May 22, 1848.

Jérôme sailed on a sailboat for 6 days. Bonaparte could no longer stand the damp, musty, and foul smell of the cabin, and he closed his book and got up to leave the room.

Follow the cabin corridor until you reach the end, where the staircase connecting the cabin to the cleats appears to the right at the end of the corridor.

Jérôme holding a hard book in his left armpit. Bonaparte walked up to the deck with the wooden handrail of the staircase.

On the deck, the captain in charge of directing and dispatching the crew saw the "gold master" Jérôme. Bonaparte hurriedly ran up to him and greeted him warmly: "Honorable guest, don't you know what you need?" ”

"Mr. Captain!" Feel the sea breeze on your face, and listen to the rhythmic lapping of the sea water on the right board of the jérôme that makes the sound of "crackling" waves. Bonaparte swept away the gloom that had been stored in the cabin for a long time, and suddenly felt refreshed: "I would like to ask when we will arrive at the port of Civitavecchia, I can't wait to get a taste of ancient Rome!" ”

Anyway, Jérôme. Bonaparte smiled profligately and whistled softly, adding, "And, of course, the tenderness of a Roman woman!" ”

Alas! Another prodigal aristocrat!

The captain looked at Jerome in front of him with seven points of envy mixed with three points of jealousy. Bonaparte, with a regretful expression on his face, said: "Guest, in fact, you should have gone to Rome two months ago!" Rome isn't a lot of fun right now! ”

"Huh?" Jérôme. Bonaparte was puzzled: "Why do you say that? ”

"Rome is at its busiest on February 22 every year! The Roman Carnival begins on that day, and only then will you get to see the enthusiasm of Rome! The captain swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and said with a lewd smile on his face: "Whenever the Roman Carnival begins, the inhabitants of Rome walk in the streets of Rome wearing masks! Resentful boys and girls, hungry ladies will all act at that time, and people like you must be kissed. ”

The captain's compliments did not impress Jérôme. Bonaparte was delighted, but he added to his doubts.

"Huh? Didn't the war on the Apennine begin long ago? How can they still be in the mood to continue the carnival? "Jérôme. Bonaparte wondered.

"Guest!" The captain explained: "The progress of the war has nothing to do with Rome! Whoever comes to Rome must follow the rules of Rome! Because His Majesty the Pope is in Rome! ”

The captain's expression of course made Jérôme. Bonaparte once again realized the "might" of the Holy See.

The 18th and 19th centuries were the last highlights of the papal see's secular prestige, and the prestige of the pope, who had the power to interpret both religious and secular worlds, was even higher in Central Italy than Napoleon's in France.

"But now the Roman ......," the captain hesitated for a moment, then reorganized his language, "it seems to be more fanatical than before!" However, I think there should be no problem with the prestige of His Holiness the Pope! ”

Speaking of which, the captain's momentum is clearly somewhat lacking, and the revolutionary fanaticism seems to have begun to conflict with the authority of the pope.

"Dear Mr. Captain, I don't want to know what will become of Rome, I just want to know how long we have before we reach the port of Civitavecchia!" Jérôme. Bonaparte asked again.

"Guest, we have crossed the Strait of Gibraltar! Now it's the Mediterranean! Expect to be able to reach Civitavecchia tomorrow! I hope you don't rush! The captain said hurriedly.

"That's good!" Jérôme. Bonaparte bowed slightly, walked to the bow of the plywood and sat down to read the unfinished book.

The captain also continued to assign tasks to the crew.

It's getting dark, Jérôme. Bonaparte looked at the sunset over the stern of the ship as it was about to descend to the horizon, and he got up and sighed as he returned to the stench cabin.

Even though there are ten thousand unwilling hearts, Jérôme. Bonaparte still moved his body step by step from the splint to the stairs back to the room.

It wasn't long before a sailor knocked on Jérôme. Bonaparte opened the door and handed to Jérôme a small piece of marinated salted pork knuckle, a few slices of slightly darkened bread and an orange on a tray. In the hands of Bonaparte.

This is Jérôme. Bonaparte's dinner.

"Have a nice meal! Mr! The sailor respectfully closed the door and departed.

With the help of kerosene lamps that flickered and swayed back and forth overhead, Jérôme. Bonaparte enjoyed his last supper in bed.

Munching on the hard-to-swallow salted pork jerky, Jérôme. Bonaparte secretly swore in his heart: before boarding the ship in the future, he must personally prepare the food for the ship in advance!

Jérôme hastily finished his dinner. Bonaparte flipped through the books again until the kerosene lamps ran out of oil, and Jérôme. Bonaparte closed his eyes and rested.

At dawn the next day, the sailboat finally reached the port of Civitavecchia, only three or four fats away, and the wind gradually diminished as the distance approached, and the sailing ship was forced to move slowly.

At 9 a.m., the sailboat dropped anchor on the periphery of the port of Civitavecchia.

At half past nine, Jérôme. Bonaparte was awakened from his dream by Captain Letty, and the two men came to the splint, led by the sailors Jérôme. Bonaparte and Letty arrived in a small boat on the land of the port of Civitavecchia.

The moment he stepped into the land of the Papal States, Jérôme. Bonaparte's heart welled up with pride, and he clenched his fists and shouted in his heart: "Papal States, here I come!" ”

However, Jérôme's journey was not over, and he had to arrive in Rome to do so. Since the war was confined to northern Italy, the Papal States remained well-established post stations. Bonaparte and Letty rented a horse-drawn carriage and traveled to Rome.

Probably due to the influence of the Apennine war, there were only a few horse-drawn carriages on the original endless post road, and the carriage carrying the fourth-generation leader of the Bonaparte family galloped all the way along the spacious post road, and Civitavecchia reached the periphery of Rome in less than six hours after the nearly 70-kilometer journey from Civitavecchia to Rome.

Jérôme's face was filled with joy as he looked at the hills and the majestic buildings that stood on them.

"Your Highness, are we looking for a place to spend the night now?" Captain Letty vs. Jérôme. Bonaparte asked.

"Of course!" Jérôme. Bonaparte replied without thinking.