Near the foot the victors fell under the fire of the rear portion of the Imperial Guards, who, undaunted by their comrades’ repulse, rolled majestically upwards.  Colborne now wheeled the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment on the crest in a line nearly parallel to their advance, and opened a deadly fire on their flank, which was hotly returned; Maitland’s men, re-forming on the crest, gave them a volley in front; and some Hanoverians at the rear of Hougoumont also galled their rear.  Seizing the favourable moment when the column writhed in anguish, Colborne cheered his men to the charge, and, aided by the second 95th Rifles, utterly overthrew the last hope of France.  Continuing his advance, and now supported by the 71st Regiment, he swept our front clear as far as the orchard of La Haye Sainte.[523]

The Emperor had at first watched the charge with feelings of buoyant hope; for Friant, who came back wounded, reported that success was certain.  As the truth forced itself on him, he turned pale as a corpse.  “Why! they are in confusion,” he exclaimed; “all is lost for the present.”  A thrill of agony also shot through the French lines.  Donzelot’s onset had at one time staggered Halkett’s brigade; but the hopes aroused by the charge of the Guard and the rumour of Grouchy’s approach gave place to dismay when the veterans fell back and Ziethen’s Prussians debouched from Papelotte.  To the cry of “The Guard gives way,” there succeeded shouts of “treason.”  The Duke, noting the confusion, waved on his whole line to the longed-for advance.  Menaced in front by the thin red line, and in rear by Colborne’s glorious charge, D’Erlon’s divisions broke up in general rout.  For a time, three rocks stood boldly forth above this disastrous ebb.  They were the battalions of the Guard previously repulsed, and that had rallied around the Emperor on the rise south of La Haye Sainte.  In front of them the three regiments of Adam’s brigade stopped to re-form; but at the Duke’s command—­“Go on, go on:  they will not stand”—­Colborne charged them, and they gave way.

And now, as the sun shot its last gleams over the field, the swords of the British horsemen were seen to flash and fall with relentless vigour.  The brigades of Vandeleur and Vivian, well husbanded during the day, had been slipped upon the foe.  The effect was electrical.  The retreat became a rout that surged wildly around the last squares of the Guard.  In one of them Napoleon took refuge for a space, still hoping to effect a rally, while outside Ney rushed from band to band, brandishing a broken sword, foaming with fury, and launching at the runaways the taunt, “Cowards! have you forgotten how to die?"[524]