第9章

besides,thelargenumberofstrangersatpresentinCalvissonoughttobesufficientproofthatnoattempthasbeenmadetopreventthenewconvertsfromcomingtothetown,anditseemstomethatyouhavebeentooeasilyledtobelieveeverythingthatmaliciouspeoplehavetoldyou。"

"IbelievewhatIchoosetobelieve,"saidRavanelimpatiently;"butwhatIknowandsayis,thatIshallneverlaydownarmstillthekinggrantsusfulllibertyofconscience,permissiontorebuildourplacesofworship,andsendsusbackallprisonersandexiles。"

"But,judgingbyyourtone,"saidCavalier,whohadtillnowremainedsilentwhiletoyingwithhispistol,"youseemtobeincommandhere;

havewechanged,partswithoutmybeingaware？"

"Itispossible,"saidRavanel。

Cavalierburstoutlaughing。

"Itseemstoastonishyou,"saidRavanel,"butitistrue。Makepeaceforyourself,laydownwhatconditionssuityou,sellyourselfforwhateveryouwillbring;myonlyreplyis,Youareacowardandatraitor。Butastothetroops,theywillnotlaydownarmsexceptontheconditionsformulatedbyme。"

CavaliertriedtogetatRavanel,butseeingfromhispalenessandhissmilethatterriblethingswouldhappenifhereachedhislieutenant,VincelandCappon,backedbysomeCamisards,threwthemselvesbeforehishorse。Justthenthewholebandshoutedwithonevoice,"Nopeace！nopeace！noreconciliationtillourtemplesarerestored！"Cavalierthensawforthefirsttimethatthingsweremoreseriousthanhehadbelieved,butVincel,Cappon,Berlie,andabouttwentyCamisardssurroundedtheyoungchiefandforcedhimtoenterahouse;itwasthehouseofVincel。

Theyhadhardlygotindoorswhenthe\'generale\'wassounded:

resistingallentreaties,Cavaliersprangtothedoor,butwasdetainedbyBerlie,whosaidthatthefirstthingheoughttodowastowriteM。deVillarsanaccountofwhathadhappened,whowouldthentakemeasurestoputthingsstraight。

"Youareright,"saidCavalier;"asIhavesomanyenemies,thegeneralmightbetoldifIwerekilledthatIhadbrokenmyword。

Givemepenandink。"

Writingmaterialswerebrought,andhewrotetoM。deVillars。

"Here,"hesaid,givingtheletterunsealedtoVincel,"setoutforNimesandgivethistothemarechal,andtellhim,ifIamkilledintheattemptIamabouttomake,Idiedhishumbleservant。"

Withthesewords,hedartedoutofthehouseandmountedhishorse,beingmetatthedoorbytwelvetofifteenmenwhohadremainedfaithfultohim。HeaskedthemwhereRavanelandhistroopswere,notseeingasingleCamisardinthestreets;oneofthesoldiersansweredthattheywereprobablystillintown,butthattheyweremovingtowardsLesGarriguesdeCalvisson。Cavaliersetoffatagalloptoovertakethem。

Incrossingthemarket—placehemetCatinat,walkingbetweentwoprophets,onecalledMosesandtheotherDanielGuy;Catinatwasjustbackfromavisittothemountains,sothathehadtakennopartinthesceneofinsubordinationthathadsolatelybeenenacted。

Cavalierfeltarayofhope;hewassurehecoulddependonCatinatasonhimself。Hehurriedtogreethim,holdingouthishand;butCatinatdrewbackhis。

"Whatdoesthismean？"criedCavalier,thebloodmountingtohisforehead。

"Itmeans,"answeredCatinat,"thatyouareatraitor,andIcannotgivemyhandtoatraitor。"

Cavaliergaveacryofrage,andadvancingonCatinat,raisedhiscanetostrikehim;butMosesandDanielGuythrewthemselvesbetween,sothattheblowaimedatCatinatfellonMoses。AtthesamemomentCatinat,seeingCavalier\'sgesture,drewapistolfromhisbelt。Asitwasatfullcock,itwentoffinhishand,abulletpiercingGuy\'shat,without,however,woundinghim。

Atthenoiseofthereportshoutswereheardaboutahundredyardsaway。ItwastheCamisards,whohadbeenonthepointofleavingthetown,buthearingtheshothadturnedback,believingthatsomeoftheirbrethrenwerebeingmurdered。Onseeingthemappear,CavalierforgotCatinat,androdestraighttowardsthem。Assoonastheycaughtsightofhimtheyhalted,andRavaneladvancedbeforethemreadyforeverydanger。

