"IhadbeenbroughtintocontactwithhimbyareportwhichoneofmyfriendsandIhaddrawnupontheopinionsofthepeopleoftheSouth,andofwhichhehadaskedtohaveacopy。Inalongconversationwithus,hediscussedthesubjectwiththeimpartialityofamanwhobringsanopenmindtoadebate,andheinvitedustocomeoftentoseehim。Weenjoyedourselvessomuchinhissocietythatwegotintothehabitofgoingtohishousenearlyeveryevening。
"OnhisarrivalintheSouthanoldcalumnywhichhadformerlypursuedhimagainmadeitsappearance,quiterejuvenatedbyitslongsleep。AwriterwhosenameIhaveforgotten,indescribingtheMassacresoftheSecondofSeptemberandthedeathoftheunfortunatePrincessedeLamballe,hadsaid,'Somepeoplethoughttheyrecognisedinthemanwhocarriedherheadimpaledonapike,GeneralBruneindisguise,'andthisaccusation;whichhadbeencaughtupwitheagernessundertheConsulate,stillfollowedhimsorelentlesslyin1815,thathardlyadaypassedwithouthisreceivingananonymousletter,threateninghimwiththesamefatewhichhadovertakentheprincess。Oneeveningwhilewewerewithhimsuchaletterarrived,andhavingreadithepasseditontous。Itwasasfollows:
"'Wretch,——Weareacquaintedwithallyourcrimes,forwhichyouwillsoonreceivethechastisementyouwelldeserve。ItwasyouwhoduringtherevolutionbroughtaboutthedeathofthePrincessedeLamballe;itwasyouwhocarriedherheadonapike,butyourheadwillbeimpaledonsomethinglonger。IfyouaresorashastobepresentatthereviewoftheAlliesitisallupwithyou,andyourheadwillbestuckonthesteepleoftheAccoules。Farewell,SCOUNDREL！'
"Weadvisedhimtotracethiscalumnytoitssource,andthentotakesignalvengeanceontheauthors。Hepausedaninstanttoreflect,andthenlittheletteratacandle,andlookingatitthoughtfullyasitturnedtoashesinhishand,said,——Vengeance！Yes,perhapsbyseekingthatIcouldsilencetheauthorsoftheseslandersandpreservethepublictranquillitywhichtheyconstantlyimperil。ButIpreferpersuasiontoseverity。Myprincipleis,thatitisbettertobringmen'sheadsbacktoarightwayofthinkingthantocutthemoff,andtoberegardedasaweakmanratherthanasabloodthirstyone。'
"TheessenceofMarshalBrune'scharacterwascontainedinthesewords。
"PublictranquillitywasindeedtwiceendangeredatMarseillesduringtheHundredDays,andbothtimesinthesamemanner。Thegarrisonofficersusedtogatheratacoffee—houseintheplaceNecker,andsingsongssuggestedbypassingevents。Thiscausedanattackbythetownspeople,whobrokethewindowsbythrowingstones,someofwhichstrucktheofficers。Theserushedout,crying,'Toarms！'Thetownspeoplewerenotslowtorespond,butthecommandantorderedthe'geneydle'tobeat,sentoutnumerouspatrols,andsucceededincalmingtheexcitementandrestoringquietnesswithoutanycasualties。
"ThedayoftheChampduMaiordersforageneralilluminationweregiven,andthatthetricolourflagshouldbedisplayedfromthewindows。Thegreaternumberoftheinhabitantspaidnoattentiontothedesiresoftheauthorities,andtheofficersbeingannoyedatthisneglect,indulgedinreprehensibleexcesses,which,however,resultedinnothingmareseriousthansomebrokenwindowsbelongingtohouseswhichhadnotilluminated,andinsomeofthehouseholdersbeingforcedtoilluminateaccordingtoorder。
