{1} Besides, if I am small, there is less chance of my being killed, which will make me more courageous in the face of fire than one of your bigger men would be." "I will put my mind on it," said Barras, somewhat won over by Napoleon's self-confidence. "Thanks," said Napoleon; "and now come into the cafe and have dinner with me." "Save your money, Bonaparte," said Barras. "You can't afford to pay for your own dinner, much less mine." "That's precisely why I want you to dine with me," returned Napoleon. "If I go alone, they won't serve me because they know I can't pay. If I go in with you, they'll give me everything they've got on the supposition that you will pay the bill. Come! En avant!" "Vous etes un bouchonnier, vraiment!" said Barras, with a laugh. "A what?" asked Napoleon, not familiar with the idiom. "A corker!" explained Barras. "Very good," said Napoleon, his face lighting up. "If you'll order a bottle of Burgundy with the bird I will show you that I am likewise something of an uncorker." This readiness on Napoleon's part in the face of difficulty completely captured Barras, and as a result the young adventurer had his first real chance to make an impression on Paris, where, on the 13th Vendemiaire (or October 4, 1795), he literally obliterated the forces of the Sectionists, whose success in their attack upon the Convention would have meant the restoration of the Bourbons to the throne of France.