Latest / Huguenot- A Tale of the French Protestants / 032 - The Night Attack
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Chapter thirty two of the Huguenot by George Payne Rainsford James.
- 0:05Speaker 1: This lipopox recording is in the public domain. Chapter thirty
- 0:10Speaker 1: two the night attack. Particular orders had been issued by
- 0:15Speaker 1: the Count de Morseu that no offense should be given
- 0:18Speaker 1: to the religious feelings of the Catholics, and in issuing
- 0:22Speaker 1: his commands for the occupation of the little chapel at
- 0:25Speaker 1: the bottom of the hill, he had directed that the
- 0:27Speaker 1: building appropriated to the ceremonies of the church should not
- 0:31Speaker 1: be entered except in case of necessity, the porch and
- 0:36Speaker 1: the sacristy being taken possession of, and the peace of
- 0:39Speaker 1: consecrated ground around it, which was strongly walled, affording a
- 0:43Speaker 1: sort of fort in which the men constructed huts or
- 0:47Speaker 1: set up their tents. They were accustomed, indeed, to abide
- 0:52Speaker 1: in the forest, and found no difficulty or discomfort in
- 0:56Speaker 1: taking their night's rest where they were. Three fine spreading
- 1:00Speaker 1: new trees of unknown age and immense thickness afforded a
- 1:05Speaker 1: pleasant shelter to many. And wine, which had been found
- 1:08Speaker 1: plentifully in the hamlet above, as well as in a
- 1:11Speaker 1: little town at no great distance, flowed liberally amongst the
- 1:15Speaker 1: body of men who had fought hard and marched long
- 1:19Speaker 1: since the morning. There was a great difference, however, to
- 1:23Speaker 1: be remarked, between them and the religious insurgents of the
- 1:26Speaker 1: more northern countries. For though both the sterner fanaticism which
- 1:30Speaker 1: characterized Scotland and England not long before, and the wilder
- 1:35Speaker 1: imaginations and fanciful enthusiasms of the far South were occasionally
- 1:40Speaker 1: to be found in individuals, the great mass were entirely
- 1:44Speaker 1: and decidedly French, possessing the character of light and somewhat
- 1:48Speaker 1: thoughtless gaiety, so peculiar to that indifferent and laughter loving nation. Thus,
- 1:55Speaker 1: though they had prayed earnestly, after having fought with determination
- 1:58Speaker 1: in the cause which to them was the cause of conscience,
- 2:02Speaker 1: they were now quite ready to forget both prayer and
- 2:05Speaker 1: strife till some other cause should reproduce the enthusiasm which
- 2:09Speaker 1: gave vigor to either. They sat in groups then round
- 2:14Speaker 1: fires of an old apple tree or two, which they
- 2:17Speaker 1: had poured down and drank the wine procured. It must
- 2:20Speaker 1: be acknowledged by various different means. But though they sang
- 2:25Speaker 1: not as perhaps they might have done under other circumstances,
- 2:29Speaker 1: nothing else distinguished them from any other party of gay
- 2:32Speaker 1: French soldiers carousing after a laborious stay. Erval and Verlat,
- 2:39Speaker 1: as the commanders of that peculiar body, had taken possession
- 2:42Speaker 1: of the little sacristy and made themselves as comfortable therein
- 2:46Speaker 1: as circumstances admitted, they were both somewhat inclined to scoff
- 2:51Speaker 1: at and do dishonour to everything connected with the ceremonies
- 2:55Speaker 1: of the Church of Rome. But the commands of the
- 2:58Speaker 1: count were still sufficiently poked with them to prevent them
- 3:01Speaker 1: from indulging such feelings, and they remained conversing both over
- 3:06Speaker 1: the events of the day and also over past times,
- 3:09Speaker 1: without any further insult to the Roman Catholic faith than
- 3:13Speaker 1: merely a scornful glance towards the vestments of the priests,
- 3:16Speaker 1: the rich purple and lace of which excited their indignation
- 3:20Speaker 1: even more than many articles of faith. Several hours of
- 3:25Speaker 1: the evening had thus worn away, and their conversation, far
- 3:28Speaker 1: from being like that of their men without, was sad,
- 3:32Speaker 1: dark and solemn. The proximity of the convent had recalled
- 3:37Speaker 1: to the mind of er Val the situation of her
- 3:40Speaker 1: He had loved and though they talked much of her fate, yet,
- 3:43Speaker 1: by some peculiar accident which we shall not attempt to explain,
- 3:48Speaker 1: that subject, dark and painful as it was, did not
- 3:52Speaker 1: disturb his mental faculties as might have been expected. It produced, however,
- 3:57Speaker 1: both on him and on Verlat, that dark and profound
- 4:01Speaker 1: gloom from which actions of a fierce and cool nature
- 4:04Speaker 1: more frequently have birth than even from the keen and
- 4:08Speaker 1: active excitement of strife and anger. Ay and your child too, Verlais,
- 4:15Speaker 1: said Ervar. It is strange, is it not that we
- 4:18Speaker 1: have not yet found her. I should not wonder if
- 4:21Speaker 1: she were in this very convent up here upon the hill.
