14 Jolt n Bachman. 



to listen. John remembered the grief and excite- 

 ment, and the preparations for what, in the simple 

 village talk, was called " Washington's mock funeral." 

 In every city and town, processions were formed 

 that marched with badges of mourning through the 

 principal streets to the churches, where suitable 

 services were held and eulogies pronounced. In 

 old age John Bach man would tell his grandchildren, 

 " When a boy in Rheinbeck, I followed the proces- 

 sion at "Washington's mock funeral." 



Those were days of stirring deeds in other lands. 

 The old gazettes were anxiously expected ; when 

 they arrived, the sturdy tanner, in the evenings, 

 laid aside his pipe and read to the assembled family 

 the last foreign news the announcement that the 

 English General, Nelson, had destroyed the French 

 fleet in Aboukir Bay. At another time, that the 

 French General, with ten thousand men. after 

 storming Jaffa, was retreating to Egypt, leaving a 

 burning track behind him. Among the listening 

 group, John was the eager questioner. Later the 

 news came, " Napoleon has taken possession of the 

 Tuileries and is declared first Consul," and, finally, 

 "that he had been crowned Emperor of France.'' 

 Perhaps the boy wondered why God had permitted 

 the slaughter of the brave Swiss Guard while de- 

 fending poor King Louis, whom the mob so soon 

 put to death, and yet allowed Napoleon to be crowned 

 Emperor of France. At least, it is not unlikely that 

 his ambitious soul was fired by these stories of great 

 men and great deeds. 



