LII.

THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO.

1815.

FOR many years Napoleon was the terror of Europe. He had conquered all the nations of the Continent, one after another, and made them obey his will. England alone would never yield to him, though he had tried to subdue her by every means in his power, for her resistance filled him with anger. But the sea had been the best protection for England against the armies of Napoleon. The English Government had always gone on trying to stir up the other peoples of Europe to resist Napoleon, and at last an English general, the Duke of Wellington, was found who could conquer the French armies.

Napoleon had been accustomed to nothing but success. Now everything began to go against him, and he was forced, on the 11th April 1814, to lay down his crown and go as a prisoner to the little island of Elba, near the coast of Italy. Louis XVIII. became King of France, and the allies who had fought together against Napoleon met at Vienna for a congress to settle the affairs of Europe. Vienna was crowded with the great people of all countries, and, besides the serious work of the Congress, many festivities went on. On the night of the

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15th March 1815 there was a grand ball; but in the midst of the amusement news was suddenly brought in which made people look at one another with pale and anxious faces. It was whispered that Napoleon, the dreaded man who had so long troubled Europe, had escaped from Elba. The following days brought more certain news. Napoleon had gone straight to his soldiers with the words, "Here is your Emperor; if any one wishes to kill him let him fire." The men whom he had so often led to victory answered with shouts and tears of joy. As he passed on through France, he was received wherever he went in the same way. Louis XVIII. fled from Paris, and Napoleon was again Emperor of France.

The allies quickly settled the affairs of the Congress, and separated to gather armies to go against Napoleon. In vain Napoleon tried to gain some of them over to his side ; all stood by one another. Still Napoleon did not lose courage. He worked hard at getting his armies together; his old soldiers gladly came back to him, and by the beginning of June he had 220,000 men in the field. Wellington, too, had got an army of 92,000 men ready in Belgium, and the Prussian general, Blücher, had an army of 110,000 men quartered not far from Wellington's army. Napoleon's plan was to defeat Wellington and Blücher before the rest of the allies could get their armies together. Wellington did not like to move far from Brussels, for fear lest that important city should fall into Napoleon's hands. So he waited about Brussels till he knew which road Napoleon would take. When he heard on the 15th June where Napoleon was, he gave orders that his troops were to march that night;

but the orders were kept strictly secret, for he did not wish the people of Brussels to be alarmed. The Duchess of Richmond was to give a ball that evening, and Wellington bade his officers go to the ball as if nothing were going to happen. They went and joined in the dance, and then one by one stole away to go to their regiments, some of them not even waiting to put off their ball dresses. Wellington himself was at the ball, and stayed till past midnight. After he had bidden the Duchess good-night, he went up to the Duke of Richmond and asked him in a low voice, "Have you a good map of the country in the house?" When the Duke told him that he had, they went off together to the Duke's bedroom and examined the map. Wellington said as he looked at it, "Buonaparte has gained a day's march on me; I have arranged to meet him at Quatre-Bras. If I am not able to stop him there, I will fight him here;" and he made a mark with his thumb-nail at Waterloo. With this he went quickly away, and the Duke of Richmond went back to his guests.

A little while afterwards, early in the morning of the 16th of June, Wellington rode off to go to Quatre-Bras, a farmhouse where four roads meet, which was the spot where he had bidden his troops to draw up. Only a small part of them were ready, and had been already attacked by some bodies of the French. After giving some directions, Wellington rode on to Ligny, where the Prussian army under Marshal Blücher was preparing for battle. He had a great friendship and admiration for Blücher, but he was not quite satisfied with the way in which his army was placed, and made some remarks

which made Blücher slightly change his plan. Still Wellington, as he rode back, said to those who were with him, “If Buonaparte is what I suppose he is, the Prussians will get a good licking to-day."

That day Napoleon led the chief part of his army against the Prussians at Ligny, and at nightfall the Prussians had to give way, and retired in good order. Meanwhile Ney, one of Napoleon's most famous generals, attacked the English at Quatre-Bras, but they stood firm. At night they lay down to rest on the ground where they had fought. The Duke stayed with his men, and before sleeping, by the light of the camp-fire, looked through a bundle of London papers which had just been brought to him. He was in capital spirits, as he always was on the field of battle, and chatted with his officers in the gayest manner before going to sleep.

The next morning he heard of Blücher's retreat, and determined to withdraw a little himself so as to protect Brussels and be ready to fight the French in a position where Blücher could help him. He sent word to Blücher that he would accept a general battle with the French, if Blücher would promise to come and help him with part of his army.

Blücher willingly promised, and Wellington knew that he could trust in him. When his men had rested, he withdrew from Quatre-Bras to Waterloo, where he took up his position on the gently-rising ground on one side of a long narrow valley. A fearful thunderstorm swept over the country, just as the English took up their ground. The Duke passed the night in the little village of Waterloo; he went early to bed,