"InMarseillesasintherestofFrance,peoplebegantodespairofthesuccessoftheroyalcause,andthosewhorepresentedthiscause,whowereverynumerousatMarseilles,gaveupannoyingthemilitaryandseemedtoresignthemselvestotheirfate。MarshalBrunehadleftthecitytotakeuphispostonthefrontier,withoutanyofthedangerswithwhichhewasthreatenedhavingcomeacrosshispath。
"The25thofJunearrived,andthenewsofthesuccessesobtainedatFleurusandatLignyseemedtojustifythehopesofthesoldiers,when,inthemiddleoftheday,mutteredreportsbegantospreadinthetown,thedistantreverberationsofthecannonofWaterloo。Thesilenceoftheleaders,theuneasinessofthesoldiers,thedelightoftheRoyalists,foretoldtheoutbreakofanewstruggle,the,resultsofwhichitwaseasytoanticipate。Aboutfouro'clockintheafternoon,aman,whohadprobablygotearlierinformationthanhisfellow—townspeople,toreoffhistricolouredcockadeandtrampleditunderfoot,crying,"Longlivetheking！"Theangrysoldiersseizedhimandwereabouttodraghimtotheguard—house,buttheNationalGuardspreventedthem,andtheirinterferenceledtoafight。Shoutswereheardonallsides,alargeringwasformedroundthesoldiers,afewmusketshotsheard,othersanswered,threeorfourmenfell,andlaytherewelteringintheirblood。Outofthisconfuseduproartheword"Waterloo"emergeddistinct;andwiththisunfamiliarnamepronouncedforthefirsttimeintheresoundingvoiceofhistory,thenewsofthedefeatoftheFrencharmyandthetriumphoftheAlliesspreadapace。ThenGeneralVerdier,whoheldthechiefcommandintheabsenceofMarshalBrune,triedtoharanguethepeople,buthisvoicewasdrownedbytheshoutsofthemobwhohadgatheredroundacoffee—housewherestoodabustoftheemperor,whichtheyinsistedshouldbegivenuptothem。Verdier,hopingtocalm,whathetooktobeasimplestreetrow,gaveordersthatthebustshouldbebroughtout,andthisconcession,sosignificantonthepartofageneralcommandingintheemperor'sname,convincedthecrowdthathiscausewaslost。Thefuryofthepopulacegrewgreaternowthattheyfeltthattheycouldindulgeitwithimpunity;theyrantotheTownHall,andtearingdownandburningthetricoloured,raisedthewhiteflag。Therollofthegenerale,theclangofthetocsinwereheard,theneighbouringvillagespouredintheirpopulationsandincreasedthethronginthestreets;singleactsofviolencebegantooccur,wholesalemassacreswereapproaching。IhadarrivedinthetownwithmyfriendM____theverybeginningofthetumult,sowehadseenthedangerousagitationandexcitementgrowunderoureyes,butwewerestillignorantofitstruecause,when,intheruedeNoailles,wemetanacquaintance,who,althoughhispoliticalopinionsdidnotcoincidewithours,hadalwaysshownhimselfveryfriendlytous。'Well,'saidI,'whatnews？''Goodformeandbadforyou,'heanswered;'Iadviseyoutogoawayatonce。'
Surprisedandsomewhatalarmedatthesewords,webeggedhimtoexplain。'Listen,'saidhe;'therearegoingtoberiotsinthetown;itiswellknownthatyouusedtogotoBrune'snearlyeveryevening,andthatyouareinconsequencenofavouritewithyourneighbours;seeksafetyinthecountry。'Iaddressedsomefurtherquestiontohim,but,turninghisbackonme,heleftmewithoutanotherword。
"M_____andIwerestilllookingateachotherinstupefaction,whentheincreasinguproararousedustoasensethatifwedesiredtofollowtheadvicejustgivenwehadnotamomenttolose。Wehastenedtomyhouse,whichwassituatedintheAlleesdeMeilhan。Mywifewasjustgoingout,butIstoppedher。
