Page:The rise and fall of the Emperor Maximilian.djvu/206

In spite of fatigue and the long distance, the commander-in-chief proceeded as quickly as possible to Mexico, leaving to General Aymard (who acquitted himself with success) the task of extricating the foreign troops. The hurried departure of our head-quarters was immediately commented on, and the American papers vied with one another in repeating that the Austrians had been left to be massacred. Whilst the commander-in-chief was gallopping along on the road to Mexico, a second enclosure was handed him from Maximilian:—

Alcazar de Chapultepec, October 19, 1866.

My dear Marshal,—At the end of the present month I shall be expecting the empress on her return from her journey to Europe. Be kind enough, my dear marshal, to tell me if you have taken any measures for her escort, and in case this should not yet have been done, you will be good enough to look to the safety of the empress, not losing sight of the state of insurrection in which the departments adjacent to the road now are. I leave the safety of the empress in your hands with the greatest confidence, and thanking you for it beforehand, I am glad, my dear marshal, to assure you of my good will and sincere friendship.—Your very affectionate,Maximilian.

The emperor was well aware that the Empress Charlotte could not yet be en route, even supposing that she had achieved a rapid success at the Vatican; for the accession of King Leopold had made it necessary for the Empress of Mexico to stay some time at Brussels. But the expressions in this letter had a double aim; first, not to reveal his projects to the rebels in case the letter should have fallen into their hands; and next, to get a cordon of troops placed along the line of road from Vera Cruz to Mexico, so as to ensure Maximilian's safety in his descent from the high plateaus. All the military arrangements