Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

278 THE FRASERS OF PHILORTH, LORDS SALTOUN.
buy a horse, but mine had such a devil of a sore back that it would not go
down, even with a Prussian. They have the greatest confidence in us. They
say that the French used to tell them that we were good for nothing on land,
of which, however, they had doubts ; but they say they had not the least
idea our troops were so good as they are. All their troops formed and
cheered us as we passed them, which we answered ; and as the French posts
were quite within hearing, the effect on them could not have been very
animating."
"Bourjet, 4th July 1815.
" I am at this moment on the advance posts, and we have just heard that
we are to occupy Paris to-morrow, and the French army is to retire behind
the Loire, and make as good terms with the King as they can. Our army is
to encamp in the Bois de Boulogne."
"Villette, 6th July 1815.
" I this morning received yours of the 29th, and I did not intend to have
written before to-morrow, as I was in hopes that we should have marched
through Paris with laurels in our caps, as we deserve to do, but the Heads
think otherwise, and we are therefore to go to-morrow to the Bois de
Boulogne to encamp. ... It does not suit my taste sneaking round a Capital
in this manner. I almost regret that they did not defend the heights of
Mont Martre : to be sure we should have lost 2 or 3 thousand men in taking
them, but then we should have burned the town, and that would have been
some satisfaction, for I hate these rascals almost as much as I love you, and
that is more than they can be hated by any other. Poor Grose and myself
were brothers in that hatred, and if the brave fellow were alive, he would
have gone half mad to suppose that we came victorious to the gates of Paris,
and did not show the natives that we were so. So much for national indigna-
tion ! Our chief has probably good reasons ; for my part I would not give a
straw to march through it when the Eussians come up. As to your getting
what you call a detailed account of the action of Waterloo from the Duke,
you will get no other than the one you have got already. It is rather unfor-
tunate, and the army are sorry for it, that my name was not mentioned, and
but for a mistake, which I will explain when we meet, I know that it would