"'Wearenotsafehere,'Isaid;'wemustgetawayintothecountry。'
"'Butwherecanwego？'
"'Whereverlucktakesus。Letusstart。'
"Shewasgoingtoputonherbonnet,butItoldhertoleaveitbehind;foritwasmostimportantthatnooneshouldthinkwesuspectedanything,butweremerelygoingforastroll。Thisprecautionsavedus,forwelearnedthenextdaythatifourintentiontoflyhadbeensuspectedweshouldhavebeenstopped。
"Wewalkedatrandom,whilebehindusweheardmusketshotsfromeverypartofthetown。Wemetacompanyofsoldierswhowerehurryingtothereliefoftheircomrades,butheardlaterthattheyhadnotbeenallowedtopassthegate。
"Werecollectedanoldofficerofouracquaintancewhohadquittedtheserviceandwithdrawnfromtheworldsomeyearsbefore,andhadtakenaplaceinthecountrynearthevillageofSaint—Just;wedirectedourcoursetowardshishouse。
"'Captain,'saidItohim,'theyaremurderingeachotherinthetown,wearepursuedandwithoutasylum,sowecometoyou。''That'sright,mychildren,'saidhe;'comeinandwelcome。Ihavenevermeddledwithpoliticalaffairs,andnoonecanhaveanythingagainstme。Noonewillthinkoflookingforyouhere。'
"Thecaptainhadfriendsinthetown,who,oneafteranother,reachedhishouse,andbroughtusnewsofallthatwentonduringthatdreadfulday。Manysoldiershadbeenkilled,andtheMamelukeshadbeenannihilated。Anegresswhohadbeenintheserviceoftheseunfortunateshadbeentakenonthequay。'Cry"Longlivetheking！"'
shoutedthemob。'No,'shereplied。'ToNapoleonIowemydailybread;longliveNapoleon！'Abayonet—thrustintheabdomenwastheanswer。'Villains！'saidshe,coveringthewoundwithherhandtokeepbacktheprotrudingentrails。'LongliveNapoleon！'Apushsentherintothewater;shesank,butroseagaintothesurface,andwavingherhand,shecriedforthelasttime,'LongliveNapoleon！'abulletshotputtinganendtoherlife。
"Severalofthetownspeoplehadmetwithshockingdeaths。Forinstance,M。Angles,aneighbourofmine,anoldmanandnoinconsiderablescholar,havingunfortunately,whenatthepalacesomedaysbefore,givenutterancebeforewitnessestothesentimentthatNapoleonwasagreatman,learnedthatforthiscrimehewasabouttobearrested。Yieldingtotheprayersofhisfamily,hedisguisedhimself,and,gettingintoawaggon,setofftoseeksafetyinthecountry。Hewas,however,recognisedandbroughtaprisonertotheplaceduChapitre,where,afterbeingbuffetedaboutandinsultedforanhourbythepopulace,hewasatlastmurdered。
"Itmayeasilybeimaginedthatalthoughnoonecametodisturbuswedidnotsleepmuchthatnight。Theladiesrestedonsofasorinarm—chairswithoutundressing,whileourhost,M_____andmyselftookturnsinguardingthedoor,guninhand。
"Assoonasitwaslightweconsultedwhatcourseweshouldtake:I
wasoftheopinionthatweoughttotrytoreachAixbyunfrequentedpaths;havingfriendsthere,weshouldbeabletoprocureacarriageandgettoNimes,wheremyfamilylived。Butmywifedidnotagreewithme。'Imustgobacktotownforourthings,'saidshe;'wehavenoclothesbutthoseonourbacks。LetussendtothevillagetoaskifMarseillesisquieterto—daythanyesterday。'Sowesentoffamessenger。
"Thenewshebroughtbackwasfavourable;orderwascompletelyrestored。Icouldnotquitebelievethis,andstillrefusedtoletmywifereturntothetownunlessIaccompaniedher。Butinthateveryonewasagainstme:mypresencewouldgiverisetodangerswhichwithoutmehadnoexistence。Wherewerethemiscreantscowardlyenoughtomurderawomanofeighteenwhobelongedtono—partyandhadneverinjuredanyone？Asforme,myopinionswerewellknown。
