Chapter 13: At Laville.
The queen was standing at the door of the house where she had laindown for a few hours' rest, after her arrival. The prince wasstanding beside her.
"Here is our English friend, mother," he exclaimed, running forwardto meet Philip.
"Welcome, Monsieur Fletcher. When we found that you were not here,on our arrival last night, we feared that some evil had befallenyou."
"Monsieur Fletcher is well able to take care of himself, prince. Hehas been having adventures enough," Gaston de Rebers said.
"You must tell me about them as we ride," the prince said. "I loveadventures, Monsieur Fletcher."
They had now reached the queen.
"I am glad to see you, Monsieur Fletcher. Of course, it was in oneway a relief to us, when we crossed the river and did not find youthere; for I was sure you would have been there to give us warning,had there been danger on the way; but I thought you might come inany case, and when we found that you had not arrived here beforeus, I was afraid that something might have befallen you."
"I have had some slight troubles, your majesty; and to my greatregret, I was unable to meet you at the passage of the river. Ishould have been here long before daylight, but we were unable tofind the road in the dark, and had to wait until we could inquirethe way."
"Monsieur Fletcher is pleased to say that he has had some slighttroubles, madame," Gaston said; "but as the troubles included theslaying in a duel of Raoul de Fontaine, one of the bitterestenemies of our faith, and moreover a noted duellist; and an escapefrom the castle of Agen, where he was confined as a suspectedHuguenot and spy, the term slight does not very aptly describethem."
"What!" A tall soldierly old man, standing next to the queen,exclaimed. "Do you mean to say, De Rebers, that Monsieur Fletcherhas killed Raoul de Fontaine in a duel?
"If so, I congratulate your majesty. He was a bitter persecutor ofthe Huguenots, and one of the hottest headed and most troublesomenobles in the province. Moreover, he can put a hundred and fiftymen into the field; and although his cousin Louis, who is his heir,is also Catholic, he is a man of very different kind, and ishonoured by Huguenot and Catholic alike. But how this gentlemancould have killed so notable a swordsman is more than I canunderstand. He looks, if you will pardon my saying so, a mereyouth."
"He rode beside Francois de la Noue in the battle of Saint Denis,seneschal," the queen said; "and as he was chosen by my cousinConde, and Admiral Coligny, for the difficult and dangerousenterprise of carrying a communication to me, it is clear that,whatever his years, he is well fitted to act a man's part."
"That is so," the seneschal said heartily. "I shall be glad to talkto you again, sir; but at present, madame, it is time to mount. Thetroops are mustering, and we have a long ride before us.
"If you will lead the way with the infantry at once, Monsieur deRebers, we will follow as soon as we are mounted. We must go yourpace, but as soon as we start I will send a party to ride a mileahead of you, and see that the roads are clear."
At starting, the queen rode with the prince and the seneschal atthe head of the mounted party, some two hundred and fifty strong;and behind followed the noblemen and gentlemen who had come withher, and those who had accompanied the seneschal. Philip, who knewno one, rode near the rear of this train, behind which followed thearmed retainers.
In a short time a gentleman rode back through the party.
"Monsieur Fletcher," he said, when he reached Philip, "the princehas asked me to say that it is his wish that you shall rideforward, and accompany him."
Philip turned into the field, and rode to the head of the party.The prince, who was looking round, at once reined in his horse andtook his place beside him.
"Now, Monsieur Philip, you must tell me all about it. I am tired ofhearing consultations about roads and Catholic forces. I want tohear a full account of your adventures, just as you told me thetale of your journey to Nerac."
During the course of the day, several parties of gentlemen joinedthe little force. So well organized were the Huguenots that, duringthe last two or three days, the news had passed from mouth to mouththroughout the province for all to assemble, if possible, at pointsindicated to them; and all knew the day on which the seneschalwould march north from Villeneuve. Yet so well was the secret kept,that the Catholics remained in total ignorance of the movement.Consequently, at every village there were accessions of forceawaiting the seneschal, and parties of from ten to a hundred rodeup and joined them on the march.
