"ButImeanJeanCavalier,theCamisardgeneral,hewhohasassumedthetitleofDukeoftheCevennes。"
"Ihavenotassumedthattitle,monseigneur,onlysomepeoplecallmesoinjoke:thekingalonehastherighttoconfertitles,andI
rejoiceexceedingly,monseigneur,thathehasgivenyouthatofgovernorofLanguedoc。"
"Whenyouarespeakingoftheking,whydoyounotsay'HisMajesty'？"saidM。deBaville。"Uponmysoul,thekingistoogoodtotreatthuswitharebel。"
ThebloodrushedtoCavalier'shead,hisfaceflamed,andafteramoment'spause,fixinghiseyeboldlyuponM。deBaville,andspeakinginavoicewhichwasnowasfirmasithadbeentremulousamomentbefore,hesaid,"Ifyouhaveonlybroughtmehere,sir,tospeaktomeinsuchamanner,youmightbetterhaveleftmeinmymountains,andcomethereyourselftotakealessoninhospitality。
IfIamarebel,itisnotIwhoamanswerable,foritwasthetyrannyandcrueltyofM。deBavillewhichforcedustohaverecoursetoarms;andifhistorytakesexceptiontoanythingconnectedwiththegreatmonarchforwhosepardonIsueto—day,itwillbe,Ihope,notthathehadfoeslikeme,butfriendslikehim。"
M。deBavillegrewpalewithanger;forwhetherCavalierknewtowhomhewasspeakingornot,hiswordshadtheeffectofaviolentblowfullinhisface;butbeforehecouldreplyM。deVillarsinterposed。
"Yourbusinessisonlywithme,sir,"hesaid;"attendtomealone,Ibeg:Ispeakinthenameoftheking;andtheking,ofhisclemency,wishestosparehissubjectsbytreatingthemwithtenderness。"
Cavalieropenedhismouthtoreply,buttheintendantcuthimshort。
"Ishouldhopethatthatsuffices,"hesaidcontemptuously:"aspardonismorethanyoucouldhavehopedfor,Isupposeyouarenotgoingtoinsistontheotherconditionsyoulaiddown？"
"Butitispreciselythoseotherconditions,"saidCavalier,addressinghimselftoM。deVillars,andnotseemingtoseethatanyoneelsewaspresent,"forwhichwehavefought。IfIwerealone,sir,Ishouldgivemyselfup,boundhandandfoot,withentireconfidenceinyourgoodfaith,demandingnoassurancesandexactingnoconditions;butIstandheretodefendtheinterestsofmybrethrenandfriendswhotrustme;andwhatismore,thingshavegonesofarthatwemusteitherdieweaponinhand,orobtainourrights。"
Theintendantwasabouttospeak,butthemarechalstoppedhimwithsuchanimperativegesturethathesteppedbackasiftoshowthathewashedhishandsofthewholematter。
"Whatarethoserights？AretheythosewhichM。Lalandehastransmittedtomebywordofmouth？"
"Yes,sir。"
"Itwouldbewelltocommitthemtowriting。"
"Ihavedoneso,monseigneur,andsentacopytoM。d'Aygaliers。"
"Ihavenotseenit,sir;makemeanothercopyandplaceitinmyhands,Ibeg。"
"Ishallgoandsetaboutitdirectly,monseigneur,"steppingbackasifabouttowithdraw。
"Onemoment！"saidthemarechal,detaininghimbyasmile。"Isittruethatyouarewillingtoentertheking'sarmy？"
"Iammorethanwilling,Idesireitwithallmyheart,"exclaimedCavalier,withthefrankenthusiasmnaturaltohisage,"butIcannotdosotillourjustdemandsaregranted。"
"Butiftheyweregranted——？"
"Then,sir,"repliedCavalier,"thekinghasneverhadmoreloyalsubjectsthanweshallbe。"
"Well,havealittlepatienceandeverythingwillbearranged,I
hope。"
"MayGodgrantit！"saidCavalier。"Heismywitnessthatwedesirepeacebeyondeverything。"Andhetookanotherstepbackwards。
"Youwillnotgotoofaraway,Ihope,"saidthemarechal。
"Weshallremainwhereveryourexcellencymayappoint,"saidCavalier。
Verywell,"continuedM。deVillars;"haltatCalvisson,andtryallyoucantoinducetheotherleaderstofollowyourexample。"
"Ishalldomybest,monseigneur;butwhileweawaitHisMajesty'sreplyshallwebeallowedtofulfilourreligiousdutiesunimpeded？"