- 4:25Speaker 1: The camp will not surely want you to leave it
- 4:28Speaker 1: unsearched when we march to morrow. It matters little whether
- 4:32Speaker 1: he do or not, replied Verlains, search it I will,
- 4:35Speaker 1: and that as soon as it be gray daylight, my
- 4:39Speaker 1: child I will have if she be in France and
- 4:42Speaker 1: oh er Val. How often when we are near a
- 4:46Speaker 1: monastery or a convent, do I long to put a
- 4:49Speaker 1: torch to the gate of it and burn it all
- 4:51Speaker 1: to the ground. No, no, replied Rveal. That would not do.
- 4:57Speaker 1: You will be burning the innocent with the guilty any true,
- 5:02Speaker 1: answered Verlais. And thus I might burn my own poor child. Aye,
- 5:07Speaker 1: oh my clare, replied Rval. That is to say, if
- 5:11Speaker 1: she had been living poor thing. You know they shot her, Paul,
- 5:15Speaker 1: they shot her to the heart. But as I was saying,
- 5:18Speaker 1: you might burn your own poor child, or the child
- 5:22Speaker 1: of many a man that loves his as well as
- 5:24Speaker 1: you do yours. Wonder if she be in there, said
- 5:28Speaker 1: poor Verlais. Why should I not take ten or twelve
- 5:31Speaker 1: men up and make them open the gates and see better?
- 5:36Speaker 1: Wait till day, replied Rval. Better wait till day, verlay.
- 5:40Speaker 1: They have thousands of places that you might miss in
- 5:43Speaker 1: the night. Hark. Some one knocked at the door. Who
- 5:46Speaker 1: is it? Come in? Only a poor old woman, replied
- 5:50Speaker 1: a voice from without, half opening the door, Only a
- 5:54Speaker 1: poor old woman, soliciting charity and peace. And a minute after,
- 5:58Speaker 1: with timid and shaking steps, a woman dressed in a
- 6:02Speaker 1: gray gown like the poor dress of some convent, gradually
- 6:05Speaker 1: drew herself within the doorway and crossed herself twenty times
- 6:09Speaker 1: in a minute, as she gazed upon the two Protestants
- 6:12Speaker 1: sitting with the gloom of their late conversation, still upon
- 6:15Speaker 1: their faces. What do you want, old woman, said r
- 6:20Speaker 1: Val sharply. Don't you know that you risk a great
- 6:23Speaker 1: deal by coming out at this hour? My men are
- 6:25Speaker 1: not lambs, nor woodpigeons nor turtle doves. Oh Heaven bless you, sir,
- 6:31Speaker 1: I know that, replied the old lady. And in a
- 6:34Speaker 1: great fright, I am too, But after all I'm the
- 6:37Speaker 1: least in a fright in the convent. And Sister Bridget,
- 6:41Speaker 1: when she came to me with her teeth chattering in
- 6:43Speaker 1: her head, just after the men had come round and
- 6:46Speaker 1: knocked at the door and swore they would burn the
- 6:49Speaker 1: place to the ground before morning, she talked so much
- 6:52Speaker 1: about my courage that I thought I had some, and
- 6:55Speaker 1: agreed to come down. And then when she had got
- 6:58Speaker 1: me out, she locked the wicked and avowed I should
- 7:01Speaker 1: not come in till I had been down to do
- 7:03Speaker 1: the Errand so I came quietly on and through the
- 7:07Speaker 1: little gate and got out of the way of the
- 7:09Speaker 1: great gate, because I saw there were a number of
- 7:12Speaker 1: fires there. And when I saw a light under the
- 7:14Speaker 1: sacristy door, I said to myself, the officers will be
- 7:18Speaker 1: in there, and they will be gentler and kinder. Well,
- 7:22Speaker 1: and what was your errand when you did come, demanded
- 7:25Speaker 1: Arval sharply, why, sir, replied the old woman. We have
- 7:30Speaker 1: a young lady amongst us, poor Verlet started suddenly on
- 7:34Speaker 1: his feet. And a sweet young lady she is too,
- 7:37Speaker 1: continued the poor old nun, as sweet a young lady,
- 7:41Speaker 1: and as pretty as ever. I set my eyes on,
- 7:44Speaker 1: and she told our good lady mother, the superior What
- 7:48Speaker 1: is her name? Woman, cried Ralay, advancing upon the poor sister,
- 7:52Speaker 1: who retreated before him, but who still with woman's intuitive
- 7:56Speaker 1: tact in such things, saw that she had got the advantage.