"Brethren,"hecried,"thetraitorhascomeoncemoretotemptus。

Begone,Judas！Youhavenobusinesshere。"

"ButIhave,"exclaimedCavalier。"IhavetopunishascoundrelcalledRavanel,ifhehascouragetofollowme。"

"Comeon,then,"criedRavanel,dartingdownasmallside—street,"andletushavedonewithit。"TheCamisardsmadeamotionasiftofollowthem,butRavanelturningtowardsthemorderedthemtoremainwheretheywere。

Theyobeyed,andthusCavaliercouldseethat,insubordinateastheyhadbeentowardshim,theywerereadytoobeyanother。

Justatthemomentasheturnedintothenarrowstreetwherethedisputewastobesettledonceforall,MosesandGuycameup,andseizingthebridleofhishorsestoppedhim,whiletheCamisardswhowereonthesideofCavaliersurroundedRavanelandforcedhimtoreturntohissoldiers。Thetroopsstruckupapsalm,andresumedtheirmarch,whileCavalierwasheldbackbyforce。

Atlast,however,theyoungCevenolsucceededinbreakingawayfromthosewhosurroundedhim,andasthestreetbywhichtheCamisardshadretiredwasblocked,hedasheddownanother。Thetwoprophetssuspectinghisintention,hurriedafterthetroopsbythemostdirectroute,andgotupwiththem,justasCavalier,whohadmadethecircuitofthetown,camegallopingacrosstheplaintointercepttheirpassage。Thetroopshalted,andRavanelgaveorderstofire。

Thefirstrankraisedtheirmusketsandtookaim,thusindicatingthattheywerereadytoobey。ButitwasnotadangerofthiskindthatcouldfrightenCavalier;hecontinuedtoadvance。ThenMosesseeinghisperil,threwhimselfbetweentheCamisardsandhim,stretchingouthisarmsandshouting,"Stop！stop！misguidedmen！

AreyougoingtokillBrotherCavalierlikeahighwaymanandthief？

Youmustpardonhim,mybrethren！youmustpardonhim！Ifhehasdonewronginthepast,hewilldobetterinfuture。"

ThenthosewhohadtakenaimatCavaliergroundedtheirmuskets,andCavalierchangingmenaceforentreaty,beggedthemnottobreakthepromisethathehadmadeintheirname;whereupontheprophetsstruckupapsalm,andtherestofthesoldiersjoiningin,hisvoicewascompletelydrowned。Nevertheless,Cavalierdidnotloseheart,butaccompaniedthemontheirmarchtoSaint—Esteve,aboutaleaguefartheron,unabletorelinquishallhope。OnreachingSaint—Estevethesingingceasedforamoment,andhemadeanotherattempttorecallthemtoobedience。Seeing,however,thatitwasallinvain,hegaveuphope,and%—callingout,"Atleastdefendyourselvesaswellasyoucan,forthedragoonswillsoonbeonyou,"hesethishorse\'sheadtowardsthetown。Thenturningtothemforthelasttime,hesaid,"Brethren,letthosewholovemefollowme！"Hepronouncedthesewordsintonessofullofgriefandaffectionthatmanywereshakenintheirresolution;butRavanelandMosesseeingtheeffecthehadproduced,begantoshout,"TheswordoftheLord！"

ImmediatelyallthetroopsturnedtheirbackonCavalierexceptaboutfortymenwhohadjoinedhimonhisfirstappearance。

Cavalierwentintoahousenearby,andwroteanotherlettertoM。deVillars,inwhichhetoldhimwhathadjusttakenplace,theeffortshehadmadetowinbackhistroops,andtheconditionstheydemanded。

Heendedbyassuringhimthathewouldmakestillfurtherefforts,andpromisedthemarechalthathewouldkeephiminformedofeverythingthatwenton。HethenwithdrewtoCardet,notventuringtoreturntoCalvisson。

BothCavalier\'slettersreachedM。deVillarsatthesametime;inthefirstimpulseofangerarousedbythisunexpectedcheck,heissuedthefollowingorder:

