The “hunt” being ended—­for with this I had had enough, and no one else was permitted to do any shooting—­the aide-decamp directed the game to be sent to me in Florence, and we started for the chateau.  On the way back I saw a wild boar the first and only one I ever saw —­my attention being drawn to him by cries from some of the game-keepers.  There was much commotion, the men pointing out the game and shouting excitedly, “See the wild boar!” otherwise I should not have known what was up, but now, looking in the indicated direction, I saw scudding over the plain what appeared to me to be nothing but a halfgrown black pig, or shoat.  He was not in much of a hurry either, and gave no evidence of ferocity, yet it is said that this insignificant looking animal is dangerous when hunted with the spear —­the customary way.  After an early dinner at the chateau we returned to Florence, and my venison next day arriving, it was distributed among my American friends in the city.

Shortly after the hunt the King returned from Milan, and then honored me with a military dinner, his Majesty and all the guests, numbering eighty, appearing in full uniform.  The banqueting hall was lighted with hundreds of wax candles, there was a profusion of beautiful flowers, and to me the scene altogether was one of unusual magnificence.  The table service was entirely of gold—­the celebrated set of the house of Savoy—­and behind the chair of each guest stood a servant in powdered wig and gorgeous livery of red plush.  I sat at the right of the King, who—­his hands resting on his sword, the hilt of which glittered with jewels—­sat through the hour and a half at table without once tasting food or drink, for it was his rule to eat but two meals in twenty-four hours—­breakfast at noon, and dinner at midnight.  The King remained silent most of the time, but when he did speak, no matter on what subject, he inevitably drifted back to hunting.  He never once referred to the Franco-Prussian war, nor to the political situation in his own country, then passing through a crisis.  In taking leave of his Majesty I thanked him with deep gratitude for honoring me so highly, and his response was that if ever he came to America to hunt buffalo, he should demand my assistance.

From Florence I went to Milan and Geneva, then to Nice, Marseilles, and Bordeaux.  Assembled at Bordeaux was a convention which had been called together by the government of the National Defense for the purpose of confirming or rejecting the terms of an armistice of twenty-one days, arranged between Jules Favre and Count Bismarck in negotiations begun at Versailles the latter part of January.  The convention was a large body, chosen from all parts of France, and was unquestionably the most noisy, unruly and unreasonable set of beings that I ever saw in a legislative assembly.  The frequent efforts of Thiers, Jules Favre, and other leading men to restrain the more impetuous were of little avail.  When at the sittings a delegate arose to speak on some question, he was often violently pulled to his seat and then surrounded by a mob of his colleagues, who would throw off their coats and gesticulate wildly, as though about to fight.