Moreover,mymother—in—lawofferedtoaccompanyherdaughter,andbothjoinedinpersuadingmethattherewasnodanger。AtlastIwasforcedtoconsent,butonlyononecondition。
"'Icannotsay,'Iobserved,'whetherthereisanyfoundationforthereassuringtidingswehaveheard,butofonethingyoumaybesure:
itisnowseveno'clockinthemorning,youcangettoMarseillesinanhour,packyourtrunksinanotherhour,andreturninathird;letusallowonehourmoreforunforeseendelays。Ifyouarenotbackbyeleveno'clock,Ishallbelievesomethinghashappened,andtakestepsaccordingly。''Verywell,'saidmywife;'ifIamnotbackbythen,youmaythinkmedead,anddowhateveryouthinkbest。'Andsosheandhermotherleftme。
"Anhourlater,quitedifferentnewscametohand。Fugitives,seekinglikeourselvessafetyinthecountry,toldusthattherioting,farfromceasing,hadincreased;thestreetswereencumberedwithcorpses,andtwopeoplehadbeenmurderedwithunheard—ofcruelty。
"AnoldmannamedBessieres,whohadledasimpleandblamelesslife,andwhoseonlycrimewasthathehadservedundertheUsurper,anticipatingthatunderexistingcircumstancesthiswouldberegardedasacapitalcrime,madehiswill,whichwasafterwardsfoundamonghispapers。Itbeganwiththefollowingwords:
"'AsitispossiblethatduringthisrevolutionImaymeetmydeath,asapartisanofNapoleon,althoughIhaveneverlovedhim,Igiveandbequeath,'etc。,etc。
"Thedaybefore,hisbrother—in—law,knowinghehadprivateenemies,hadcometothehouseandspentthenighttryingtoinducehimtoflee,butallinvain。Butthenextmorning,hishousebeingattacked,heyielded,andtriedtoescapebythebackdoor。HewasstoppedbysomeoftheNationalGuard,andplacedhimselfundertheirprotection。
TheytookhimtotheCoursSt。Louis,where,beinghustledbythecrowdandveryineffectuallydefendedbytheGuards,hetriedtoentertheCaf？Mercantier,butthedoorwasshutinhisface。Beingbrokenbyfatigue,breathless,andcoveredwithdustandsweat,hethrewhimselfononeofthebenchesplacedagainstthewall,outsidethehouse。Herehewaswoundedbyamusketbullet,butnotkilled。
Atthesightofhisbloodshrieksofjoywereheard,andthenayoungmanwithapistolineachhandforcedhiswaythroughthethrongandkilledtheoldmanbytwoshotsfiredpointblankinhisface。
"Anotherstillmoreatrociousmurdertookplaceinthecourseofthesamemorning。Afatherandson,boundbacktoback,weredeliveredovertothetendermerciesofthemob。Stonedandbeatenandcoveredwitheachother'sblood,fortwolonghourstheirdeath—agonyendured,andallthewhilethosewhocouldnotgetnearenoughtostrikeweredancingroundthem。
"Ourtimepassedlisteningtosuchstories;suddenlyIsawafriendrunningtowardsthehouse。Iwenttomeethim。HewassopalethatIhardlydaredtoquestionhim。Hecamefromthecity,andhadbeenatmyhousetoseewhathadbecomeofme。Therewasnooneinit,butacrossthedoorlaytwocorpseswrappedinablood—stainedsheetwhichhehadnotdaredtolift。