"Sincecomingtothisprovinceandtakingoverthegovernmentbyorderoftheking,oursolethoughthasbeenhowtoputanendtothedisorderswefoundexistingherebygentlemeasures,andtorestorepeaceandtopreservethepropertyofthosewhohadtakennopartinthedisturbances。TothatendweobtainedHisMajesty\'spardonforthoserebelswhohad,bythepersuasionoftheirchiefs,beeninducedtolaydowntheirarms;theonlyconditionexactedbeingthattheyshouldthrowthemselvesontheking\'sclemencyandbeghispermissiontoexpiatetheircrimebyadventuringtheirlivesinhisservice。

But,beinginformedthatinsteadofkeepingtheengagementstheyhadmadebysigningpetitions,bywritingletters,andbyspeakingwordsexpressingtheirintentions,someamongthemhavebeentryingtodeludethemindsofthepeoplewithfalsehopesoffulllibertyfortheexerciseofthisso—calledReformedreligion,whichtherehasneverbeenanyintentionofgranting,butwhichwehavealwaysdeclaredasclearlyaswecould,tobecontrarytothewillofthekingandlikelytobringaboutgreatevilsforwhichitwouldbedifficulttofindaremedy,itbecomesnecessarytopreventthosewhogivebelieftothesefalsehoodsfromexpectingtoescapefromwell—deservedchastisement。WethereforedeclareherebythatallreligiousassembliesareexpresslyforbiddenunderthepenaltiesproclaimedintheedictsandordinancesofHisMajesty,andthatthesewillbemorestrictlyenforcedinthefuturethaninthepast。

"Furthermore,weorderallthetroopsunderourcommandtobreakupsuchassembliesbyforce,ashavingbeenalwaysillegal,andwedesiretoimpressonthenewconvertsofthisprovincethattheyaretogivetheirobediencewhereitisdue,andweforbidthemtogiveanycredencetothefalsereportswhichtheenemiesoftheirreposearespreadingabroad。Iftheyletthemselvesbeledastray,theywillsoonfindthemselvesinvolvedintroublesandmisfortunes,suchasthelossoftheirlands,theruinoftheirfamilies,andthedesolationoftheircountry;andweshalltakecarethatthetrueauthorsofthesemisfortunesshallreceivepunishmentproportionedtotheircrime。

"MARECHALDEVILLARS

"GivenatNimesthe27thdayofMay1704"

Thisorder,whichputeverythingbackuponthefootingonwhichithadbeeninthetimeofM。deMontrevel,hadhardlybeenissuedthand\'Aygaliers,indespairatseeingtheresultofsomuchlabourdestroyedinoneday,setoffforthemountainstotryandfindCavalier。HefoundhimatCardet,whither,aswehavesaid,hehadretiredafterthedayofCalvisson。DespitetheresolutionwhichCavalierhadtakennevertoshowhisfaceagaintothemarechal,thebaronrepeatedtohimsomanytimesthatM。deVillarswasthoroughlyconvincedthatwhathadhappenedhadnotbeenhisfault,hehavingdoneeverythingthathecouldtopreventit,thattheyoungchiefbegantofeelhisself—confidenceandcouragereturning,andhearingthatthemarachalhadexpressedhimselfasverymuchpleasedwithhisconduct,towhichVincelhadbornehightestimony,madeuphismindtoreturntoNimes。TheyleftCardetatonce,followedbythefortymenwhohadremainedtruetoCavalier,tenonhorseandthirtyonfoot,andarrivedonthe3lstMayatSaint—Genies,whitherM。deVillarshadcometomeetthem。

Theassurancesofd\'Aygalierswerejustified。ThemarechalreceivedCavalierasifhewerestillthechiefofapowerfulpartyandabletonegotiatewithhimontermsofequality。AtCavalier\'srequest,inordertoprovetohimthathestoodashighinhisgoodopinionasever,themarechalreturnedoncemoretogentlemethods,andmitigatedtheseverityofhisfirstproclamationbyasecond,grantinganextensionoftheamnesty:

"Theprincipalchiefsoftherebels,withthegreaternumberoftheirfollowers,havingsurrendered,andhavingreceivedtheking\'spardon,wedeclarethatwegivetoallthosewhohavetakenuparmsuntilnextThursday,the5thinstantinclusive,theopportunityofreceivingthelikepardon,bysurrenderingtousatAnduze,ortoM。

leMarquisdeLalandeatAlais,ortoM。deMenonatSaintHippolyte,ortothecommandantsofUzes,Nimes,andLunel。Butthefifthdaypassed,weshalllayaheavyhandonallrebels,pillagingandburningalltheplaceswhichhavegiventhemrefuge,provisions,orhelpofanykind;andthattheymaynotpleadignoranceofthisproclamation,weorderittobepubliclyreadandpostedupineverysuitableplace。

