As the Red Man had said to
Napoleon, "It's Asia against Europe."
"All right!" replied the Emperor, "I'll take care." And then came
fawning on Napoleon all the kings of Europe,--Austria, Prussia, Bavaria,
Saxony, Poland, Italy,--all flattering us and going along with us. It
was splendid! The French eagles never cooed as they did on parade then,
when they were held high above all the flags of Europe. The Poles
couldn't contain themselves for joy, because the Emperor intended to set
them up again as a nation--and for that reason the French and the Poles
have been like brothers ever since.
"Russia shall be ours!" cried the army.
We crossed the frontier,--the whole lot of us,--and marched, and
marched, and marched. No Russians! At last we found the rascals, camping
on the bank of the Moscow River. That's where I got my cross; and I take
leave to say that it was the damnedest of battles! Napoleon himself was
worried, because the Red Man had appeared again and had said to him, "My
son, you are going too fast; you will run short of men, and your friends
will betray you.
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