"Attheseterriblewordsnothingcouldholdmeback。IsetoffforMarseilles。M_____whowouldnotconsenttoletmereturnalone,accompaniedme。InpassingthroughthevillageofSaint—Justweencounteredacrowdofarmedpeasantsinthemainstreetwhoappearedtobelongtothefreecompanies。Althoughthiscircumstancewasratheralarming,itwouldhavebeendangeroustoturnback,sowecontinuedourwayasifwewerenotintheleastuneasy。Theyexaminedourbearingandourdressnarrowly,andthenexchangedsomesentencesinalow,voice,ofwhichweonlycaughtthewordaustaniers。ThiswasthenamebywhichtheBonapartistswerecalledbythepeasants,andmeans'eatersofchestnuts,'thisarticleoffoodbeingbroughtfromCorsicatoFrance。However,wewerenotmolestedinanyway,forasweweregoingtowardsthecitytheydidnotthinkwecouldbefugitives。Ahundredyardsbeyondthevillagewecameupwithacrowdofpeasants,whowere,likeus,onthewaytoMarseilles。Itwasplaintoseethattheyhadjustbeenpillagingsomecountryhouse,fortheywereladenwithrichstuffs,chandeliersandjewels。ItprovedtobethatofM。R____,inspectorofreviews。
Severalcarriedmuskets。Ipointedouttomycompanionastainofbloodonthetrousersofoneofthemen,whobegantolaughwhenhesawwhatwewerelookingat。TwohundredyardsoutsidethecityI
metawomanwhohadformerlybeenaservantinmyhouse。Shewasverymuchastonishedtoseeme,andsaid,'Goawayatonce;themassacreishorrible,muchworsethanyesterday。'
"'Butmywife,'Icried,'doyouknowanythingabouther？'
"'No,sir,'shereplied;'Iwasgoingtoknockatthedoor,butsomepeopleaskedmeinathreateningmannerifIcouldtellthemwherethefriendofthatrascalBrinewas,astheyweregoingtotakeawayhisappetiteforbread。Sotakemyadvice,'shecontinued,'andgobacktowhereyoucamefrom。'
"ThisadvicewasthelastIcouldmakeupmymindtofollow,sowewenton,butfoundastrongguardatthegate,andsawthatitwouldbeimpossibletogetthroughwithoutbeingrecognised。Atthesametime,thecriesandthereportsoffirearmsfromwithinwerecomingnearer;itwouldthereforehavebeentocourtcertaindeathtoadvance,soweretracedoursteps。InpassingagainthroughthevillageofSaint—Justwemetoncemoreourarmedpeasants。Butthistimetheyburstoutintothreatsonseeingus,shouting,'Letuskillthem！Letuskillthem！'Insteadofrunningaway,weapproachedthem,assuringthemthatwewereRoyalists。Ourcoolnesswassoconvincingthatwegotthroughsafeandsound。
"Ongettingbacktothecaptain'sIthrewmyselfonthesofa,quiteovercomebythethoughtthatonlythatmorningmywifehadbeenbesidemeundermyprotection,andthatIhadlethergobacktothetowntoacruelandinevitabledeath。Ifeltasifmyheartwouldbreak,andnothingthatourhostandmyfriendcouldsaygavemetheslightestcomfort。Iwaslikeamadman,unconsciousofeverythingroundme。
"M_____wentouttotrytopickupsomenews,butinaninstantweheardhimrunningback,andhedashedintotheroom,callingout"'Theyarecoming！Theretheyare！'
"'Whoarecoming？'weasked。
"'Theassassins！'
"Myfirstfeeling,Iconfess,wasoneofjoy。Ipounceduponapairofdouble—barrelledpistols,resolvednottoletmyselfbeslaughteredlikeasheep。ThroughthewindowIcouldseesomemenclimbingoverthewallandgettingdownintothegarden。Wehadjustsufficienttimetoescapebyabackstaircasewhichledtoadoor,throughwhichwepassed,shuttingitbehindus。Wefoundourselvesonaroad,attheothersideofwhichwasavineyard。Wecrossedtheroadandcreptunderthevines,whichcompletelyconcealedus。
"Aswelearnedlater,thecaptain'shousehadbeendenouncedasaBonapartistnest,andtheassassinshadhopedtotakeitbysurprise;
