By Jupiter Tonans! the plate lay before him, clean as if a cat had licked it; and, having succeeded in capturing another plate, he was organizing on this new plateau various battalions of sweets, for which he skirmished around with incomparable skill.
The parade-ground being full, I expected to see an instant attack; but he was too knowing to be caught napping in that way.

He looked around, and with a masterly eye scanned apples, oranges, and nuts.

The two former he selected with great judgment; the latter he brought home in quantities sufficient to secure plenty of good ones.

Then pouncing upon a pair of nutcrackers, and extending them like a chevaux-de-frise round his prizes, he began his onslaught upon the battalion of sweets before him.
The great general now set seriously to work.

Scarce had he commenced, when an innocent young man, who had finished his sweets and was meditating an attack on some nuts, espied the crackers lying idle before the gastronomic general, and said, "Will you lend me the nutcrackers, sir ?" The great general raised his head, and gave the youth one of those piercing looks with which Napoleon used to galvanize all askers of impertinent questions.