- 8:00Speaker 1: What is her name? Woman? It is my child, oh
- 8:03Speaker 1: er Val, it is my child, so she said to
- 8:07Speaker 1: my lady mother, continued the good nun, as soon as
- 8:10Speaker 1: she could make her voice heard. So she said to
- 8:13Speaker 1: my lady mother that she was sure that if her
- 8:16Speaker 1: father was in the Count of Morcell's camp, he would
- 8:19Speaker 1: come up in a minute with a guard of men
- 8:21Speaker 1: to protect the convent, especially if he knew that we
- 8:24Speaker 1: had been kind and good to her. Where is she?
- 8:28Speaker 1: Take me to her, cried poor verleet. Woman, Take me
- 8:31Speaker 1: to my child. I will bring a guard, I will
- 8:34Speaker 1: protect you. Where is my poor marguret Are you her father? Then,
- 8:38Speaker 1: Sir demanded the old woman. Is your name, Monsieur Verlas, Yes, yes, yes,
- 8:46Speaker 1: cried he impetuously. I am poor valet woman. Then, Sir,
- 8:51Speaker 1: she replied, if you will bring up a guard and
- 8:53Speaker 1: undertake to protect the convent, you can have the young lady.
- 8:57Speaker 1: Only pray, I will take a guard, cried he. Do
- 9:00Speaker 1: not be afraid, woman, Nobody shall hurt you. I will
- 9:03Speaker 1: take a guard, he continued, speaking to Erval as if
- 9:07Speaker 1: in excuse for taking away part of the men from
- 9:09Speaker 1: an important post. I will take a guard for fear.
- 9:12Speaker 1: They should be men up there, and they should want
- 9:15Speaker 1: to keep margueret The count said too that the only
- 9:18Speaker 1: reason he did not occupy the convent was that he
- 9:22Speaker 1: did not like to disturb the nuns. Now when they
- 9:25Speaker 1: ask it themselves that I may go, you can send
- 9:28Speaker 1: for me in a moment if I be wanted. There
- 9:31Speaker 1: is no fear of that, replied Erveal, go in God's
- 9:34Speaker 1: name and see your child. Puverlt hastened away during the
- 9:39Speaker 1: old woman by the arm after him, while herval remained behind,
- 9:43Speaker 1: shaking his head with a melancholy motion and saying he
- 9:47Speaker 1: will see his child again, and she will cling round
- 9:49Speaker 1: his neck and kiss his cheek, and they will be happy.
- 9:53Speaker 1: But I shall never see my poor clare as long
- 9:56Speaker 1: as I linger on upon this dull world. He paused, and,
- 10:01Speaker 1: leaning his head upon his hand, plunged into melancholy thought.
- 10:06Speaker 1: There was a little bustle without while Vulet chose out
- 10:09Speaker 1: such men as he thought he could best depend upon.
