Page:Anna Chapin--Half a dozen boys.djvu/328

294 Well, he conquered Italy and Sardinia and Austria and Egypt. But that wasn’t enough for him, so he came home for a little while, and  went into politics. He made himself first consul of France when he was only twenty-nine. Five years later, in 1804, he made the pope crown him emperor. Then he went on conquering countries, and putting his own  relations on the throne—they didn’t have any  civil-service reform then—till he had most  everything but England and Russia in the  family. And at home he made a few good laws, and straightened out things where the  revolution had mixed them up. But in 1812 he made an expedition to Russia, and there he  was beaten. Then, till 1814, he had ever so many defeats, and finally was arrested and sent  to Elba. He was there about a year, and then ran away and came back to France. When he came, the king they had put on the throne ran  away, and all his old soldiers came back to him. But on June 17th, 1815, they fought the battle of Waterloo. Napoleon was beaten and captured and carried clear down to St. Helena, where they kept an eye on him till he died;  and I say it served him right.”