38 4< Ten Years oj my Life. 



King in a fiacre about a hundred paces behind it. The 

 leader of the conspirators was killed on the spot but — it seems 

 purposely — was so disfigured that he could not be recognized. 

 Other persons arrested escaped from prison, and thus the 

 prophecy was fulfilled that the attempted regicides would never 

 be punished. 



It had been my intention to travel in Andalusia, to make re- 

 searches in reierence to relatives of my mother, but things in 

 Spain took a turn which made travelling in the country very 

 inconvenient and even dangerous, and under these circum- 

 stances I resolved to give up my purpose and to return 

 home. 



My task is done ; my book at last finished. When occupied 

 with writing it, and absorbed in my recollections of the past, 

 all I have told seemed very interesting — to me : whether it be 

 interesting to the public, or whether I should have done bet- 

 ter to leave my book unpublishd, is a question which now 

 suddenly oppresses me in an uncomtortable manner. 



I suppose I must take my chance, like greater authors, and^ 

 prepare myseli against some critics, who will say, with a shrug 

 of their shoulders, * American, Mexican, and French wars ! 

 AVhy, that's ancient history ; we are tired ot it. Why did she 

 not write the history of next year ?' 



I most humbly beg to remark that I do not pretend to write his- 

 tory at all ; but only my personal adventures during three great 

 wars, in which I by chance had to take part. I would not 

 have ventured to write a book at all, had not some men, whom 

 I believe to be competent, encouraged me, saying that the 

 narratives of personal adventures of eyewitnesses, if told simply 

 and truthfully, are much valued, because they serve to fill 

 up with fl^h and give colour and life to the skejeton-like dry 

 histories presented to us so frequently by most learned military 

 authors or professors of history. 



What I experienced and saw during these ten eventful years 

 I have described simply and truthfully, expressing my opinions 

 perhaps with too little reserve ; whether they are worth any- 

 thing is a question which will be ansv/ered by others, and I 

 have only to excuse myself for speaking too much of private 

 affairs, which have really nothing to do with the great histori- 

 cal events which form the frame of my narrative. If I have 