"Yes,Ishallgiveordersthatyouaretohavefulllibertyinthatrespect。"
"Thanks,monseigneur。"
Cavalierbowedoncemore,andwasabouttogo;butM。deVillarsaccompaniedhimandLalande,whohadnowjoinedthem,andwhostoodwithhishandonCavalier'sshoulder,afewstepsfarther。Catinatseeingthattheconferencewasatanend,enteredthegardenwithhismen。ThereuponM。deVillarstookleave,sayingdistinctly,"Adieu,SeigneurCavalier,"andwithdrew,leavingtheyoungchiefsurroundedbyadozenpersonsallwantingtospeaktohimatonce。Forhalfanhourhewasdetainedbyquestions,toallofwhichherepliedpleasantly。OnonefingerwasanemeraldtakenfromanavalofficernamedDidier,whomhehadkilledwithhisownhandintheactionatDevoisdeMartignargues;hekepttimebyasuperbwatchwhichhadbelongedtoM。d'Acqueville,thesecondincommandofthemarines;
andheofferedhisquestionersfromtimetotimeperfumedsnufffromamagnificentsnuffbox,whichhehadfoundintheholsterswhenhetookpossessionofM。deLaJonquiere'shorse。Hetoldeveryonewhowishedtolistenthathehadneverintendedtorevoltagainsttheking;andthathewasnowreadytoshedthelastdropofhisbloodinhisservice;thathehadseveraltimesofferedtosurrenderonconditionthatlibertyofconsciencewasgrantedtothoseofthenewfaith,butthatM。deMontrevelhadalwaysrejectedhisoffers,sothathehadbeenobligedtoremainunderarms,inordertodeliverthosewhowereinprison,andtogainpermissionforthosewhowerefreetoworshipGodintheirownway。
Hesaidthesethingsinanunembarrassedandgracefulmanner,hatinhand;thenpassingthroughthecrowdwhichhadgatheredoutsidethegardenoftheRecollets,herepairedtotheHoteldelaPosteforlunch,andafterwardswalkedalongtheEsplanadetothehouseofoneGuyBillard,agardener,whowashisheadprophet'sfather。AshethusmovedabouthewasprecededbytwoCamisardswithdrawnswords,whomadewayforhim;andseveralladieswerepresentedtohimwhowerehappytotouchhisdoublet。Thevisitover,heonceagainpassedalongtheEsplanade,stillprecededbyhistwoCamisards,andjustashepassedtheLittleConventheandthosewithhimstruckupapsalmtune,andcontinuedsingingtilltheyreachedSaint—Cesaire,wherethehostageswere。Theseheatoncesentback。
FivehundredpersonsfromNimeswereawaitinghim;refreshmentswereofferedtohim,whichheacceptedgratefully,thankingallthosewhohadgatheredtogethertomeethim。AtlasthewentofftoSt。
Denoise,wherehewastosupandsleep;butbeforegoingtobedheofferedupsupplicationsinaloudvoicefortheking,forM。deVillars,forM。deLalande,andevenforM。deBaville。
Thenextmorning,Cavalier,accordingtopromise,sentacopyofhisdemandstoM。deVillars,whocausedittobelaidbeforetheking,alongwithafullreportofallthathadpassedattheinterviewatNimes。Assoonastheyoungchiefhadsentoffhismissive,herejoinedhistroopsatTarnac,andrelatedallthathadpassedtoRoland,urginghimtofollowhisexample。ThatnighthesleptatSauves,havingpassedthroughDurfortattheheadofhismen;acaptainofdragoonsnamedMontgros,withtwenty—fivesoldiers,accompanyinghimeverywhere,byM。deVillars'orders,andseeingthatthevillagesthroughwhichtheypassedfurnishedhimwithallthatwasneeded。TheyleftSauvesonMay16thveryearlyinthemorning,inordertogettoCalvisson,which,asourreadersmayremember,wastheplaceappointedfortheresidenceofCavalierduringthetruce。InpassingthroughQuissac,wheretheystoppedforrefreshments,theywerejoinedbyCastanetwhodeliveredalongsermon,atwhichalltheProtestantsoftheneighbourhoodwerepresent。
ThetwobattalionsoftheCharolaisregimentwhichwerequarteredatCalvissonhadreceivedordersontheeveningofthe17thtomarchoutnextmorning,soastomakeroomfortheCamisards。