After marching twenty miles, they halted at the foot of a chain ofhills, their numbers having been increased during the day to overtwelve hundred men. The queen and her son found rough accommodationin a small village, the rest bivouacked round it.
At midnight three hundred cavalry and two hundred footmen startedacross the hills, so as to come down upon Bergerac and seize thebridge across the Dordogne; then at daylight the rest of the forcemarched. On reaching the river they found that the bridge had beenseized without resistance. Three hundred gentlemen and theirretainers, of the province of Perigord, had assembled within half amile of the other side of the bridge, and had joined the party asthey came down. A Catholic force of two hundred men, in the town,had been taken by surprise and captured, for the most part in theirbeds.
The queen had issued most stringent orders that there was to be nounnecessary bloodshed; and the Catholic soldiers, having beenstripped of their arms and armour, which were divided among thoseof the Huguenots who were ill provided, were allowed to departunharmed the next morning, some fifteen gentlemen being retained asprisoners. Three hundred more Huguenots rode into Bergerac in thecourse of the day.
The footmen marched forward in the afternoon, and were directed tostop at a village, twelve miles on. As the next day's journey wouldbe a long one, the start was again made early; and late in theafternoon the little army, which had been joined by two hundredmore in the course of the day, arrived within sight of Perigueux.Five hundred horsemen had ridden forward, two hours before, tosecure the bridge.
The seneschal had, after occupying Bergerac, placed horsemen on allthe roads leading north, to prevent the news from spreading; andPerigueux, a large and important town, was utterly unprepared forthe advent of an enemy. A few of the troops took up arms and made ahasty resistance, but were speedily dispersed. The greater portionfled, at the first alarm, to the castle, where D'Escars himself wasstaying. He had, only two days before, sent off a despatch to thecourt declaring that he had taken his measures so well that not aHuguenot in the province would take up arms.
His force was still superior to that of the horsemen, but histroops were disorganized; and many, in their flight, had left theirarms behind them, and he was therefore obliged to remain inactivein the citadel; and his mortification and fury were complete, whenthe seneschal's main body marched through the town and halted, forthe night, a league beyond it.
The next day they crossed the Dronne at Brantome, and then turnedto the west. The way was now open to them and, with two thousandmen, the seneschal felt capable of coping with any force that couldbe got together to attack them. A halt was made for a day, to restthe men and horses and, four days later, after crossing thePerigord hills, and keeping ten miles south of Angouleme, they camewithin sight of Cognac. Messages had already been sent on toannounce their coming and, five miles from the town, they were metby the Prince of Conde and the Admiral.
"Your first message lifted a load from our minds, madame," theAdmiral said. "The last news I received of you was that you werestill at Nerac, and as an intercepted despatch informed us thatorders had been sent from the court for your immediate arrest, wewere in great uneasiness about you."
"We left Nerac just in time," the queen said; "for, as we havelearned, the governor of Agen, with a strong force, left that cityto effect our capture at the very hour that we started on ourflight."
"Did you know where you would find us, madame? We sent off amessage by trusty hands, but whether the gentleman reached you weknow not.
"
"Indeed he did, and has since rendered us good service; and Henrihere has taken so great a fancy to him that, since we leftVilleneuve, he has always ridden by his side."
After Conde had presented the gentlemen who had ridden out with himto the queen, and the seneschal in turn had introduced the mostimportant nobles and gentlemen to the prince and Admiral, theyproceeded on their way.
"Have you taken Cognac, cousin?" the queen asked Conde.
"No, madame; the place still holds out. We have captured Saint Jeand'Angely, but Cognac is obstinate, and we have no cannon with whichto batter its walls."
As soon, however, as the queen arrived at the camp, a summons wassent in in her name and, influenced by this, and by the sight ofthe reinforcements she had brought with her, Cognac at oncesurrendered.
As soon as Philip rode into camp, he was greeted joyously by hiscousin Francois.
"We did not think, when we parted outside Niort, that we were goingto be separated so long," he said, after they had shaken handsheartily. "I was astonished indeed when, two days later, I met theAdmiral outside the walls of the town again, to hear that you hadgone off to make your way through to Nerac.