"MARECHALDEVILLARS

"AtSaint—Genies,the1stJune1704"

Thenextday,inordertoleavenodoubtastohisgoodintentions,themarechalhadthegibbetsandscaffoldstakendown,whichuntilthenhadbeenpermanenterections。

AtthesametimealltheHuguenotswereorderedtomakealastefforttoinducetheCamisardchiefstoaccepttheconditionsofferedthembyM。deVillars。ThetownsofAlais,Anduze,Saint—Jean,Sauve,Saint—Hippolyte,andLasalle,andtheparishesofCros,Saint—Roman,Manoblet,Saint—Felix,Lacadiere,Cesas,Cambo,Colognac,andVabrewereorderedtosenddeputiestoDurforttoconferastothebestmeansofbringingaboutthatpeacewhicheveryonedesired。ThesedeputieswroteatoncetoM。deVillarstobeghimtosendthemM。

d\'Aygaliers,andtoM。d\'Aygalierstorequesthimtocome。

Bothconsentedtodoastheywereasked,andM。d\'AygaliersarrivedatDurfortonthe3rdofJune1704。

Thedeputieshavingfirstthankedhimforthetroublewhichhehadtakentoservethecommoncauseduringthepastyear,resolvedtodividetheirassemblyintotwoparts,oneofwhich,wastoremainpermanentlysitting,whiletheotherwenttoseekRolandandRavaneltotryandobtainacessationofhostilities。ThedeputieschargedwiththistaskwereorderedtomakeitquitecleartothetwochiefsthatiftheydidnotaccepttheproposalsmadebyM。deVillars,theProtestantsingeneralwouldtakeuparmsandhuntthemdown,andwouldceasetosupplythemwiththemeansofsubsistence。

Onhearingthis,Rolandmadereplythatthedeputiesweretogobackatoncetothosewhosentthem,andthreatened,shouldtheyevershowhimtheirfacesagain,tofireonthem。

Thisanswerputanendtotheassembly,thedeputiesdispersed,andd\'AygaliersreturnedtotheMarechaldeVillarstomakehisreport。

HardlyhadhedonethiswhenaletterfromRolandarrived,inwhichtheCamisardchiefaskedM。deVillarstogranthimaninterview,suchashehadgrantedtoCavalier。Thisletterwasaddressedtod\'Aygaliers,whoimmediatelycommunicateditscontentstothemarechal,fromwhomhereceivedorderstosetoutatoncetofindRolandandtosparenopainstobringhimround。

D\'Aygaliers,whowasalwaysindefatigablewhenworkingforhiscountry,startedthesameday,andwenttoamountainaboutthree—quartersofaleaguefromAnduze,whereRolandawaitedhim。

Afteraconferenceoftwohours,itwasagreedthathostagesshouldbeexchangedandnegotiationsenteredupon。

Consequently,M。deVillarsonhissidesentRolandM。deMontrevel,anofficercommandingabattalionofmarines,andM。delaMaison—Blanche,captainoftheFroulayregiment;whileRolandinreturnsentM。deVillarsfourofhisprincipalofficerswiththetitleofplenipotentiaries。

Unskilledindiplomacyastheseenvoyswere,andlaughableastheyappearedtocontemporaryhistorians,theyreceivedneverthelessthemarechal\'sconsenttothefollowingconditions:

1。ThatCavalierandRolandshouldeachbeplacedinchargeofaregimentservingabroad,andthateachofthemshouldbeallowedaminister。

2。Thatalltheprisonersshouldbereleasedandtheexilesrecalled。

3。ThattheProtestantsshouldbepermittedtoleavethekingdom,takingtheireffectswiththem。

4。ThatthoseCamisardswhodesiredtoremainmightdoso,ongivinguptheirarms。

5。Thatthosewhowereabroadmightreturn。

6。Thatnooneshouldbemolestedonaccountofhisreligionprovidedeveryoneremainedquietlyathome。

7。Thatindemnitiesshouldbebornebythewholeprovince,andnotexactedspeciallyfromtheProtestants。

