The Blood of the Nation 



cords it, as she does many matters of 

 less moment. But this fact concerns 

 us, here in thousands they died. 

 Farther on, Frenchmen, Austrians, and 

 Italians fell together at Magenta, in 

 the same cause. You know the color 

 that we call Magenta, the hue of the 

 blood that flowed out under the olive- 

 trees. Go over Italy as you will, 

 there is scarcely a spot not crimsoned 

 by the blood of France, scarcely a rail- 

 way station without its pile of French 

 skulls. You can trace them across to 

 Egypt, to the foot of the Pyramids. 

 You will find them in Germany, at 

 Jena and Leipzig, at Lutzen and Baut- 

 zen and Austerlitz. You will find 

 them in Eussia, at Moscow ; in Bel- 

 gium, at Waterloo. " A boy can stop 

 a bullet as well as a man," said Na- 

 poleon ; and with the rest are the skulls 

 and bones of boys, " ere evening to be 

 trodden like the grass." " Born to be 



46 