- 10:12Speaker 1: And then that part of the camp did not exactly
- 10:15Speaker 1: sink into tranquility, but the great noise of the party
- 10:19Speaker 1: was less. There was still loud talking amongst the men,
- 10:23Speaker 1: and wine seemed to have done its work too, as
- 10:26Speaker 1: in one or two instances, especially near the little sacristy,
- 10:29Speaker 1: where the wilder and less tractable of Herval's band had
- 10:32Speaker 1: been placed to be under his own eye, the psalms
- 10:35Speaker 1: with which the evening had begun had deviated into gayer songs,
- 10:40Speaker 1: and he sat and listened gravely, while one of the
- 10:43Speaker 1: men near the door caroled to his comrades a light
- 10:46Speaker 1: ditty song in the deep woods when I was young's sly,
- 10:51Speaker 1: the happy, happy sunshine stole under the green leaves, where
- 10:55Speaker 1: the birds sang, and merry merry music filled the hole
- 10:59Speaker 1: for Mary sat there, and all her care was to
- 11:02Speaker 1: ousting the linnet, dear little soul through the long grass.
- 11:07Speaker 1: Then would I steal in music and sunshine, to have
- 11:10Speaker 1: my part that no one was coming seen she to
- 11:13Speaker 1: feel till the warm kiss made the sweet made start.
- 11:19Speaker 1: Then would she smile through her blushes the while and
- 11:22Speaker 1: vow she did not love me, dear little heart. The
- 11:26Speaker 1: sunshine is stealing still through the trees, still in the
- 11:30Speaker 1: green woods. The gay birds sing, But those leaves have
- 11:33Speaker 1: fallen by the wintry breeze, and many birds have dropped
- 11:37Speaker 1: that were then on the wing, all all alone beneath
- 11:41Speaker 1: the cold stone. Lithe, my sweet Mary, poor little thing.
- 11:47Speaker 1: Eval wept bitterly. It was one of the songs of
- 11:51Speaker 1: his own youth, which he had himself sung in many
- 11:54Speaker 1: a joyous hour, a song which was the master key
- 11:57Speaker 1: of visions of early happiness, and to touch, in its
- 12:00Speaker 1: light emptiness upon all the most painful themes of thought.
- 12:05Speaker 1: The song, the dear song of remembered happiness, sang at
- 12:08Speaker 1: that moment of painful bereavement, was like a soldier's child
- 12:12Speaker 1: springing to meet its father, returning from the walls, and
- 12:15Speaker 1: unconsciously plunging the arrowhead deeper into the wound from which
- 12:19Speaker 1: he suffered. As he thus sat and wept, he was
- 12:22Speaker 1: suddenly roused by the sound of a single musket shot
- 12:25Speaker 1: at no great distance, and starting up, he listened when
- 12:29Speaker 1: loud cries from the other side of the chapel caught
- 12:31Speaker 1: his ear, and he rushed out. All was dark, not
- 12:35Speaker 1: as star was in the sky, but the air was
- 12:38Speaker 1: free from vapor, and looking towards the spot from which
- 12:41Speaker 1: the sounds proceeded, he could see a dark body moving
- 12:45Speaker 1: rapidly along the side of the hill beyond the enclosure
- 12:49Speaker 1: round the chapel. The shot that had been fired was
- 12:52Speaker 1: not returned, and hurrying up to the spot as fast
- 12:55Speaker 1: as possible, he clearly distinguished a column of infantry marks
- 13:00Speaker 1: along at a quick pace in that direction, and evidently
- 13:03Speaker 1: seeking to force its way between the convent and the chapel.
- 13:07Speaker 1: There wasn but a single sentry in that direction. The
- 13:10Speaker 1: man who had discharged his musket and aval exclaimed in agony,
- 13:15Speaker 1: Good God, how is this? They have been suffered to
- 13:17Speaker 1: pass the morass and a stream a fire as soon
- 13:21Speaker 1: as I saw them, replied the man. But verlet carried
- 13:24Speaker 1: off all the men from down below there and marched
- 13:27Speaker 1: them up to the convent. Val struck his clenched hand
- 13:31Speaker 1: against his brow, exclaiming fool that I was to suffer him. Then,
- 13:36Speaker 1: rushing back as fast as possible, he called all the
- 13:39Speaker 1: rest of his troop to arms, and with the mere
- 13:41Speaker 1: handful that assembled in a moment, rushed out by the
- 13:45Speaker 1: gate through which the portress of the convent had entered,
- 13:48Speaker 1: and attempted to cast himself in the way of the
- 13:50Speaker 1: head of the enemy's column. It was in vain, however,
- 13:54Speaker 1: that he did so. A company of light infantry faced
- 13:57Speaker 1: about and met his first furious attack with a trap
- 14:00Speaker 1: mendous fire, while the rest of the force moved on.