8。Thatageneralamnestyshouldbegrantedtoallwithoutreserve。

ThesearticleswerelaidbeforeRolandandRavanelbyd\'Aygaliers。

Cavalier,whofromthedayhewentbacktoNimeshadremainedinthegovernor\'ssuite,askedleavetoreturnwiththebaron,andwaspermittedtodoso。D\'AygaliersandhesetouttogetherinconsequenceforAnduze,andmetRolandandRavanelaboutaquarterofaleaguefromthetown,waitingtoknowtheresultofthenegotiations。TheywereaccompaniedbyMM。deMontbelanddeMaison—Blanche,theCatholichostages。

AssoonasCavalierandRolandmettheyburstoutintorecriminationsandreproaches,butthroughtheeffortsofd\'Aygalierstheysoonbecamemorefriendly,andevenembracedonparting。

ButRavanelwasmadeofharderstuff:assoonashecaughtsightofCavalierhecalledhim"traitor,"sayingthatforhisparthewouldneversurrendertilltheEdictofNanteswasre—enacted;then,havingwarnedthemthatthegovernor\'spromiseswerenottobetrusted,andhavingpredictedthatadaywouldcomewhentheywouldregrettheirtoogreatconfidenceinhim,helefttheconferenceandrejoinedhistroops,which,withthoseofRoland,weredrawnuponamountainaboutthree—quartersofaleaguedistant。

Thenegotiatorsdidnot,however,despair。Ravanelhadgoneaway,butRolandhaddebatedwiththematsomelength,sotheydeterminedtospeakto"thebrethren"——thatis,tothetroopsunderRolandandRavanel,whoseheadquartersatthemomentwereatLeuzies,inorderthattheymightknowexactlywhatarticleshadbeenagreedonbetweenRoland\'senvoysandthemarechal。Thosewhomadeuptheirmindstotakethisstepwere,Cavalier,Roland,Moise,Saint—Paul,Laforet,Maille,andd\'Aygaliers。Wetakethefollowingaccountofwhathappenedinconsequenceofthisdecisionfromd\'Aygaliers\'Memoirs:

"Wehadnosoonerdeterminedonthisplan,than,anxioustocarryitout,wesetoff。Wefollowedanarrowmountainpathonthefaceofthecliffwhichroseuptoourright;toourleftflowedtheGardon。

"Havinggoneaboutaleague,wecameinsightofthetroops,about3000strong;anadvancedpostbarredourway。

"Thinkingitwasplacedthereinourhonour,Iwasadvancingunsuspiciously,whensuddenlywefoundourroadcutoffbyCamisardstorightandleft,whothrewthemselvesonRolandandforcedhiminamongtheirtroops。MailleandMalplachweredraggedfromtheirhorses。AstoCavalier,whowassomewhatbehind,assoonashesawpeoplecomingtowardshimwithupliftedsabresandshoutingTraitor！

heputspurstohishorseandwentoffatfullgallop,followedbysometownspeoplefromAnduzewhohadcomewithus,andwho,nowthattheysawthereceptionwemetwith,werereadytodiewithfear。

"Iwastoofarforwardtoescape:fiveorsixmusketsrestedonmybreastandapistolpressedeachear;soImadeupmymindtobebold。Itoldthetrooperstofire;Iwaswillingtodieintheserviceofmyprince,mycountry,andmyreligion,aswellasforthemselves,whomIwastryingtobenefitbyprocuringthemtheking\'sgoodwill。

"Thesewords,whichIrepeatedseveraltimesinthemidstofthegreatestuproar,gavethempause。

"Theycommandedmetoretire,astheydidnotwanttokillme。I

saidIshoulddonothingofthekind:IwasgoingintothemiddleofthetroopstodefendRolandagainstthechargeoftreason,orbeputtodeathmyself,unlessIcouldconvincethemthatwhatIhadproposedtohimandCavalierwasforthegoodofthecountry,ofourreligion,andthebrethren;andhavingthusexpostulatedatthetopofmyvoiceagainstthirtyvoicesalltryingtodrownmineforaboutanhour,Iofferedtofightthemanwhohadinducedthemtoopposeus。

"Atthisoffertheypointedtheirmusketsatmeoncemore;butMaille,Malplach,andsomeothersthrewthemselvesbeforeme,andalthoughtheywereunarmed,hadenoughinfluencetohindermybeinginsulted;Iwasforced,however,toretreat。

