. In the footsteps of Napoleon, his life and its famous scenes. ,000 French, under a protecting sheet of flames fromeighty guns, raced across the field, the standing rye fallingbefore them as before a reaping machine. A detachmentturned aside to storm La Haye Sainte and attempt the cap-ture of that stronghold, while the great body of advancingtroops started up the slippery side of St. Jean. Some Dutchand Belgians, whom Wellington had posted in front, brokeand fled across the Wavre road and broke upon the Britishlines. As the French mounted the muddy slope in pursuit of thefleeing enemy, howeve
. In the footsteps of Napoleon, his life and its famous scenes. ,000 French, under a protecting sheet of flames fromeighty guns, raced across the field, the standing rye fallingbefore them as before a reaping machine. A detachmentturned aside to storm La Haye Sainte and attempt the cap-ture of that stronghold, while the great body of advancingtroops started up the slippery side of St. Jean. Some Dutchand Belgians, whom Wellington had posted in front, brokeand fled across the Wavre road and broke upon the Britishlines. As the French mounted the muddy slope in pursuit of thefleeing enemy, however, they themselves became a confusedmass. Suddenly the British sprang up from their ambuscadebehind the roadside hedges and fired at forty paces. Thencame a savage hand to hand encounter which ended in therout of the French column. At the same time another attacking column met its sur-prise farther along where the road suddenly sank below thesurface of the field. There the cuirassiers, leading the rightof the column, unexpectedly found themselves at the brink. WATERLOO 441 of the strange declivity. The undaunted horsemen took theleap down into the road, but as they were spurring theirhorses up the opposite bank, they saw only thirty feet beforethem, a body of British Foot Guards, descending at a furi-ous pace. The French wheeled and fled along the treacher-ous ravine to the Brussels road, whence they escaped from thetrap. Everywhere up and down the field, the blue line of Francewas rolled back, and Ponsonbys brigade made a returncharge up the side of La Belle Alliance. There the traces offorty of Napoleons cannon were cut before the audaciousBritons could be beaten back by the French lancers, one ofwhom thrust a fatal spear into the breast of the gallant Pon-sonby. The Emperors first blow had utterly failed. After threehours and a half of fighting the contending armies were intheir original positions. The rye field, its golden yellowcrimson-dyed, had become a graveyard. But the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectnapoleo, bookyear1915
