216 ST. HELENA 



that I shall escape ? I admit that I should be prohibited 

 from going into the town, but beyond the limits of the town 

 I should have liberty." Malcolm replied: "So you have. 

 You are not even prevented from visiting the town." 

 " Yes," he said, " with that officer at my heels " (referring 

 to Poppleton) " I degrade myself if I admit that I am a 

 prisoner." " Still," said Malcolm, " it would be impossible 

 to treat you as a sovereign." To which Napoleon said, 

 " Why ! they might leave me my honours to amuse me. 

 It could do no harm on this rock." " But," then replied 

 Malcolm, " you would have to be styled Emperor." 

 Napoleon was silent for a moment, and then said, " No, 

 they could not do that ; I have abdicated." " Yet you 

 object to be called general," said Malcolm. " That is be- 

 because I am no longer a general," retorted he, " not since 

 I returned from Egypt ; but why not call me Napoleon ? " 

 One day, when out for his riding exercise, he suddenly 

 wished to examine a slope. Putting spurs to his horse, 

 he was quickly outside the boundary. Poppleton followed, 

 but, being a poor horseman, was unable to overtake or keep 

 up with them, and was quickly left behind. This so an- 

 noyed and worried Poppleton, who was evidently afraid of 

 losing sight of his charge, that he commenced shouting, 

 " Stop ! " After some little time the cavalcade allowed 

 the poor officer to gain on them. He was on the point of 

 delivering a reprimand, when a look from Napoleon stopped 

 his intended speech, and he substituted it with " Une 

 autre fois, messieurs, je prendrai garde a vous." Of this 

 little incident, incorrect accounts have been given, which 

 state that Napoleon was fired on by Poppleton. 



Sir Hudson Lowe arrived on April 16, 1816, and Governor 

 Wilkes being relieved, sailed a week after. From all sides he 

 received messages of regret at his departure, and, as Brooke 

 says, " He left behind him a veneration for his name which 

 will be long affectionately cherished on this island." In 

 November Count Las Casas and his son were arrested for 

 having tried to bribe a native of the island named Scott 

 to secretly send letters to Europe. When Napoleon and 

 his suite arrived in St. Helena, Scott was engaged as a ser- 

 vant for Count Las Casas, who tested his fidelity by en- 

 trusting him with a secret message. This was faithfully 



