1870 26g
to Paraguay. As he happened to combine the appointment
of Minister of War with his diplomatic post, there would not
be much difficulty about the former; and the latter was
almost as easy, since the lady proved most reasonable in
spite of being married to a French army surgeon who was
still alive. An Irishwoman born in France, she was slightly
affected by the prevailing Napoleonic cult. She might even
make the dark young man beside her the Napoleon of the
New World; and if she could, the Pope might grant a
dispensation and let her divorce her army surgeon and
marry Lopez. Then, perhaps, she would be an empress
instead of Madame Lynch.
The strange couple sailed for Paraguay; and the Napol-
eonic dream drummed in his dark head. The years went
by; the old Dictator died; and a National Assembly with
remarkable unanimity appointed his son Gefe Supremo y
General de los Ejercitos de la RepuUica del Paraguay. That
was in 1862. His moment had arrived, and he prepared to
be Napoleonic. The chief essential was a war; and he
provided one upon a princely scale. Indeed, he slightly
overdid it, since he went to war with Brazil, Uruguay, and
Argentina at the same time. This was a shade excessive, as
Paraguay was a small country and the enemy comprised
almost the whole of South America. But the uncertain
frontiers of the interior were rich in casus belli; and if one
was to be Napoleonic, one must not be afraid of risks.
Besides, his officers all sported kepis now, his infantry wore
something vaguely reminiscent of the Imperial Guard upon
their heads, and at a distance the cavalry of the escort in
their brass helmets with the dangling horse-tails might pass
for French dragoons. This was highly gratifying, although
the greater part of his artillery had served as ballast in sea-
going ships and would be more at home as posts at street-
corners ; but when Lopez reflected that the sailors of his
river-flotilla wore an approximation to French uniforms, he
could have little doubt of the result.
Neither, it may be added, could the Allies, since the com-