and,indeed,iftheyhadcomealittlesoonerwehadbeenlost,forbeforewehadbeenfiveminutesinourhiding—placethemurderersrushedoutontheroad,lookingforusineverydirection,withouttheslightestsuspicionthatwewerenotsixyardsdistant。ThoughtheydidnotseeusIcouldseethem,andIheldmypistolsreadycocked,quitedeterminedtokillthefirstwhocamenear。However,inashorttimetheywentaway。
"Assoonastheywereoutofhearingwebegantoconsideroursituationandweighourchances。Therewasnouseingoingbacktothecaptain's,forhewasnolongerthere,havingalsosucceededingettingaway。Ifweweretowanderaboutthecountryweshouldberecognisedasfugitives,andthefatethatawaitedusassuchwasatthatmomentbroughthometous,forafewyardsawaywesuddenlyheardtheshrieksofamanwhowasbeingmurdered。TheywerethefirstcriesofagonyIhadeverheard,andforafewmoments,I
confess,Iwasfrozenwithterror。Butsoonaviolentreactiontookplacewithinme,andIfeltthatitwouldbebettertomarchstraighttomeetperilthantoawaititscoming,andalthoughIknewthedangeroftryingtogothroughSaint—Justagain,Iresolvedtoriskit,andtogettoMarseillesatallcosts。So,turningtoM____,I
said:
"'Youcanremainherewithoutdangeruntiltheevening,butIamgoingtoMarseillesatonce;forIcannotendurethisuncertaintyanylonger。IfIfindSaint—Justclear,Ishallcomebackandrejoinyou,butifnotIshallgetawayasbestIcanalone。'
"Knowingthedangerthatwewererunning,andhowlittlechancetherewasthatweshouldeverseeeachotheragain,heheldouthishandtome,butIthrewmyselfintohisarmsandgavehimalastembrace。
"Istartedatonce:whenIreachedSaint—JustIfoundthefreebootersstillthere;soIwalkeduptothem,trollingamelody,butoneofthemseizedmebythecollarandtwootherstookaimatmewiththeirmuskets。
"IfeverinmylifeIshouted'Longlivetheking！'withlessenthusiasmthanthecrydeserves,itwasthen:toassumearollickingair,tolaughwithcoolcarelessnesswhenthereisnothingbetweenyouanddeathbutthemoreorlessstrongpressureofahighwayman'sfingeronthetriggerofamusket,isnoeasytask;butallthisI
accomplished,andoncemoregotthroughthevillagewithawholeskinindeed,butwiththeunalterableresolutiontoblowmybrainsoutratherthanagaintrysuchanexperiment。
"HavingnowavillagebehindmewhichIhadvowednevertore—enter,andtherebeingnoroadavailablebywhichIcouldhopetogetroundMarseilles,theonlycourseopentomewastomakemywayintothecity。Atthatmomentthiswasathingofdifficulty,formanysmallbodiesoftroops,wearingthewhitecockade,infestedtheapproaches。
Isoonperceivedthatthedangerofgettinginwasasgreatasever,soIdeterminedtowalkupanddowntillnight,hopingthedarknesswouldcometomyaid;butoneofthepatrolssoongavemetounderstandthatmyprowlingabouthadarousedsuspicion,andorderedmeeithertogoontothecity,inwhichbyallaccountstherewassmallchanceofsafetyforme,orbacktothevillage;wherecertaindeathawaitedme。Ahappyinspirationflashedacrossmymind,I