- 14:04Speaker 1: The sound, however, of the combat thus commenced roused the
- 14:07Speaker 1: rest of the camp, and the Count of Moseux himself
- 14:10Speaker 1: on foot and at the head of a considerable body
- 14:13Speaker 1: of the most determined Huguenots, was advancing. Ere five minutes
- 14:17Speaker 1: were over, not to repel the attack of the enemy,
- 14:21Speaker 1: For by what he saw, Albert of Morseilles instantly became
- 14:24Speaker 1: aware that his camp being forced at the strongest point.
- 14:28Speaker 1: It was in vain to hope that the king's army
- 14:30Speaker 1: could be repulsed, but at least to cover the retreat
- 14:34Speaker 1: of his troops with as little loss as possible. All
- 14:38Speaker 1: the confusion of a night combat now took place, the
- 14:41Speaker 1: hurrying up by the dull and doubtful light, the cowardice
- 14:44Speaker 1: that shows itself in many men when the eye of
- 14:47Speaker 1: days not upon them, The rashness and emotion of others
- 14:51Speaker 1: who indeed are not afraid but only agitated, The mistakes
- 14:55Speaker 1: of friends for foes and foes for friends, the knowledge
- 15:00Speaker 1: of which parties successful in those points where the strife
- 15:04Speaker 1: is going on at a distance. As far as it
- 15:08Speaker 1: was possible in such circumstances, Albert of Mosseaux restored some
- 15:12Speaker 1: degree of order and regularity to their defense, relying almost
- 15:16Speaker 1: altogether upon his infantry. He held the Royalists in czech
- 15:20Speaker 1: while he sent orders to some of the inferior commanders
- 15:23Speaker 1: to evacuate the camp in as orderly a manner as possible,
- 15:27Speaker 1: gathering the horse together upon the brow of the hill,
- 15:29Speaker 1: so as to be ready when the occasion served to
- 15:32Speaker 1: charge and support the infantry. His particular directions were dispatched
- 15:37Speaker 1: to the Monsieur du Bar to maintain his posts to
- 15:40Speaker 1: the last as the count Well knew that the forces
- 15:42Speaker 1: of the Chevalier de France were sufficient to attack the
- 15:46Speaker 1: Huguenot camp on both sides at once. Such indeed have
- 15:50Speaker 1: been a plan of the Chevalier, but it was not
- 15:53Speaker 1: followed correctly. He had placed himself at the head of
- 15:56Speaker 1: the attack upon the side of the convent, as by
- 15:59Speaker 1: farther mos hazardous and difficult. The officer who commanded the
- 16:03Speaker 1: other attack was a man of considerable skill, but he
- 16:06Speaker 1: had with him an intendant of the province, a personage
- 16:10Speaker 1: as weak and presumptuous as he was, cruel and bigoted,
- 16:14Speaker 1: and insisting upon it that the officer at the head
- 16:17Speaker 1: of the troops had made a mistake in regard to
- 16:20Speaker 1: the way he entangled him in the morass and delayed
- 16:23Speaker 1: him for more than an hour. Had the attack on
- 16:27Speaker 1: that side succeeded as well as that on the side
- 16:29Speaker 1: of the chapel, the little force of the Huguenots must
- 16:32Speaker 1: have been absolutely annihilated. And had the attack there even
- 16:36Speaker 1: commenced at the same time that it began on the
- 16:39Speaker 1: other side, the disasters of that night must have been
- 16:42Speaker 1: tenfold greater than they proved. As it was, the Count
- 16:46Speaker 1: de Morche had time to offer at least some resistance
- 16:49Speaker 1: and to organize his retreat. A horse was soon brought
- 16:53Speaker 1: to him, and, perceiving by the firing on the flank
- 16:56Speaker 1: of the enemy's column that r Val and his men
- 16:59Speaker 1: were striving desperately to retrieve the error which had been committed,
- 17:03Speaker 1: he called up a small body of horse, and, making
- 17:06Speaker 1: a gallant charge at their head, drove back some of
- 17:09Speaker 1: the infantry companies that interposed between himself and the chapel,
- 17:13Speaker 1: and opened a communication with Erval and the men, giving
- 17:18Speaker 1: orders to the officer in command of the horse to
- 17:20Speaker 1: make another rapid charge, but not to entangle his men
- 17:23Speaker 1: too far. The Count himself rode down to Erval to
- 17:27Speaker 1: ascertain what was proceeding in that quarter. He found the
- 17:31Speaker 1: man covered with blood and gunpowder, raging like a wharf
- 17:35Speaker 1: in the midst of a flock. Erval, he exclaimed, A
- 17:38Speaker 1: great mistake has been committed. A handful of men could
- 17:41Speaker 1: have defended that bridge against an army. I know it, Count,
- 17:45Speaker 1: I know it, replied Erval, I have been a fool.
