"Was he?" returned the soldier, with great energy. "I guess he come pretty near bein'. He was in command of the whole army. Who did yer think was, excep' him?"
I had not given the matter much thought. But I replied weakly that I supposed Napoleon had lived in France.
"You did? Well, you got that out of a book, I s'pose?"
I admitted, with some embarrassment, that I did get it from a book.
"I thought so. Well, if you're so smart with your books, why don't you tell this instead of me? P'r'aps you was in this battle, hey?"
My face became uncomfortably warm. I could not think of anything to say. After waiting a little, the soldier continued.
"If this young feller, that knows so all-fired much, ain't goin' to tell us how this battle was fought, I might as well go on. As I says before, we could see their guns, an' we could see the rebels movin' about 'round 'em. Some of their guns was in a little patch of woods, over where that team is standin' now. It kep' on quiet for more'n two hours—no one firin' a shot. Then we see the rebels was gettin' ready. They moved some of their batteries. An' then the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte rode up to me on his white hoss, an' he says, 'Bring out yer guns!' An' so I brought 'em out!"
My doubts vanished. That white horse was conclusive.
Ed Mason spoke in an awed voice:—