"I want to hear all your adventures. We have not had much fighting.Niort made but a poor resistance, and Parthenay surrendered withoutstriking a blow; then I went with the party that occupied Fontenay.The Catholics fought stoutly there, but we were too strong forthem. Those three places have given La Rochelle three bulwarks tothe north.
"Then we started again from La Rochelle, and marched to Saint Jeand'Angely, which we carried by storm. Then we came on here, and Ibelieve we shall have a try at Saintes or Angouleme. When we havecaptured them, we shall have a complete cordon of strong placesround La Rochelle.
"We expect La Noue down from Brittany every hour, with a force hehas raised there and in Normandy; and we have heard that a largeforce has gathered in Languedoc, and is advancing to join us; andall is going so well that I fancy, if Monsieur d'Anjou does notcome to us before long, we shall set out in search of him.
"So much for our doings; now sit down comfortably in my tent, andtell me all about your journey. I see you have brought Pierre andyour two men back with you."
"You would be nearer the truth, if you said that Pierre and the twomen had brought me back," Philip laughed; "for if it had not beenfor them, I should probably have lost my head the day after thequeen left Nerac."
"That is a good beginning to the story, Philip; but tell me thewhole in proper order, as it happened."
Philip told his story at length, and his cousin was greatly pleasedat the manner in which he had got through his various dangers anddifficulties.
The queen remained but a few hours with the army, after Cognac hadopened its gates. After a long conference with the Prince of Conde,the Admiral, and the other leaders, she left under a strong escortfor La Rochelle; leaving the young prince with the army, of whichhe was given the nominal command, as his near connection with theroyal family, and the fact that he was there as the representativeof his mother, strengthened the Huguenot cause; which could nolonger be described, by the agents of the French court with foreignpowers, as a mere rising of slight importance, the work only ofConde, Coligny, and a few other ambitious and turbulent nobles.
"I asked my mother to appoint you as one of the gentlemen who areto ride with me, Monsieur Fletcher," the young prince said toPhilip, when he saw him on the day after the queen's departure;"but she and the Admiral both said no. It is not because they donot like you, you know; and the Admiral said that he could verywell trust me with you. But when my mother told him that I hadridden with you for the last four days, he said that it would causejealousy, when there were so many young French nobles and gentlemenin the camp, if I were to choose you in preference to them as mycompanion; you being only French on your mother's side, and havingan English name. I begged them to let me tell you this, for I wouldrather ride with you than with any of them; and I should not likeyou to think that I did not care to have you with me, any more.
"I think it hard. They call me the commander of this army, and Ican't have my own way even in a little thing like this. Some day,Monsieur Fletcher, I shall be able to do as I please, and then Ihope to have you near me."
"I am greatly obliged to your Highness," Philip said; "but I amsure the counsel that has been given you is right, and that it isfar better for you to be in the company of French gentlemen. I havecome over here solely to do what little I can to aid my mother'srelations, and those oppressed for their faith; and though I amflattered by your wish that I should be near you, I would rather betaking an active share in the work that has to be done."
"Yes, the Admiral said that. He said that, while many a youth wouldbe most gratified at being selected to be my companion, he was surethat you would far rather ride with your cousin, Monsieur DeLaville; and that it would be a pity to keep one, who bids fair tobe a great soldier, acting the part of nurse to me. It was notquite civil of the Admiral; for I don't want a nurse of that kind,and would a thousand times rather ride as an esquire to you, andtake share in your adventures. But the Admiral is always plainspoken; still, as I know well that he is good and wise, and thegreatest soldier in France, I do not mind what he says."
Angouleme and Saintes were both captured without much difficulty;and then, moving south from Angouleme, the army captured Pons andBlaye, and thus possessed themselves of a complete semicircle oftowns round La Rochelle.
A short time afterwards, they were joined by a strong force ofHuguenots from Languedoc and Provence. These had marched north,without meeting with any enemy strong enough to give them battle;and when they joined the force under the Admiral, they raised itsstrength to a total of three thousand cavalry, and twenty thousandinfantry.
