attention. said to
him pavfullv:
How could YOU have the heart to aim vour
mu>kct at the Little Corporal?"
The Old mans ewes Immediately filed with
tears Ringing his ramrod in the barrel o:
his mu~,,rt to show that it was ulloa,!c,!. hc
said. ".Iud-r whether could do thee much
harm. MI the rest are the same"
Napoleon then Gathered the whole ASSEM-
bly, Of So!licr> and peasant around him, ar.t
thus addressed them:
Il have conc with Ej,t handful of bra.
; men. because rely upon the people and up
on Won. The throne of the Bourbons is illc
: "itimatc 1t has not been raised bv the voice
of the nation. 1t is contrary to the na:;ona
l will. because it is in direct opposition to til,
: interests OF the country. and only exists to
! the benefit of a small number of noble fl,ni
: lies. Ask Of Your fathers. intcrroratc ,hc>,
} brave peasants. and you will learn fom thc
| lips the actual state of things. They ar,
t threatened with the renewal Of the titltc s,>
? TEN. Of privileges. of ttndaI rigl>, and Of al
. those alu-rs irom which Your victories ha,
= delivered thcm"
. Napo.con now resumed his march. accom-
e panied hy vast crowd of the nhahi,an,,
G increasing every moment. and thron.ing tn,
roads. The hattalion> from Crcno!lc ac,c,
, as the advance guard to the rrcna,licrs from
E.ba. rs he approached the city he was me
by a messenger. who said
'.S.rc. Won will have no occasion for arms
Your riding whip will be Sufficient to seattle
all resistance. The hearts of the soldiers ar,
every where Your own
rs Napoleon approached the city. one Of
the most Important fortified places in France
: The enthusiasm of the ropulacc exceeded al
: bounds The tri-coIorcd cockadc was upo,
all hats. The tri-colorcd banner waved from
all windows. and lIoatcd from the battIcmcnt
= and upon the spires of the city Shouts of
"Niye / Empercur" filled the streets. Th,
>oldcr> shared in the enthusiasm tratcrnizc,
with the people. and promised them that the,
would not fire upon their brothers in arms
Ii Was impossible for the bourbon officers anf
magistrates to stem this torreat. In despair
! they fled. having locked the ca.cs and con
F.. ccalcd the keys
: 1T midnight, from the ramparts of Greno
: bic, were seen the torches ot the multitude
surrounding the Emperor. and advancing to-
; wards TIE city. Shouts Of "Niyc I Empc-
; rcur rose from the approaching throng, and
were echoed back from the walls of the for
trcss. The inhabitants in their ar!or wrench
cd the gates from the hinges, and Napoleon