wouldgetsomerefreshment,andseeinganinnnearby,Iwentinandorderedamugofbeer,sittingdownnearthewindow,faintlyhopingthatbeforethenecessityforafinaldecisionarrived,someonewhoknewmewouldpassby。Afterwaitinghalfanhour,Ididindeedseeanacquaintance——nootherthanM_____,whomIhadleftinthevineyard。Ibeckonedhim,andhejoinedme。Hetoldmethat,beingtooimpatienttoawaitmyreturn,hehadsoonmadeuphismindtofollowme,andbyjoiningabandofpillagerswasluckyenoughtogetsafelythroughSaint—Just。Weconsultedtogetherastowhatwehadbetterdonext,andhavingappliedtoourhost,foundhecouldsupplyuswithatrustymessenger,whowouldcarrythenewsofourwhereaboutstomybrother—in—law。Afterananxiouswaitofthreehours,wesawhimcoming。Iwasabouttorunouttomeethim,butM____heldmeback,pointingoutthedangerofsuchastep;sowesatstilloureyesfixedontheapproachingfigure。Butwhenmybrother—in—lawreachedtheinn,Icouldrestrainmyimpatiencenolonger,butrushingoutoftheroommethimonthestairs。
"'Mywife？'Icried。'Haveyouseenmywife？'
"'Sheisatmyhouse,'wasthereply,andwithacryofjoyIthrewmyselfintohisarms。
"Mywife,whohadbeenthreatened,insulted,androughlytreatedbecauseofmyopinions,hadindeedfoundsafetyatmybrother—in—law's。
"Nightwascomingon。Mybrother—in—law,whoworetheuniformoftheNationalGuard,whichwasatthatmomentasafeguard,tookuseachbyanarm,andwepassedthebarrierwithoutanyoneaskinguswhowewere。Choosingquietstreets,wereachedhishouseunmolested;butinfactthewholecitywasquiet,forthecarnagewaspracticallyatanend。
"Mywifesafe！thisthoughtfilledmyheartwithjoyalmosttoogreattobear。
"Heradventureswerethefollowing:
"Mywifeandhermotherhadgonetoourhouse,asagreedupon,topackourtrunks。Astheylefttheirrooms,havingaccomplishedtheirtask,theyfoundthelandladywaitingonthestaircase,whoatonceoverwhelmedmywifewithatorrentofabuse。
Thehusband,whountilthenhadknownnothingoftheirtenant'sreturn,hearingthenoise,cameoutofhisroom,and,seizinghiswifebythearm,pulledherinandshutthedoor。She,however,rushedtothewindow,andjustasmywifeandhermotherreachedthestreet,shoutedtoafreebandwhowereonguardacrosstheway,'Fire！theyareBonapartists！'Fortunatelythemen,moremercifulthanthewoman,seeingtwoladiesquitealone,didnothindertheirpassage,andasjustthenmybrother—in—lawcameby,whoseopinionswerewellknownandwhoseuniformwasrespected,hewasallowedtotakethemunderhisprotectionandconductthemtohishouseinsafety。
"Ayoungman,employedatthePrefecture,whohadcalledatmyhousethedaybefore,IhavingpromisedtohelphimineditingtheJournaldesBouches—du—Rhone,wasnotsolucky。Hisoccupationandhisvisittomelaidhimundersuspicionofpossessingdangerousopinions,andhisfriendsurgedhimtofly;butitwastoolate。HewasattackedatthecorneroftheruedeNoailles,andfellwoundedbyastabfromadagger。Happily,however,heultimatelyrecovered。
"Thewholedaywaspassedinthecommissionofdeedsstillmorebloodythanthoseofthedaybefore;thesewersranblood,andeveryhundredyardsadeadbodywastobemet。Butthissight,insteadofsatiatingthethirstforbloodoftheassassins,onlyseemedtoawakenageneralfeelingofgaiety。Intheeveningthestreetsresoundedwithsongandroundelay,andformanyayeartocomethatwhichwelookedbackonas'thedayofthemassacre'livedinthememoryoftheRoyalistsas'thedayofthefarce。'
"Aswefeltwecouldnotliveanylongerinthemidstofsuchscenes,eventhough,asfaraswewereconcerned,alldangerwasover,wesetoutforNimesthatsameevening,havingbeenofferedtheuseofacarriage。
