Thereupon the two Americans shut themselves up in their cabin, and did not even come out to admire the harbor of New York when everybody was on deck. Tréfume sought the French embassy everywhere at New York, but as he did not speak English he could get no information. Suddenly he caught sight of one of the two Americans whom he had seen on the ship. He ran after him, and at last the man took refuge in a saloon. "Good morning, sir," said Tréfume. "Hush," answered the other, who was really a robber, and who thought that Tréfume wanted to arrest him, "hush, here is fifty thousand francs, and if you leave New York by the Bretagne this evening an unknown man will give you fifty thousand more." Tréfume did not understand a word of all this, but he was tired of New York, and he accepted the bargain. When he returned to Marseilles, he said that really the Americans do business very quickly, and that they are the foremost of the nations of the earth.
L'HISTOIRE LA PLUS DROLE.
I am at loss to tell the funniest story of my whole life; but going back over the current of my recollections I find one, which, perhaps, is of no great value.
I had taken part in the siege of Paris when I was scarcely twenty-three years old and I was a strong and well-built fellow; I was very proud of my light beard, but I was humiliated at the learning of our enemies. We Frenchmen spoke scarcely a word of German, while they spoke our language very well, in spite of their German accent. When the war was finished, my first thought was to learn German.
I had studied English more or less at the high school, and I spoke it fairly well, but I have no need to tell you that the language of Goethe was a dead letter to me. Nevertheless I began to study the best method that I could find, and I took lessons from a famous teacher, and after four months I commenced to feel the need of going to Germany. A friend of mine gave me the address of a boys' boarding school at Hanover, where the purest German is spoken. They assured me that the table was good and that the teacher was the best possible. Therefore I started, and arrived at the school on a fine May morning. Through the open door I saw several small boys in the yard, who were spinning tops and playing marbles and all sorts of children's games. The oldest of them was not more than thirteen years of age, and the youngest was about seven.
When I told Dr. Davisson my name he looked me all over, made a gesture of surprise, and finally said: "What! Mr. X recommended you to come to my school? Don't you see that this is a boarding school for small boys? Your friend, when he wrote me about you, neglected to tell me your age."
I did not know what to say, but remembering that I was all alone in that city, I thought I might learn German with the doctor. I said, holding out my hand to him: "My baggage is in the carriage, and if I promised you to behave well would you take me all the same?" "We can at least try," answered he.
The desks were too low for me, the bed in the dormitory was too short, but I was bound not to set a bad example, so I remained four months with the doctor. I was in the highest class, and I made lots of progress; therefore I was rewarded for my trouble, and when I left the school I spoke German very well.
LA CHARGE DES MORTS.
THE battle had lasted all day, and at night it was still undecided; it was necessary to make a charge on two thousand Turks with a battery of artillery, otherwise the Russians could not continue their forward march on Plevna. It was a difficult affair, for the Turks were afraid of nothing; but the Russian general, who knew well all this, decided to send against them his last and best regiment. To their commander he said: "Occupy the enemy's position over there with your men. They are four to one of you, and many of you will find a sure death there. If you are successful, ring the church bell, and I shall thus know that the Russian army is saved." The commander, in spite of his gentle air, was a good soldier; he answered: "I shall take the city."