"Inleaving,Iwarnedthemthattheywereabouttobringgreatmisfortunesontheprovince,whereuponamannamedClarissteppedoutfromamongthetroops,andapproachingmeexclaimed,\'Goon,sir,andGodblessyou！Weknowthatyoumeanwell,andwerethefirsttobetakenin。Butgoonworkingforthegoodofthecountry,andGodwillblessyou。\'"

D\'Aygaliersreturnedtothemarechal,who,furiousattheturnthingshadtaken,resolvedinstantlytobreakoffallnegotiationsandhaverecourseoncemoretomeasuresofseverity。However,beforeactuallycarryingoutthisdetermination,hewrotethefollowinglettertotheking:

"SIRE,——ItisalwaysmyglorytoexecutefaithfullyyourMajesty\'sorders,whateverthoseordersmaybe;butIshouldhavebeenable,onmanyoccasionssincecominghere,todisplaymyzealforyourMajesty\'sserviceinotherwaysifIhadnothadtodealwithmadmenonwhomnodependencecouldbeplaced。Assoonaswewerereadytoattackthem,theyofferedtosubmit,butalittlelaterchangedtheirmindsagain。Nothingcouldbeagreaterproofofmadnessthantheirhesitationtoacceptapardonofwhichtheywereunworthy,andwhichwassogenerouslyofferedbyyourMajesty。Iftheydonotsoonmakeuptheirminds,Ishallbringthembacktothepathsofdutybyforce,andthusrestorethisprovincetothatstateofpeacewhichhasbeendisturbedbythesefools。"

Thedayafterwritingthislettertotheking,RolandsentMailletoM。deVillarstobeghimtowaittillSaturdayandSundaythe7thandthe8thJunewereover,beforeresortingtoseverity,thatbeingtheendofthetruce。Hegavehimasolemnpromisethathewould,intheinterval,eitherbringinhistroopstothelastman,orwouldhimselfsurrenderalongwithahundredandfiftyfollowers。ThemarechalconsentedtowaittillSaturdaymorning,butassoonasSaturdayarrivedhegaveorderstoattacktheCamisards,andthenextdayledaconsiderablebodyoftroopstoCarnoulet,intendingtotaketheHuguenotsbysurprise,aswordhadbeenbroughtthattheywereallgatheredthere。They,however,receivedintelligenceofhisplan,andevacuatedthevillageduringthenight。

Thevillagehadtopaydearlyforitssinofhospitality;itwaspillagedandburntdown:themiqueletsevenmurderedtwowomenwhomtheyfoundthere,andd\'Aygaliersfailedtoobtainanysatisfactionforthiscrime。InthismannerM,deVillarskeptthefatalpromisehehadgiven,andinternecinewarragedoncemore。

FuriousathavingmissedtheCamisards,deMenonhavingheardfromhisscoutsthatRolandwastosleepnextnightatthechateaudePrade,wenttoM。deVillarsandaskedleavetoconductanexpeditionagainstthechief。HewasalmostsureoftakingRolandbysurprise,havingprocuredaguidewhoseknowledgeofthecountrywasminute。

Themarechalgavehimcarteblanche。IntheeveningMenonsetoutwithtwohundredgrenadiers。Hehadalreadyputthree—quartersofthewaybehindhimwithoutbeingdiscovered,whenanEnglishmanmetthembychance。ThismanwasservingunderRoland,buthadbeenvisitinghissweetheartinaneighbouringvillage,andwasonhiswayhomewhenhefellamongMenon\'sgrenadiers。Withoutathoughtforhisownsafety,hefiredoffhisgun,shouting,"Fly！fly！Theroyalsareuponyou！"