By this time the royal army of the Prince d'Anjou, having unitedwith that raised by the Guises, had advanced to Poitiers. Theseason was now far advanced. Indeed, winter had already set in.Both armies were anxious to fight; but the royalist leaders,bearing in mind the desperate valour that the Huguenots haddisplayed at Saint Denis, were unwilling to give battle, unless ina position that afforded them every advantage for the movements oftheir cavalry, in which they were greatly superior in strength tothe Huguenots.
The Admiral was equally determined not to throw away the advantagehe possessed in his large force of infantry; and after being insight of each other for some time, and several skirmishes havingtaken place, both armies fell back into winter quarters--theseverity of the weather being too great to keep the soldiers,without tents or other shelter, in the field.
During these operations Philip and his cousin had again ridden withFrancois de la Noue, who had rejoined the army after a mostperilous march, in which he and the small body of troops he hadbrought from Brittany had succeeded in making their way through thehostile country, and in crossing the fords of the interveningrivers, after hard fighting and considerable loss.
As soon as the intense cold had driven both armies to the shelterof the towns, the count said to Francois:
"You and Philip had better march at once, with your troop, toLaville. It will cost far less to maintain them at the chateau,than elsewhere; indeed the men can, for the most part, return totheir farms.
"But you must be watchful, Francois, now that a portion of Anjou'sarmy is lying at Poitiers. They may, should the weather break, makeraids into our country; and as Laville is the nearest point toPoitiers held for us, they might well make a dash at it."
The countess welcomed them back heartily, but expressed greatdisappointment that the season should have passed without thearmies meeting.
"It was the same last time. It was the delay that ruined us. Withthe best will in the world, there are few who can afford to keeptheir retainers in the field for month after month; and the men,themselves, are longing to be back to their farms and families.
"We shall have to keep a keen lookout, through the winter.Fortunately our harvest here is a good one, and the granaries areall full; so that we shal
l be able to keep the men-at-arms onthrough the winter, without much expense. I feel more anxious aboutthe tenants than about ourselves."
"Yes, mother, there is no doubt there is considerable risk of theenemy trying to beat us up; and we must arrange for signals, sothat our people may have time to fall back here. Philip and I willthink it over. We ought to be able to contrive some scheme betweenus."
"Do so, Francois. I feel safe against surprise here; but I neverretire to rest, without wondering whether the night will passwithout the tenants' farms and stacks being set ablaze, and theyand their families slaughtered on their own hearth stones."
"I suppose, Francois," Philip said to him as they stood at thelookout, next morning, "there is not much doubt which way theywould cross the hills, coming from Poitiers. They would be almostsure to come by that road that we travelled by, when we went toChatillon. It comes down over the hills, two miles to the west.
"There it is, you see. You just catch sight of it, as it crossesthat shoulder. Your land does not go as far as that, does it?"
"No, it only extends a mile in that direction, and four miles inthe other, and five miles out into the plain."
"Are there many Huguenots on the other side of the hill?"
"Yes, there are some; but as you know, our strength is in the otherdirection. What are you thinking of?"
"I was thinking that we might make an arrangement with someone, ina village some seven or eight miles beyond the hills, to keep a boyon watch night and day; so that, directly a body of Catholic troopswere seen coming along, he should start at full speed to some placea quarter of a mile away, and there set light to a beacon piled inreadiness.
"We, on our part, would have a watch set on the top of this hillbehind us; at a spot where the hill on which the beacon was placedwould be visible. Then at night the fire, and by day the smokewould serve as a warning. Our watchman would, at once, fire anarquebus and light another beacon; which would be the signal forall within reach to come here, as quickly as possible.
"At each farmhouse a lookout must, of course, be kept night andday. I should advise the tenants to send up as much of their cornand hay as possible, at once; and that the cattle should be drivenup close to the chateau, at night."
"I think that would be a very good plan, Philip. I am sure thatamong our men-at-arms must be some who have acquaintances andfriends on the other side of the hill. It will be best that theyshould make the arrangements for the firing of the signal beacon.We might even station one of them in a village there, under thepretence that he had been knocked up with the cold and hardship,and was desirous of staying quietly with his friends. He wouldwatch at night and could sleep by day, as his friends would wakenhim at once, if any troops passed along."
