574 Les Miserables
one of his epaulets half cut off by a sword-stroke from a
horseguard, his plaque with the great eagle dented by a bul-
let; bleeding, bemired, magnificent, a broken sword in his
hand, he said, ‘Come and see how a Marshal of France dies
on the field of battle!’ But in vain; he did not die. He was
haggard and angry. At Drouet d’Erlon he hurled this ques-
tion, ‘Are you not going to get yourself killed?’ In the midst
of all that artillery engaged in crushing a handful of men,
he shouted: ‘So there is nothing for me! Oh! I should like to
have all these English bullets enter my bowels!’ Unhappy
man, thou wert reserved for French bullets!