Thesentinelstookupthecry,Rolandjumpedoutofbed,and,withoutstayingforclothesorhorse,ranoffinhisshirt,escapingbyaposterngatewhichopenedontheforestjustasdeMenonenteredbyanother。HefoundRoland\'sbedstillwarm,andtookpossessionofhisclothes,findinginacoatpocketapursecontainingthirty—fiveLouis,andinthestablesthreesuperbhorses。TheCamisardsansweredthisbeginningofhostilitiesbyamurder。Fourofthem,thinkingtheyhadreasonsfordispleasureagainstoneofM。deBaville\'ssubordinates,namedDaude,whowasbothmayorandmagistrate;atLeVigan,hidinacorn—fieldwhichhehadtopassonhiswaybackfromLaValette,hiscountryplace。Theirmeasuresweresuccessful:Daudecamealongjustaswasexpected,andashehadnottheslightestsuspicionoftheimpendingdanger,hecontinuedconversingwithM,deMondardier,agentlemanoftheneighbourhoodwhohadaskedforthe;handofDaude\'sdaughterinmarriagethatveryday。Suddenlyhefoundhimselfsurroundedbyfourmen,who,upbraidinghimforhisexactionsandcruelties,shothimtwicethroughtheheadwithapistol。TheyofferednoviolencetoM。deMondardierexcepttodeprivehimofhislacedhatandsword。ThedayonwhichM。deVillarsheardofitsmurderhesetapriceontheheadsofRoland,Ravanel,andCatinat。StilltheexamplesetbyCavalier,joinedtotheresumptionofhostilities,wasnotwithoutinfluenceontheCamisards;everydaylettersarrivedfromsingletroopersofferingtolaydowntheirarms,andinonedaythirtyrebelscameinandputthemselvesintoLalande\'shands,whiletwentysurrenderedtoGrandval;thesewereaccordednotonlypardon,butreceivedareward,inhopesthattheymightbeabletoinduceotherstodolikethem;andonthe15thJuneeightofthetroopswhichhadabandonedCavalieratCalvissonmadesubmission;whiletwelveothersaskedtobeallowedtoreturntotheiroldchieftofollowhimwhereverhewent。Thisrequestwasatoncegranted:theyweresenttoValabregues,wheretheyfoundforty—twooftheiroldcomrades,amongstwhomwereDuplanandCavalier\'syoungbrother,whohadbeenorderedthereafewdaysbefore。Astheyarrivedtheyweregivenquartersinthebarracks,andreceivedgoodpay——thechiefsfortysousaday,andtheprivatesten。Sotheyfeltashappyaspossible,beingwellfedandwelllodged,andspenttheirtimepreaching,praying,andpsalm—singing,inseasonandoutofseason。Allthis,saysLaBaume,wassodisagreeabletotheinhabitantsoftheplace,whowereCatholics,thatiftheyhadnotbeenguardedbytheking\'ssoldierstheywouldhavebeenpitchedintotheRhone。

CHAPTERV

MeantimethedateofCavalier\'sdeparturedrewnear。Atownwastobenamedinwhichhewastoresideatasufficientdistancefromthetheatreofwartopreventtherebelsfromdependingonhimanymore;

inthistownhewastoorganisehisregiment,andassoonasitwascompleteitwastogo,underhiscommand,toSpain,andfightfortheking。M。deVillarswasstillonthesamefriendlytermswithhim,treatinghim,notlikearebel,butaccordingtohisnewrankintheFrencharmy。Onthe21stJunehetoldhimthathewastogetreadytoleavethenextday,andatthesametimehehandedhimanadvanceontheirfuturepay——fiftyLouisforhimself,thirtyforDanielBillard,whohadbeenmadelieutenant—colonelintheplaceofRavanel,tenforeachcaptain,fiveforeachlieutenant,twoforeachsergeant,andoneforeachprivate。Thenumberofhisfollowershadthenreachedonehundredandfifty,onlysixtyofwhomwerearmed。

M。deVassiniac,majorintheFimarcnregiment,accompaniedthemwithfiftydragoonsandfiftyoftherankandfilefromHainault。

AllalongtheroadCavalierandhismenmetwithacourteousreception;atMacontheyfoundordersawaitingthemtohalt。

CavalieratoncewrotetoM。deChamillardtotellhimthathehadthingsofimportancetocommunicatetohim,andtheministersentacourieroftheCabinetcalledLavalleetobringCavaliertoVersailles。ThismessagemorethanfulfilledallCavalier\'shopes:

heknewthathehadbeengreatlytalkedaboutatcourt,andinspiteofhisnaturalmodestythereceptionhehadmetwithatTimeshadgivenhimnewideas,ifnotofhisownmerit,atleastofhisownimportance。Besides,hefeltthathisservicestothekingdeservedsomerecognition。

ThewayinwhichCavalierwasreceivedbyChamillarddidnotdisturbthesegoldendreams:theministerwelcomedtheyoungcolonellikeamanwhoseworthheappreciated,andtoldhimthatthegreatlordsandladiesofthecourtwerenotlessfavourablydisposedtowardshim。