The same afternoon, one of the men-at-arms prepared to start for avillage, eight miles beyond the hill.
"There is no rising ground near it," he said to Francois, "thatcould well be seen from the top of the hill here; but about half amile away from the village there is an old tower. It is in ruins,and has been so ever since I can remember. I have often climbed toits top, when I was a boy. At this time of year, there is no chanceof anyone visiting the place. I could collect wood and pile it,ready for a fire, without any risk whatever. I can point out theexact direction of the tower from the top of the hill, so that thewatchers would know where to keep their attention fixed."
"Well, you had better go up with us at once, then, so that I shallbe able to instruct the men who will keep watch. We will build ahut up there for them, and keep three men on guard; so that theywill watch four hours apiece, day and night."
The distance was too great to make out the tower; but as thesoldier knew its exact position, he drove two stakes into theground, three feet apart.
"Now," he said, "a man, looking along the line of the tops of thesestakes, will be looking as near as may be at the tower."
The tenants were all visited, and were warned to keep a member oftheir family always on the watch for fire, or smoke, from thelittle hut at the top of the hill. As soon as the signal was seen,night or day, they were to make their way to the chateau, drivingtheir horses and most valuable stock before them, and taking suchgoods as they could remove.
"You had better let two horses remain with their harness on, nightand day; and have a cart in readiness, close to your house. Then,when the signal is given, the women will only have to bundle theirgoods and children into the cart; while the men get their arms, andprepare to drive in their cattle.
"The Catholics will show no mercy to any of the faith they mayfind; while as to the chateau, it can make a stout resistance, andyou may be sure that it will not be long before help arrives, fromNiort or La Rochelle."
Arrangements were also made, with the Huguenot gentry in theneighbourhood, that they should keep a lookout for the signal; andon observing it light other beacons, so that the news could bespread rapidly over that part of the country. As soon as the fireswere seen, the women and children were to take to the hills, thecattle to be driven off by the boys, and the men to arm themselvesand mount.
"Of course," the countess said, at a council where all thesearrangements were made, "we must be guided by the number sentagainst us. If, by uniting your bands together, you think you canraise the siege, we will sally out as soon as you attack and joinyou; but do not attack, unless you think that our united forces candefeat them. If we could defeat them, we should save your chateauxand farms from fire and ruin.
"If you find they are too strong to attack, you might harassparties sent out to plunder, and so save your houses, while youdespatch men to ask for help from the Admiral. If, however, theyare so strong in cavalry that you could not keep the field againstthem, I should say it were best that you should ride away, and joinany party advancing to our assistance."
A month passed quietly. Every day, a soldier carrying wine andprovisions rode to the hut that had been built, on the crest of thehill three miles away.
Eight o'clock one evening, towards the end of January, the alarmbell rang from the lookout tower. Philip and his cousin ran up.
"There is the beacon alight at the hut, count," the lookout said.
"Light this bonfire then, Jules, and keep the alarm bell going.
"To horse, men!" he cried, looking over the parapet. "Bring out ourhorses with your own."
The men had been previously told off in twos and threes to thevarious farmhouses, to aid in driving in the cattle and, as soon asthey were mounted, each party dashed off to its destination. Fromthe watchtower four or five fires could be seen blazing in thedistance, showing that the lookouts had everywhere been vigilant,and that the news had already been carried far and wide.
Francois and Philip rode up to the hut on the hill.
"There is no mistake, I hope," Francois said as, a quarter of amile before they reached it, they met the three men-at-arms comingdown.
"No, count, it was exactly in a line with the two stakes and, Ishould think, about the distance away that you told us the towerwas. It has died down now."
The beacon fire near the hut had been placed fifty yards below thecrest of the hill, so that its flame should not be seen from theother side. This had been at Philip's suggestion.
"If it is put where they can see it," he said, "they will feel surethat it is in answer to that fire behind them, and will ride atfull speed, so as to get here before the news spreads. If they seeno answering fire, they may suppose that the first was but anaccident. They may even halt at the village, and send off some mento see what has caused the fire; or if they ride straight through,they will be at some little distance before Simon has got to thefire and lighted it, and may not care to waste time sending back.At any rate, it is better that they should see no flame up here."
