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 7 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 