- 17:49Speaker 1: Verlain has been a madman. I should never have trusted
- 17:52Speaker 1: him by himself. It is time I should die. It
- 17:56Speaker 1: is rather time, Ervoal replied the Count that you should
- 18:00Speaker 1: live and exert your good sense to remedy what is amiss.
- 18:03Speaker 1: Do you not see that by spending your strength here
- 18:06Speaker 1: you are doing no good and losing your men every minute.
- 18:09Speaker 1: Gather them together quick and follow me. We want support
- 18:13Speaker 1: there upon the hill. The chapel is untenable. Now quick,
- 18:17Speaker 1: lose not a moment, Good God, he said, They are
- 18:20Speaker 1: not charging as I ordered, and in another moment we
- 18:23Speaker 1: shall be cut off. It was indeed as he said.
- 18:28Speaker 1: The young officer to whom he had given the command
- 18:30Speaker 1: was shot through the head at the very moment that
- 18:33Speaker 1: he was about to execute it. The charge was not made.
- 18:37Speaker 1: The body which had been driven back by the Count
- 18:39Speaker 1: were rallied by the Chevalier de Vron. The infantry of
- 18:43Speaker 1: the Huguenots which had been guarding the heights wavered before
- 18:46Speaker 1: the superior force brought against them, and by the time
- 18:49Speaker 1: that Arebal's men were collected, a large body of foot
- 18:53Speaker 1: interposed between the Count de Monseur and the spot where
- 18:56Speaker 1: he had left his troops. Nothing remained but to lead
- 19:00Speaker 1: round VAL's little force by the hollow way on the
- 19:03Speaker 1: edge of the morass and climbing the steeper part of
- 19:07Speaker 1: the hill by the road that led to the little
- 19:09Speaker 1: hamlet and farm houses, to rejoin the principal body of
- 19:13Speaker 1: the Protestants there, and to make one more effort to
- 19:16Speaker 1: hold the hamlet against the advancing force of the Royalists,
- 19:20Speaker 1: till Misiur Dubal had time to draw off his troops.
- 19:24Speaker 1: Ere The count, however, could reach the ground where he
- 19:27Speaker 1: had fixed his own headquarters. Both the infantry and cavalry
- 19:32Speaker 1: which he had left had been driven back, and by
- 19:35Speaker 1: a terrible oversight, instead of retiring upon the hamlet, had
- 19:38Speaker 1: taken the way to the right along which the other
- 19:41Speaker 1: bodies of troops had been ordered to retreat. The Royalists. Thus,
- 19:45Speaker 1: at the time that the count arrived were pouring in
- 19:48Speaker 1: amongst the cottages and farm houses, And when he reached
- 19:51Speaker 1: the little knoll immediately behind the house where he had
- 19:55Speaker 1: left Claymont's de Marlis, he was instantly assailed by a
- 19:58Speaker 1: tremendous fire from behind behind the walls of the courtyard
- 20:02Speaker 1: and the lower windows of the house itself. He had
- 20:05Speaker 1: no troops with him but Erval's band and a small
- 20:08Speaker 1: body on foot, which arrived at that moment to his
- 20:11Speaker 1: assistance from the Marquis du bar, and he paused for
- 20:15Speaker 1: an instant in agony of heart, knowing and feeling that
- 20:18Speaker 1: it was utterly hopeless to attempt to retake the farmhouse
- 20:22Speaker 1: and enable Claiment's to affect her escape. The grief and
- 20:26Speaker 1: pain of a whole life seemed summed up in that
- 20:28Speaker 1: one moment. I will not, he cried, in the rashness
- 20:34Speaker 1: of despair. I will not leave her without an effort.