They had often talked the matter over, and had agreed that, even ifthe column was composed only of cavalry, it would be from an hourand a half to two hours before it arrived at the chateau, as itwould doubtless have performed a long journey; while if there wereinfantry with the
m, they would take double that time.
Directly an alarm had been given, two of the youngest and mostactive of the men-at-arms had set off, to take post at the pointwhere the road crossed the hill. Their orders were to lie stilltill all had passed, and then to make their way back along thehill, at full speed, to inform the garrison of the strength andcomposition of the attacking force.
When they returned to the chateau, people were already pouring infrom the neighbouring farms; the women staggering under heavyburdens, and the men driving their cattle before them, or leadingstrings of horses. The seneschal and the retainers were at work,trying to keep some sort of order; directing the men to drive thecattle into the countess's garden, and the women to put down theirbelongings in the courtyard, where they would be out of the way;while the countess saw that her maids spread rushes, thickly, alongby the walls of the rooms that were to be given up to the use ofthe women and children.
Cressets had been lighted in the courtyard, but the bonfire was nowextinguished so that the enemy, on reaching the top of the hill,should see nothing to lead them to suppose that their coming wasknown. The alarm bell had ceased sending its loud summons into theair; but there was still a variety of noises that were almostdeafening: the lowing of cattle, disturbed and angered at theunaccustomed movement; mingled with the shouts of men, the barkingof dogs, and the crying of frightened children.
"I will aid the seneschal in getting things into order down here,Francois," Philip said, "while you see to the defence of the walls,posting the men, and getting everything in readiness to give them areception. I will look after the postern doors, and see that theplanks across the moats are removed, and the bolts and bars inplace."
Francois nodded and, bidding the men-at-arms, who had alreadyreturned, stable their horses and follow him, he proceeded to thewalls.
"This is enough to make one weep," Pierre said, as the oxen pouredinto the courtyard, and then through the archway that led to thecountess's garden.
"What is enough, Pierre? To see all these poor women and children,who are likely to behold their homesteads in flames, before manyhours?"
"Well, I did not mean that, master; though I don't say that is notsad enough, in its way; but that is the fortune of war, as it were.I meant the countess's garden being destroyed. The beasts willtrample down all the shrubs and, in a week, it will be no betterthan a farmyard."
Philip laughed.
"That is of very little consequence, Pierre. A week's work, withplenty of hands, will set that right again. Still, no doubt it willvex the countess, who is very fond of her garden."
"A week!" Pierre said. "Why, sir, it will take years and yearsbefore those yew hedges grow again."
"Ah well, Pierre, if the countess keeps a roof over her head shemay be well content, in these stormy times. You had better go andsee if she and her maids have got those chambers ready for thewomen. If they have, get them all in as quickly as you can. Thesebeasts come into the courtyard with such a rush that some of thepeople will be trampled upon, if we do not get them out of theway."
"Most of them have gone into the hall, sir. The countess gaveorders that all were to go in as they came; but I suppose theservants have been too busy to tell the latecomers. I will get therest in, at once."
As soon as the farmers and their men had driven the animals intothe garden, they went up to the walls, all having brought theirarms in with them. The boys were left below, to look after thecattle.
"Nothing can be done tonight," Philip said to some of the men. "Thecattle will come to no harm and, as the boys cannot keep them frombreaking down the shrubs, they had best leave them alone, or theywill run the risk of getting hurt. The boys will do more good bytaking charge of the more valuable horses, as they come in, andfastening them up to the rings round the wall here. The cart horsesmust go in with the cattle."
Several gentlemen, with their wives and families, came in among thefugitives. Their houses were not in a condition to withstand asiege, and it had long been settled that they should come into thechateau, if danger threatened. The ladies were taken to thecountess's apartments, while the gentlemen went to aid Francois inthe defence.
An hour and a half after the lads returned to the castle, themen-at-arms who had been sent to watch the road came in. Theyreported that the column approaching consisted of about threehundred mounted men, and fifteen hundred infantry.
