Page:California Digital Library (IA recollectionsofe00abeliala).pdf/235

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
Ch. XVII.]
the Emperor Napoleon.
203

discovered to be the runaway Alley. The poor boy was much hurt, though not mortally. When daylight came they repaired to his haunt, which was the most ingeafously contrived cave, nature over formed: imperceptible until you came close to it, the entrance being low, and covered by a sheltering rock. There he had lived for weeks, close to his master, and had nightly prowled about, lightening our larders, and robbing the hen roosts.

Napoleon entered the cave with us, and seemed much diverted at the piles of bones collected and neatly arranged by the slave, after he had disposed of their various integuments. He said it reminded him of one of the catacombs in Paris.

I recollcet exhibiting to Napoleon a caricature of him in the act of climbing a ladder, each step he ascended represented some vanquished country; at length he was seated astride upon the world. It was a famous toy, and by a dexterous trick Napoleon ap-

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.