Onthe18ththeheadofthecommissarydepartment,Vincel,orderedsuitableaccommodationtobeprovidedforCavalierandhistroops;
themusterrollbeinginthehandsofM。d'Aygaliers,itwouldbesentbyhimorbroughtinthecourseoftheday。Inthemeantime,vanswerearrivingfilledwithallsortsofprovisions,followedbydrovesofcattle,whileacommissaryandseveralclerks,chargedwiththedistributionofrations,broughtuptherear。
Onthe19th,Catinat,accompaniedbytwelveCamisards,rodeintothetown,andwasmetatthebarrierbythecommandantandeightytownspeople。Assoonasthelittlebandcameinsightthecommandantreiteratedhisordersthatnothingshouldbesaidordoneinthetown,onpainofcorporalpunishment,thatcouldoffendtheCamisards。
Atoneo'clockP。M。Barond'Aygaliersarrived,followedinhisturnbythechiefofthecommissariat,Vincel,byCaptainCappon,twootherofficersnamedVialaandDespuech,andsixdragoons。ThesewerethehostagesCavalierhadgiven。
Atsixo'clocktherewasheardagreatnoise;andshoutsof"Cavalier！Cavalier！"resoundedonallsides。TheyoungCevenolwasinsight,andthewholepopulationhastenedtomeethim。Herodeattheheadofhiscavalry,theinfantryfollowing,andthewholenumber——aboutsixhundredmen——sangpsalmsinaloudvoice。
Whentheyreachedthechurch,Cavalierdrewupbeforeitwithallhismeninrevieworder,andforsometimethesingingwenton。Whenitstopped,alongprayerwasofferedup,whichwasmostedifyingtoallthebystanders;andthisbeingover,Cavalierwenttothequartersassignedhim,whichwereinthebesthouseinCalvisson。Arrivedthere,hesentoutforadozenloavesthathemightjudgehowhismenweregoingtobefed;notfindingthemwhiteenough,hecomplainedtoM。Vincel,whomhesentfor,andwhopromisedthatinfuturethebreadshouldbeofabetterquality。Havingreceivedthisassurance,Cavaliergaveordersthattheloavesinhandshouldbedistributedforthatday,butprobablyfearingpoison,hefirstmadeM。deVincelandhisclerkstastetheminhispresence。Thesedutiesaccomplished,hevisitedinpersonallthegatesofthetown,placedguardsandpostedsentinelsatalltheentrancesandalongalltheavenues,themostadvancedbeingthree—quartersofaleaguefromthetown。Besidesthis,heplacedguardsinthestreets,andasentinelateachdoorofthehouseheoccupied;inaddition,thirtyguardsalwayssleptoutsidethedoorofhisbedroom,andtheseaccompaniedhimasanescortwhenhewentout;notthathewasafraid,forhewasnotofamistrustfulcharacter,butthathethoughtitpolitictogivepeopleanexaltedideaofhisimportance。Astohissoldiers,theywerebilletedontheinhabitants,andreceivedeachasdailyrationsapoundofmeat,aquartofwine,andtwoandahalfpoundsofbread。
Thesamedayaconvocationwasheldonthesiteoftheoldmeeting—housewhichhadbeendestroyedbytheCatholics。Itwasaverynumerousassembly,towhichcrowdsofpeoplecamefromallparts;butonthefollowingdaysitwasstillmorenumerous;for,asthenewsspread,peopleranwithgreateagernesstohearthepreachingofthewordofwhichtheyhadbeensolongdeprived。
D'AygalierstellsusinhisMemoirsthat——"Noonecouldhelpbeingtouchedtoseeawholepeoplejustescapedfromfireandsword,comingtogetherinmultitudestomingletheirtearsandsighs。Sofamishedweretheyforthemannadivine,thattheywerelikepeoplecomingoutofabesiegedcity,afteralongandcruelfamine,towhompeacehasbroughtfoodinabundance,andwho,firstdevouringitwiththeireyes,thenthrowthemselvesonit,devouringitbodily——meat,bread,andfruit——asitcomestohand。SoitwaswiththeunfortunateinhabitantsofLaVannage,andevenofplacesmoredistantstill。TheysawtheirbrethrenassemblinginthemeadowsandatthegatesofCalvisson,gatheringincrowdsandpressingroundanyonewhostartedsingingapsalm,untilatlastfourorfivethousandpersons,singing,weeping,andpraying,weregatheredtogether,andremainedthereallday,supplicatingGodwithadevotionthatwenttoeveryheartandmadeadeepimpression。Allnightthesamethingswenton;nothingwastobeheardbutpreaching,singing,praying,andprophesying。"