Roger had, all this time, been standing by the side of his saddledhorse. Philip hurried to him, as soon as the men came in.
"Three hundred horsemen and fifteen hundred foot! Ride at fullspeed to La Rochelle. Tell the Admiral the numbers, and requesthim, in the name of the countess, to come to her assistance. Beghim to use all speed, for no doubt they will attack hotly, knowingthat aid will soon be forthcoming to us."
Roger leapt to his saddle, and galloped out through the gate. A manhad been placed there to mark off the names of all who entered,from the list that had been furnished him. Philip took it, and sawthat a cross had been placed against every name. He therefore wentup to the top of the wall.
"The tenants are all in, Francois!"
"Very well, then, I will have the drawbridge raised and the gatesclosed. I am glad, indeed, that we have had time given us for themall to enter. My mother would have been very grieved, if harm hadcome to any of them.
"I have everything in readiness, here. I have posted men at everywindow and loophole, where the house rises from the side of themoat. All the rest are on the walls. I will take command here bythe gate and along the wall. Do you take charge of the defence ofthe house, itself. However, you may as well stay here with me,until we have had our first talk with them. Pass the word along thewalls for perfect silence."
In another half hour they heard a dull sound. Presently it becamelouder, and they could distinguish, above the trampling of horses,the clash of steel. It came nearer and nearer, until within two orthree hundred yards of the chateau, then it ceased. Presently afigure could be made out, creeping quietly forward until it reachedthe edge of the moat. It paused a moment, and then retired.
"He has been sent to find out whether the drawbridge is down,"Francois whispered to Philip. "We shall see what they will do now."
There was a pause for ten minutes, then a heavy mass of men couldbe seen approaching.
"Doubtless they will have planks with them, to push across themoat," Philip said.
"We will let them come within twenty yards," Francois replied,"then I think we shall astonish them."
Believing that all in the chateau were asleep, and that even theprecaution of keeping a watchman on the walls had been neglected,the assailants advanced eagerly. Suddenly, the silence on the wallswas broken by a voice shouting, "Give fire!" And then, from alongthe whole face of the battlements, deadly fire from arquebuses waspoured into them. A moment later half a dozen fireballs were flunginto the column, and a rain of crossbow bolts followed.
Shouts of astonishment, rage, and pain broke from the mass and,breaking up, they recoiled in confusion; while the shouts of theofficers, urging them forward, could be heard. The heavy fire fromthe walls was, however, too much for men who had expected noresistance, but had moved forward believing that they had but tosack and plunder; and in two or three minutes from the first shotbeing fired, all who were able to do so had retired; though anumber of dark figures, dotting the ground, showed how deadly hadbeen the fire of the besieged.
"They will do nothing more tonight, I fancy," one of the Huguenotgentlemen standing by the two friends remarked. "They expected totake you entirely by surprise. Now that they have failed in doingso, they will wait until morning to reconnoitre, and decide on thebest points of attack. Besides, no doubt they have marched far, andare in need of rest before renewing the assault."
"Well, gentlemen," Francois said, "it would be needless for you allto remain here; and when they once begin in earnest, there will bebut slight opportunity of rest until relief reaches us. Therefore,I beg you to go below. You will find a table laid in the hall, andtw
o chambers roughly prepared for you; and you can get a few hours'sleep.
"I myself, with my own men, will keep watch. Should they muster foranother attack, my horn will summon you again to the wall.
"Philip, will you go down and see that these gentlemen have allthat they require? You can dismiss all save our own men from guard,on the other side of the house. The tenants and their men will allsleep in the hall."
Philip went down, and presided at the long table. The gentlemenwere seated near him while, below them, the tenants and otherfollowers took their places. There was enough cold meat, game, andpies for all; and when they had finished, the defenders of the wallcame down, half at a time, for a meal.
When the gentlemen had retired to their apartments, and the farmersand their men had thrown themselves down upon the rushes strewn oneach side of the hall, Philip went up to join Francois.
"Any sign of them, Francois?"
"None at all. I expect they are thoroughly tired out, and are lyingdown just as they halted. There is no fear that we shall hear anymore of them, tonight."