cr own readers

11 8 TH E LITTL E CORPORA L.
31. THE LITTLE CORPORAL.-I.
1. Napoleon Bonaparte was for many years known
among his soldiers -as th e Little Corpora l. It was
th eir " pet name " for th eir general ; and Napoleon
lik ed the name, for he knew that it was a sign of
their friendship and devotion. It was given him
during his first campaign as leader of a French army.
He was very yo ung for th e post, being only in his
twenty-seventh year; but the old soldiers lik ed him
all the better for that. As his army won victory
after victory, the veterans used to discuss, in a playful
manner round the camp-fires, wheth er he should
not be promoted for his services. So, afte r one battle
th ey made him a corporal, after anot her a sergeant,
«nd so on, through all th e military ranks. But th e
title of Corporal, th e lowest rank of officer, was the one
that pleased them most ; and for many years, when
Napoleon made his nightly round of his camp, he was
sur e to be greeted by shouts of " Vive le petit caporal! "
2. Never did soldiers love th eir general as those
of th e French army loved Napoleon. Th ey adm ired
his exceptional courage and coolness. Everyone of
them had seen him do some act of conspicuous bravery.
Some had seen him gallop to th e head of a wav erin g
regiment and lead it to a glorious charge; others had
seen him seize the colours from an ensign, dash forward
almost alone, and plant th em in th e very face
of th e enemy; others had seen him coolly turn over
a block of stone sent whizzing past his head by the
explosion of a shell, and had perhaps heard him
remark, " A few inehes more, and that would have
don e its work."