- 20:38Speaker 1: Eval was by his side. Sir, he said, I must
- 20:41Speaker 1: not live over this night. Let us advance at all risks.
- 20:46Speaker 1: The Count gave the order, and the men advanced gallantly,
- 20:49Speaker 1: though the enemy's fire was terrible. They were actually scaling
- 20:53Speaker 1: the wall of the courtyard when suddenly a fire was
- 20:55Speaker 1: opened upon them from the houses and walls on either side.
- 20:59Speaker 1: Val fell over amidst the enemy. The Count's horse dropped
- 21:03Speaker 1: at once under him, and he felt himself drawn forcibly
- 21:06Speaker 1: out from beneath the dying animal, and carried along by
- 21:10Speaker 1: the men in full retreat from that scene of slaughter.
- 21:13Speaker 1: Here is a horse, Count, Here is a horse, cried
- 21:16Speaker 1: a voice near him. Mount quick, and oh take care
- 21:19Speaker 1: of my poor girl. She is on with the troops
- 21:22Speaker 1: before I have lost you the battle and know what
- 21:25Speaker 1: must come of it. The count turned and saw Paul
- 21:28Speaker 1: Verlet by his side, but before he could reply, the
- 21:32Speaker 1: man left the bridle in his hand and rushed into
- 21:35Speaker 1: the midst of the enemy, Springing on the charger's back.
- 21:39Speaker 1: The count gazed round him. Eval's band was all in confusion,
- 21:43Speaker 1: but beginning to rally upon the body of infantry sent
- 21:46Speaker 1: by Dubar. The Hamlet was in full possession of the enemy.
- 21:51Speaker 1: The only means of communication between Dubar and the troops
- 21:54Speaker 1: that were retreating was along the hillside. Albert of Monseu
- 21:58Speaker 1: saw that if he did not mean that line, his
- 22:01Speaker 1: gallant friend would be cut off, and for the moment,
- 22:04Speaker 1: casting from his mind all the other bitter anxieties that
- 22:07Speaker 1: preyed upon it, he hastened to occupy a little rising ground,
- 22:12Speaker 1: terribly exposed, indeed to the enemy's fire, but which would
- 22:16Speaker 1: protect the flank of his friend's little core while they
- 22:19Speaker 1: joined the rest who were in retreat. That he was
- 22:23Speaker 1: just in time was proved to Albert of Mosseaux by
- 22:26Speaker 1: the sound of a load cannonade, which commenced from the
- 22:29Speaker 1: very direction of Dubal's quarter, and sending that officer orders
- 22:33Speaker 1: to retreat directly. He remained for twenty minutes, repelling every
- 22:37Speaker 1: charge of the enemy, and by the example of his
- 22:40Speaker 1: own desperate courage and perfect self command, seeming to inspire
- 22:44Speaker 1: his men with resolution unconquerable. In the meantime, the Marquis
- 22:49Speaker 1: Dubaal retreated before the other body of Royalists which had
- 22:52Speaker 1: now come up, and having seen his men in comparative safety,
- 22:57Speaker 1: rode back with a small body of horse to aid
- 22:59Speaker 1: the cab in covering the retreat. The Royalists now, however,
- 23:04Speaker 1: had gained their object. The camp of the Huguenots was
- 23:07Speaker 1: in their hands. The slaughter on both sides had been dreadful,
- 23:11Speaker 1: considering the short space of time which the strife had lasted.
- 23:15Speaker 1: The country beyond was difficult and defensible, and the order
- 23:19Speaker 1: for stopping further pursuit was given as soon as no
- 23:21Speaker 1: more resistance was made in the Huguenot camp. End of
- 23:27Speaker 1: Chapter thirty two.