When on 20 April 1814 Napoleon was put on board a British frigate for the purpose of being conveyed to the island of Elba, the sailors, with their usual coarseness and good humour, began to pass their jokes upon him, and to show some degree of exultation that the great emperor was at last almost a prisoner.
Napoleon perceived all this, but treated all the men with great affability. He seemed to relish their humour, took everything in good part, and even made some attempts to talk with the men in their native tongue, laughing with them at his own mistakes. By the time he had been three or four days on board, he became what they called "a prime favourite" with the whole crew. So much had Napoleon wound himself into the good graces of the men that, when the voyage was nearly ended, the sailors requested the master of the frigate to wait upon the emperor, with expressions of regret that they were so soon to lose him, and with sincere wishes for "all sorts of good luck".
一八一四年四月二十日，拿破崙被送上英國砲艦，準備前往厄爾巴島。船員一般都舉止粗魯，性情詼諧，不免以拿破崙來說笑，還顯得頗為得意，因為這位叱咤風雲的國王，終於和階下之囚無大分別。
這情況，拿破崙了然於胸，但他對各船員十分友善，還似乎很欣賞他們的詼諧，一切都不以為忤，甚至嘗試用英文跟他們交談，說得不對，還會在他們失笑聲中自笑。他在船上過了才三、四天，就成為各船員口中的「最受歡迎人物」。由於他深得船員喜愛，航程將近結束時，船員請船長晉見這位國王，說這麼快就要和他分別，大家都感到不捨，並衷心祝他「萬事勝意」。