ButifitwasatimeofjoyfortheProtestants,itwasatimeofhumiliationfortheCatholics。"Certainly,"saysacontemporaryhistorian,"itwasaverysurprisingthing,andquiteanovelty,toseeinaprovincelikeLanguedoc,wheresomanytroopswerequartered,suchalargenumberofvillains——allmurderers,incendiaries,andguiltyofsacrilege——gatheredtogetherinoneplacebypermissionofthoseincommandofthetroops;toleratedintheireccentricities,fedatthepublicexpense,flatteredbyeveryone,andcourteously,receivedbypeoplesentspeciallytomeetthem。"
OneofthosewhowasmostindignantatthisstateofthingswasM。deBaville。Hewassoeagertoputanendtoitthathewenttoseethegovernor,andtoldhimthescandalwasbecomingtoogreatinhisopinion:theassembliesoughttobeputanendtobyallowingthetroopstofalluponthemanddispersethem;butthegovernorthoughtquiteotherwise,andtoldBavillethattoactaccordingtohisadvicewouldbetosetfiretotheprovinceagainandtoscatterforeverpeoplewhomtheyhadgottogetherwithsuchdifficulty。Inanycase,heremindedBavillethatwhatheobjectedtowouldbeoverinafewdays。HisopinionwasthatdeBavillemightstifletheexpressionofhisdissatisfactionforalittle,tobringaboutagreatgood。"Morethanthat,"addedthemarechal,"theimpatienceofthepriestsismostridiculous。Besidesyourremonstrances,ofwhichIhopeIhavenowheardthelast,IhavereceivednumberlesslettersfullofsuchcomplaintsthatitwouldseemasiftheprayersoftheCamisardsnotonlygratedontheearsoftheclergybutflayedthemalive。I
shouldlikeaboveeverythingtofindoutthewritersoftheseletters,inordertohavethemflogged;buttheyhavetakengoodcaretoputnosignatures。Iregarditasaverygreatimpertinenceforthosewhocausedthesedisturbancestogrumbleandexpresstheirdisapprovalatmyeffortstobringthemtoanend。"Afterthisspeech,M,deBavillesawtherewasnothingforhimtodobuttoletthingstaketheircourse。
ThecoursethattheytookturnedCavalier'sheadmoreandmore;forthankstotheinjunctionsofM。deVillars,alltheordersthatCavaliergavewereobeyedasiftheyhadbeenissuedbythegovernorhimself。Hehadacourtlikeaprince,lieutenantslikeageneral,andsecretarieslikeastatesman。ItwasthedutyofonesecretarytogiveleaveofabsencetothoseCamisardswhohadbusinesstoattendtoorwhodesiredtovisittheirrelations。Thefollowingisacopyoftheformusedforthesepassports:
"We,theundersigned,secretarytoBrotherCavalier,generalissimooftheHuguenots,permitbythisordergivenbyhimtoabsenthimselfonbusinessforthreedays。
"（SignedDUPONT。
"Calvisson,this————"
Andthesesafe—conductswereasmuchrespectedasiftheyhadbeensigned"MarechaldeVillars。"
Onthe22ndM。deSaint—Pierrearrivedfromthecourt,bringingthereplyofthekingtotheproposalswhichCavalierhadsubmittedtoM。deLalande。Whatthisreplywasdidnottranspire;probablyitwasnotinharmonywiththepacificintentionsofthemarechal。Atlast,onthe25th,theanswertothedemandswhichCavalierhadmadetoM。deVillarshimselfarrived。TheoriginalpaperwrittenbytheCamisardchiefhimselfhadbeensenttoLouisXIV,andhereturneditwithnotesinhisownwriting;thusthesetwohands,tooneofwhichbelongedtheshepherd'scrookandtotheotherthesceptre,hadrestedonthesamesheetofpaper。ThefollowingisthetextoftheagreementasgivenbyCavalierinhisMemoirs:
"THEHUMBLEPETITIONOFTHEREFORMERSOF
LANGUEDOCTOTHEKING
"1。Thatitmaypleasethekingtograntuslibertyofconsciencethroughouttheprovince,andtopermitustoholdreligiousmeetingsineverysuitableplace,exceptfortifiedplacesandwalledcities。
'Granted,onconditionthatnochurchesbebuilt。
"2。ThatallthoseinprisonoratthegalleyswhohavebeensenttheresincetherevocationoftheEdictofNantes,becauseoftheirreligion,besetatlibertywithinsixweeksfromthedateofthispetition。
'Granted。
"3。Thatallthosewhohaveleftthekingdombecauseoftheirreligionbeallowedtoreturninfreedomandsafety,andthattheirgoodsandprivilegesberestoredtothem。
'Grantedonconditionthattheytaketheoathoffidelitytotheking。
"4。ThattheParliamentofLanguedocbereestablishedonitsancientfooting,andwithallitsformerprivileges。
'Thekingreservesdecisiononthispoint。
"5。ThattheprovinceofLanguedocbeexemptedfromthepolltaxfortenyears,thistoapply,toCatholicsandProtestantsalike,bothsideshavingequallysuffered。
'Refused。
"6。ThatthecitiesofPerpignan,Montpellier,Cette,andAiguemortesbeassignedusascitiesofrefuge。
'Refused。
"7。ThattheinhabitantsoftheCevenneswhosehouseswereburntorotherwisedestroyedduringthewarbeexemptfromtaxesforsevenyears。
'Granted。
"8。ThatitmaypleaseHisMajestytopermitCavaliertochoose2000
men,bothfromamonghisowntroopsandfromamongthosewhomaybedeliveredfromtheprisonsandgalleys,toformaregimentofdragoonsfortheserviceofHisMajesty,andthatthisregimentwhenformedmayatoncebeorderedtoserveHisMajestyinPortugal。
'Granted:andonconditionthatalltheHuguenotseverywherelaydowntheirarms,thekingwillpermitthemtolivequietlyinthefreeexerciseoftheirreligion。'"
"IhadbeenaweekatCalvisson,"saysCavalierinhisMemoirs,"whenIreceivedaletterfromM。leMarechaldeVillarsorderingmetorepairtoNimes,ashewishedtoseeme,theanswertomydemands。
havingarrived。Iobeyedatonce,andwasverymuchdispleasedtofindthatseveralofmydemands,andinparticulartheonerelatingtothecitiesofrefuge,hadbeenrefused;butM。lemarechalassuredmethattheking'swordwasbetterthantwentycitiesofrefuge,andthatafterallthetroublewehadgivenhimweshouldregarditasshowinggreatclemencyonhispartthathehadgrantedusthegreaterpartofwhatwehadasked。Thisreasoningwasnotentirelyconvincing,butastherewasnomoretimefordeliberation,andasI
wasasanxiousforpeaceasthekinghimself,Idecidedtoacceptgracefullywhatwasoffered。"
AllthefurtheradvantagethatCavaliercouldobtainfromM。deVillarswasthatthetreatyshouldbearthedateofthedayonwhichithadbeendrawnup;inthismannertheprisonerswhoweretobesetatlibertyinsixweeksgainedoneweek。
M。deVillarswroteatthebottomofthetreaty,whichwassignedthesamedaybyhimandM。deBavilleonthepartoftheking,andbyCavalierandDanielBillardonthepartoftheProtestants,thefollowingratification:
"Invirtueoftheplenarypowerswhichwehavereceivedfromtheking,wehavegrantedtotheReformersofLanguedocthearticlesabovemadeknown。
"MARECHALDEVILLARSJ。CAVALIER
"LAMOIGNONDEBAVILLEDANIELBILLARD
"GivenatNimes,the17thofMay1704"
