1 68 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



Viceroy to go and get my breakfast, in order to show 

 him how well my horse can jump, I put him over the 

 parapet and gallop off to my tent. You will see that 

 this foolhardy act was one of the reasons which in- 

 duced the Viceroy's entourage to support my scheme, 

 the generals who came to breakfast with me, and 

 who had seen the feat, telling me as much. 



" I thought that the Viceroy had been sufficiently 

 prepared by my previous conversations to admit how 

 desirable it would be for a Government to have im- 

 portant public works of unquestionable utility exe- 

 cuted by a financial company, and guided by the 

 happy presentiment of the rainbow I hoped that the 

 day would not close without a decision having been 

 come to with regard to the Suez Canal. 



" At five o'clock I again mounted my horse and 

 came up to the Viceroy's tent by way of the parapet. 

 He was very bright and good tempered, and taking me 

 by the hand, he led me to a divan and made me sit 

 by his side. We were alone, and through the opening 

 of the tent I could see the setting of the sun which, 

 at its rising that morning, had so stirred my imagina- 

 tion. I felt inwardly calm and assured at the moment 

 of entering upon a question which was to be decisive 

 of my future. I had clearly before me my studies and 

 conclusions with regard to the canal, and the execution 

 of the work seemed so easy of realisation that I felt 

 little doubt as to being able to convince the Prince of 

 this. I set out my project, without entering into 



