Short Fiction · Chapter
A Tradition of Eighteen Hundred and Four explained
Old Solomon Selby recounts his childhood memory of a night in 1804 or 1805 when he and his uncle Job, a sergeant, witnessed two French officers studying a map of the English coast near their sheepfold.
What happens
Old Solomon Selby recounts his childhood memory of a night in 1804 or 1805 when he and his uncle Job, a sergeant, witnessed two French officers studying a map of the English coast near their sheepfold. The officers, believed to be scouting landing sites for Napoleon's planned invasion, spoke in French and examined the shoreline. Selby's story highlights the local fears and uncertainties surrounding Bonaparte's threatened descent on England.
Themes in this chapter
Fate and Coincidence
The chance encounter of Solomon and his uncle with the French officers underscores the precariousness of history and the role of ordinary people in great events.
Time and Change
The story reflects on the passage of time, memory, and the transformation of the landscape and way of life since the Napoleonic era.
Characters to notice
- Solomon Selby
The narrator, recalling his childhood experience as a shepherd's son on the Dorset coast.
- Job
Solomon's uncle, a sergeant in the Sixty-first foot, who accompanies him to the fold and later identifies the French officers' map.
- Solomon Selby's Father
A shepherd who tended flocks on the downs and was involved in the nightly lambing routine.
Key passages
“The widely discussed possibility of an invasion of England through a Channel tunnel has more than once recalled old Solomon Selby’s story to my mind.”
The modern debate about a Channel tunnel invasion reminds the narrator of Solomon Selby's tale.
Sets up the historical parallel between past invasion fears and contemporary concerns.
“It was, as I need hardly tell ye, the time after the first peace, when Bonaparte was scheming his descent upon England.”
This was the period after the initial peace treaty, when Napoleon was planning to invade England.
Establishes the historical context of the Napoleonic Wars.
“The grand query with us was, Where would my gentleman land?”
The big question for us was: where would Napoleon choose to land?
Highlights the uncertainty and speculation among the local population.
“Two men, in boat-cloaks, cocked hats, and swords, stood by the hurdles about twenty yards off.”
Two men wearing boat-cloaks, cocked hats, and swords stood near the hurdles about twenty yards away.
Describes the appearance of the French officers.
“They spoke in a tongue that was not ours—in French, as I afterward found.”
They spoke a language that wasn't ours—French, as I later discovered.
Indicates the foreignness of the officers and the language barrier.