The Twin Lieutenants | Page 7

will give me twelve thousand horsemen at least, and taking all that remain disposable in the depots, I shall bear away fourteen thousand. I have seventeen regiments of light cavalry, put them at seventeen thousand men; besides, my depots overflow with dragoons ready formed; they will come from Languedoc, Guieene, Poitou, and Anjou, so I shall easily have five or six thousand. We have already a hundred thousand infantry and thirty-five thousand cavalry,"
"Sire, all that only amounts to one hundred and thirty-five thousand men, and your Majesty said four hundred thousand."
"Wait; twenty thousand artillery, twenty of the guard, a hundred thousand Germans."
"That sire, makes in all two hundred and seventy-five thousand men."
"Good ! I will draw fifty thousand from my Italian army; they will march by Tarvis and join me in Bavaria. Add to them ten thousand Italians and ten thousand Frenchmen drawn from Dalmatia, and we have seventy thousand men the more."
"Which makes us three hundred and forty-five thousand men."
"Well, you will see that we shall have too many in a moment."
"I seek for the balance, sire."
"You forget my conscripts, sir, you forget that your senate authorized, in last September, two levies of men."
"One, that of 1809, is already under arms; that of 1810 ought not, according to the law, serve the first year, save in the interior."
" Yes, sir; but do you believe that one hundred and fifty departments are not sufficient for eighty thousand men? No; I shall carry the levy to a hundred thousand, and I will have a recall of twenty thousand upon the classes of 1809, 1808, 1807, and 1806. That will give me eighty thousand men, and eighty thousand men made, men of twenty, twenty-one, two, and three years of age, whilst those of 1810 are but eighteen years old, so I can, without inconvenience, let them grow up."
"Sire, the one hundred and fifteen departments every year have never furnished more than three hundred and thirty-seven thousand men of the age of military service; take one hundred thousand men from three hundred and thirty-seven thousand, that is, taking more than a quarter, and there is not a population that would not soon perish if they took each year a quarter of the males who have reached the age of manhood."
"And who told you they are to be taken every year? These eighty thousand men are to form my guard; it will be for them but a three months' affair. Once is not always, it is the first and the last. Before the end of April, I shall be upon the Danube with four hundred thousand men; then, as she has done today, Austria may count my legions, and I tell you, if she forces ma to strike, Europe will be forever dismayed at the blows I will strike!"
Cambaceres sighed.
"Your Majesty has no other orders to give me?" said he.
"Tomorrow let the legislative body assemble."
"It has been in session since your departure, sire."
"That is true--tomorrow it will know my will."
Cambaceres made a movement to withdraw; but returning, he said:
"Your Majesty spoke of a certain General Malet--"
"Ah! you're right--but it is with M. Fouche, I will speak of that. Say, as you pass, that they may send me M. Fouche, who ought to be in the green saloon,"
Cambaceres bowed and went toward the door, when, as he reached it, Napoleon cried in his most gentle voice, accompanying the farewell with a friendly sign:
"Adieu, my dear Archchancellor."
This made the latter leave the room more tranquil for himself, but no less uneasy for France.
Again alone, Napoleon paced the room with long strides.
Since nine years of reigning, for the consulate had been a reign, be had seen, beneath the admiration he had inspired, mistrust and disapprobation even, but never doubt.
They doubted now--what? his good fortune.
They even blamed! and from whence had he first been censured? in his army, in his guard, in his veterans.
Baylen, with its fatal capitulation, had dealt a terrible blow to his renown.
Varus, at least, had been slain with the three legions he had asked of Augustus: Varus had not surrendered.
Before quitting Valladolid even, Napoleon was instructed upon all which Cambaceres had told him, and on more beside.
The evening of his departure, he had reviewed his grenadiers; he had been informed that these praetorians murmured at his leaving them in Spain; he wished to see all these old faces embrowned by the sun of Italy and Egypt, to know if they had the audacity to be discontented.
He dismounted and passed their ranks on foot.
The grenadiers, mute and gloomy, presented arms; not a single cry of "Vive l'Empereur!" was to be heard. One man muttered;
"Sire, in France!"
This is what Napoleon expected.
With an irresistible movement he snatched the gun from his hands and drawing him from the ranks, said;
"Wretch! you deserve to be shot, and but little