Thesetwosignatures,allunworthyastheyweretostandbesidetheirown,gavesuchgreatdelighttoMM。deVillarsanddeBaville,thattheyatoncesentofffreshorderstoCalvissonthatthewantsoftheCamisardsshouldbeabundantlysupplieduntilthearticlesofthetreatywereexecuted——thatistosay,untiltheprisonersandthegalleyslavesweresetatliberty,which,accordingtoarticle2ofthetreaty,wouldbewithinthenextsixweeks。AstoCavalier,themarechalgavehimonthespotacommissionascolonel,withapensionof1200livresattached,andthepowerofnominatingthesubordinateofficersinhisregiment,andatthesametimehehandedhimacaptain'scommissionforhisyoungbrother。
Cavalierdrewupthemuster—rolloftheregimentthesameday,andgaveittothemarechal。Itwastoconsistofsevenhundredandtwelvemen,formingfifteencompanies,withsixteencaptains,sixteenlieutenants,asergeant—major,andasurgeon—major。
Whileallthiswashappening,Roland,takingadvantageofthesuspensionofhostilities,wasridingupanddowntheprovinceasifhewereviceroyoftheCevennes,andwhereverheappearedhehadamagnificentreception。LikeCavalier,hegaveleaveofabsenceandfurnishedescorts,andheldhimselfhaughtily,surethathetoowouldsoonbenegotiatingtreatiesontermsofequalitywithmarshalsofFranceandgovernorsofprovinces。ButRolandwasmuchmistaken:M。
deVillarshadmadegreatconcessionstothepopularityofCavalier,buttheywerethelastheintendedtomake。So,insteadofbeinginhisturnsummonedtoNimes,orUzes,toconferwithM。deVillars,RolandmerelyreceivedanintimationfromCavalierthathedesiredtospeakwithhimonimportantbusiness。
TheymetnearAnduze,andCavalier,faithfultothepromisegiventoM。deVillars,neglectednoargumentthathecouldthinkoftoinduceRolandtofollowhisexample;butRolandwouldlistentonothing。
Then,whenCavaliersawthatargumentsandpromiseswereofnoavail,heraisedhisvoiceinanger;butRoland,layinghishandonhisshoulder,toldhimthathisheadwasturned,thatheshouldrememberthathe,Roland,washisseniorincommand,andthereforeboundbynothingthathadbeenpromisedinhisnamebyhisjunior,andthathehadregisteredavowinHeaventhatnothingwouldpersuadehimtomakepeaceunlesscompletelibertyofconscienceweregrantedtoall。
TheyoungCevenol,whowasunaccustomedtosuchlanguage,laidhishandonthehiltofhissword,Roland,steppingback,drewhis,andtheconsultationwouldhaveendedinadueliftheprophetshadnotthrownthemselvesbetweenthem,andsucceededingettingRolandtoconsenttooneoftheirnumber,amanmuchesteemedamongtheHuguenots,namedSalomon,goingbacktoNimeswithCavaliertolearnfromM。deVillars'ownmouthwhattheexacttermswerewhichCavalierhadacceptedandnowofferedtoRoland。
InacoupleofhoursCavalierandSalomonsetouttogether,andarrivedatNimesonthe27thMay,escortedbytwenty—fivemen;theyhaltedatthetowerofMagne,andtheProtestantsofthecitycameouttomeetthem,bringingrefreshments;then,afterprayersandahastymeal,theyadvancedtothebarracksandcrossedthecourtyards。
TheconcourseofpeopleandtheenthusiasmwasnowhitlessthanonCavalier'sfirstentry,morethanthreehundredpersonskissinghishandsandknees。Cavalierwasdressedonthisoccasioninadoubletofgreycloth,andabeaverhat,lacedwithgold,andadornedwithawhitefeather。
Cavalierandhistravelling—companionwentdirecttothegardenoftheRecollets,andhardlyhadtheygottherethanMM。deVillarsanddeBaville,accompaniedbyLalandeandSandricourt,cameouttomeetthem:theconferencelastedthreehours,butallthatcouldbelearnedoftheresultwasthatSalomonhaddeclaredthathisbrethrenwouldneverlaydowntheirarmstillfulllibertyofconsciencehadbeensecuredtothem。Inconsequenceofthisdeclaration,itwasdecidedthatCavalierandhisregimentshouldbedespatchedtoSpainwithoutdelay,inordertoweakentheCalvinistforcestothatextent;meantimeSalomonwassentbacktoRolandwithapositivepromisethatifhewouldsurrender,asCavalierhaddone,hewouldbegrantedthesameconditions——thatistosay,receiveacommissionascolonel,havetherighttonametheofficersofhisregiment,andreceiveapensionof1200livres。OnquittingthegardenoftheRecollets,Cavalierfoundasgreatacrowdaseverwaitingforhim,andsocloselydidtheypressonhimthattwoofhismenwereobligedtoridebeforehimwithdrawnsabrestoclearawayforhimtilltheMontpellierroadwasreached。HelaythatnightatLanglade,inordertorejoinhistroopsearlynextmorning。