"NothingworthyofnotehappenedontheroadtoOrgon,whichwereachednextday;buttheisolateddetachmentsoftroopswhichwepassedfromtimetotimeremindedusthatthetranquillitywasnowhereperfect。Aswenearedthetownwesawthreemengoingaboutarminarm;thisfriendlinessseemedstrangetousafterourrecentexperiences,foroneofthemworeawhitecockade,thesecondatricolour,andthethirdnoneatall,andyettheywentaboutonthemostbrotherlyterms,eachawaitingunderadifferentbannertheoutcomeofevents。Theirwisdomimpressedmemuch,andfeelingIhadnothingtofearfromsuchphilosophers,Iwentuptothemandquestionedthem,andtheyexplainedtheirhopestomewiththegreatestinnocence,andaboveall,theirfirmdeterminationtobelongtowhateverpartygottheupperhand。AswedroveintoOrgonwesawataglancethatthewholetownwassimmeringwithexcitement。
Everybody'sfaceexpressedanxiety。Amanwho,weweretold,wasthemayor,washaranguingagroup。Aseveryonewaslistening,withthegreatestattention,wedrewnearandaskedthemthecauseoftheexcitement。
"'Gentlemen,'saidhe,'yououghttoknowthenews:thekingisinhiscapital,andwehaveoncemorehoistedthewhiteflag,andtherehasnotbeenasingledisputetomarthetranquillityoftheday;onepartyhastriumphedwithoutviolence,andtheotherhassubmittedwithresignation。ButIhavejustlearnedthatabandofvagabonds,numberingaboutthreehundred,haveassembledonthebridgeovertheDurance,andarepreparingtoraidourlittletownto—night,intendingbypillageorextortiontogetatwhatwepossess。IhaveafewgunsleftwhichIamabouttodistribute,andeachmanwillwatchoverthesafetyofall。'
"Althoughhehadnotenougharmstogoround,heofferedtosupplyus,butasIhadmydouble—barrelledpistolsIdidnotdeprivehimofhisweapons。Imadetheladiesgotobed,and,sittingattheirdoor,triedtosleepaswellasIcould,apistolineachhand。Butateveryinstantthenoiseofafalsealarmsoundedthroughthetown,andwhendaydawnedmyonlyconsolationwasthatnooneelseinOrgonhadsleptanybetterthanI。
"ThenextdaywecontinuedourjourneytoTarascon,wherenewexcitementsawaitedus。Aswegotnearthetownweheardthetocsinclanginganddrumsbeatingthegenerale。Weweregettingsoaccustomedtotheuproarthatwewerenotverymuchastonished。
However,whenwegotinweaskedwhatwasgoingon,andweweretoldthattwelvethousandtroopsfromNimeshadmarchedonBeaucaireandlaiditwastewithfireandsword。Iinsinuatedthattwelvethousandmenwasratheralargenumberforonetowntofurnish,butwastoldthatthatincludedtroopsfromtheGardonninqueandtheCevennes。
Nimesstillclungtothetricolour,butBeaucairehadhoistedthewhiteflag,anditwasforthepurposeofpullingitdownandscatteringtheRoyalistswhowereassemblinginnumbersatBeaucairethatNimeshadsentforthhertroopsonthisexpedition。SeeingthatTarasconandBeaucaireareonlyseparatedbytheRhone,itstruckmeaspeculiarthatsuchquietshouldprevailononebank,whilesuchfierceconflictwasragingontheother。Ididnotdoubtthatsomethinghadhappened,butnotaneventofsuchgravityaswasreported。WethereforedecidedtopushontoBeaucaire,andwhenwegottherewefoundthetowninthemostperfectorder。Theexpeditionoftwelvethousandmenwasreducedtooneoftwohundred,whichhadbeeneasilyrepulsed,withtheresultthatoftheassailantsonehadbeenwoundedandonemadeprisoner。Proudofthissuccess,thepeopleofBeaucaireentrusteduswithathousandobjurgationstodelivertotheirinveterateenemiesthecitizensofNimes。