Butduringhisabsencethingshadhappenedamongthesemen,whohadhithertoobeyedhimblindly,whichhelittleexpected。Hehadleft,asusual,Ravanelincommand;buthardlyhadheriddenawaywhenRavanelbegantotakeallkindsofprecautions,orderingthemennottolayasidetheirarms。ThenegotiationswithM。deVillarshadmadehimmostanxious;helookeduponallthepromisesgivenassnares,andheregardedthecompromisefavouredbyhischiefasadefectiononCavalier'spart。Hethereforecalledalltheofficersandmentogether,toldthemofhisfears,andendedbyimbuingthemwithhissuspicions。Thiswasallthemoreeasilydone,asitwasverywellknownthatCavalierhadjoinedtheHuguenotslessfromdevotiontothecausethantoavengeaprivatewrong,andonmanyoccasionshadgivenrisetotheremarkthathehadmoregeniusthanreligion。
So,ongettingbacktoCalvisson,theyoungchieffoundhisprincipalofficers,Ravanelattheirhead,drawnupinthemarket—place,waitingforhim。Assoonashedrewneartheytoldhimthattheyweredeterminedtoknowatoncewhatweretheconditionsofthetreatyhehadsignedwiththemarechal;theyhadmadeuptheirmindstohaveaplainanswerwithoutdelay。Suchawayofspeakingtohimwassostrangeandunexpected,thatCavaliershruggedhisshouldersandrepliedthatsuchmatterswerenobusinessoftheirs,beingtoohighfortheirintelligence;thatitwashisbusinesstodecidewhatcoursetotakeandtheirstotakeit;ithadalwaysbeensointhepast,andwiththehelpofGodandhisown,Cavalier's,goodwill,itshouldstillbesoinfuture;andhavingsospoken,hetoldthemtodisperse。Ravaneluponthiscameforward,andinthenameofalltheotherssaidtheywouldnotgoawayuntiltheyknewwhatordersCavalierwasabouttogivethetroops,thattheymightconsultamongthemselveswhethertheyshouldobeythemornot。ThisinsubordinationwastoomuchforCavalier'spatience。
"Theordersare,"hesaid,"toputontheuniformsthatarebeingmadeforyou,andtofollowmetoPortugal。"
Theeffectofsuchwordsonmenwhowereexpectingnothinglessthanthere—enactmentoftheEdictofNantes,canbeeasilyimagined;thewords"coward"and"traitor"couldbedistinguishedabovethemurmurs,asCavaliernoticedwithincreasingastonishment。Raisinghimselfinhisstirrups,andglancingroundwiththatlookbeforewhichtheyhadbeenusedtotremble,heaskedinavoiceascalmasifallthedemonsofangerwerenotraginginhisheart,"WhocalledJeanCavaliertraitorandcoward？"
"I,"saidRavanel,crossinghisarmsonhisbreast。
Cavalierdrewapistolfromhisholsters,andstrikingthosenearhimwiththebuttend,openedawaytowardshislieutenant,whodrewhissword;butatthismomentthecommissary—general,Vincel,andCaptainCapponthrewthemselvesbetweenthetwoandaskedthecauseofthequarrel。
"Thecause,"saidRavanel,"isthattheCadetsoftheCross,ledbythe'Hermit,'havejustknockedoutthebrainsoftwoofourbrethren,whowerecomingtojoinus,andarehinderingothersfrontattendingourmeetingstoworshipGod:theconditionsofthetrucehavingbeenthusbroken,isitlikelytheywillkeepthoseofthetreaty？Werefusetoacceptthetreaty。"
"Sir,"saidVincel,"ifthe'Hermit'hasdonewhatyousay,itisagainsttheordersofthemarachal,andthemisdoerwillbepunished;