Leigh Stansfield had ridden with Rochejaquelein during the march of
the army to Vezins, and from there to Bressuire. He was charmed
with his companion, who had been the first to dash, with a few
other mounted gentlemen, into the streets of Vezins; and who had
thrown himself, with reckless bravery, upon the retreating infantry
and, as the peasants came up, had led them to the attack several
times, until Cathelineau's orders, that the pursuit should be
pushed no farther, reached him.
"That sort of order is very hard to obey," he said to Leigh.
"However, I need not regret that these brave fellows should escape
us. We have won the battle, if one can call it a battle; and I
honour the men who, when all the others have fled like sheep, still
cling together and defend their guns. At least a hundred of them
have fallen, since they left the town; and we have lost double that
number, and should lose at least as many more, before we finally
overcame their opposition. If all the armies of the Republic were
composed of such stuff as this regiment, I fear that our chance of
defending La Vendee successfully would be small, indeed."
On rejoining Cathelineau, and hearing his reason for calling off
the pursuit, Henri at once admitted its wisdom.
"After the defeat of Leigonyer, you will see that Berruyer will not
long be able to maintain himself at Chemille," he said; "and when
he hears the news, I fancy that he will retire at once; for he will
know, well enough, that it will be useless for him to pursue us.
Still, if he were to come down on our rear as we advanced, it would
have a bad effect upon the peasants; and it is much better to avoid
fighting, unless under circumstances that are almost sure to give
us victory. We can almost always choose our own ground, which is an
enormous advantage in a country like this. It is very fortunate
that it is so, for we certainly could not raise a body of cavalry
that could stand against those of the line; but in these lanes and
thickets they have no superiority in that respect, for no general
would be fool enough to send cavalry into places where they would
be at the mercy of an unseen foe. At the same time, I must own that
I regretted today that we had no mounted force. With but a squadron
or two of my old regiment, not a man of Leigonyer's force would
have escaped; for the country here is open enough to use them, and
I should certainly have had no compunction in cutting down the
rascals who are always shouting for blood, and yet are such arrant
cowards that they fly without firing a shot."
The day after the capture of Bressuire the Vendeans marched against
Thouars, to which town Quetineau had retreated with his force.
Thouars was the only town in La Vendee which was still walled. The
fortifications were in a dilapidated condition, but nevertheless
offered a considerable advantage to a force determined upon a
desperate resistance. With the fugitives from Bressuire, and the
garrison already in Thouars, Quetineau was at the head of three
thousand five hundred troops; of these, however, comparatively few
could be depended upon. The successive defeats that had been
inflicted on the troops of the Republic, by the Vendeans, had
entirely destroyed their morale. They no longer felt any confidence
in their power to resist the onslaught of the peasants.
Quetineau himself had no hope of making a successful resistance. He
had repeatedly written urgent letters to the authorities at Paris,
saying that nothing could be done without large reinforcements of
disciplined troops; and that the National Guard and volunteers were
worse than useless, as they frequently ran at the first shot, and
excited the hostility of the people, generally, by their habits of
plundering. Nevertheless, the old soldier determined to resist to
the last, however hopeless the conflict; and when the Vendeans
approached, at six o'clock in the morning, they found that the
bridge of Viennes was barricaded and guarded.
As soon as they attacked, the general reinforced the defenders of
the bridge by his most trustworthy troops; a battalion, three
hundred and twenty-five strong, of Marseillais, and a battalion of
the National Guard of Nievre. So stoutly was the post held that the
Vendean general saw that the bridge could not be taken, without
terrible loss. He therefore contented himself with keeping up a
heavy fire all day, while preparing an attack from other quarters.
The first step was to destroy the bridge behind the castle, and to
make a breach in the wall near the Paris gate, thereby cutting off
the garrison's means of retreat. At five o'clock a large body of
peasantry was massed for an attack on the bridge at Viennes; and
its defenders, seeing the storm that was preparing, retired into
the town. The Vendeans crossed the bridge but, as they approached
the walls, they were attacked by a battalion of the National Guard
of Deux Sevres and a body of gendarmes and, taken by surprise, were
driven back some distance. Their leaders, however, speedily rallied
them; and in the meantime other bodies forced their way into the
town, at several points.
To avoid a massacre of his troops, Quetineau hoisted the white
flag. On this, as on all other occasions in the northern portion of
La Vendee, the prisoners were well treated. They were offered their
freedom, on condition of promising not to serve against La Vendee
again; and to ensure that this oath should be kept for some time,
at least, their heads were shaved before their release, a step that
was afterwards taken throughout the war.
Quetineau was treated with all honour, and was given his freedom,
without conditions. Although he knew well that neither his long
services, nor the efforts that he had made, would save him from the
fury of the Convention; he returned to Paris where, after the
mockery of a trial, he was sent to the guillotine--a fate which
awaited all those who failed, in the face of impossibilities, to
carry out the plans of the mob leaders. Instead of blame, the
general deserved a high amount of praise for the manner in which he
had defended the town against a force six times as strong as his
own.
Three thousand muskets, ten pieces of cannon, and a considerable amount
of ammunition fell into the hands of the victors. This success left it
open to the Vendeans either to march against Leigonyer--the remnant of
whose army was in a state of insubordination at Doug, and could have
offered no opposition, but must have retreated to Saumur--or to clear
the country south and west.
The former would unquestionably have been the wiser course, for the
capture of Saumur would have been a heavy blow, indeed, to the
Republicans; but the peasants, whose villages and property were
threatened by the presence of the Blues at Fontenay, Parthenay, and
Chataigneraie, were so strongly in favour of the other alternative
that it was adopted; and the force broke into two divisions, one
moving towards Chataigneraie, and the other against Fontenay.
Parthenay was evacuated at once by the Republicans, as soon as news
reached the authorities of the approach of the Vendeans. The
latter, however, made no stay, but continued their march towards
Chataigneraie. The town was held by General Chalbos, with three
thousand men. After two hours' fighting Chalbos, seeing that his
retreat was menaced, fell back.
He took up a position at Fontenay, where he was joined by General
Sandoz, from Niort. The country around the town was unfavourable
for the Vendeans, being a large plain, and the result was
disastrous to them. The Republicans were strong in cavalry, and a
portion of these fell on the flank of the Vendeans, while the
remainder charged them in rear. They fell into disorder at once,
and the cavalry captured a portion of their artillery.
The Republican infantry, seeing the success of their cavalry,
advanced stoutly and in good order. In vain the leaders of the
Vendeans strove to reanimate their men, and induce them to charge
the enemy. The panic that had begun spread rapidly and, in a few
minutes, they became a mob of fugitives scattering in all
directions, and leaving behind them sixteen cannon, and all the
munitions of war they had captured.
La Rochejaquelein who, after he had visited Lescure at Clisson, had
rejoined the army with a party of gentlemen, covered the retreat with
desperate valour; charging the enemy's cavalry again and again and,
before falling back, allowing time for the fugitives to gain the
shelter of the woods. The loss of men was therefore small, but the fact
that the peasants, who had come to be regarded as almost irresistible
by the troops, should have been so easily defeated, raised the Blues
from the depth of depression into which they had fallen; while the blow
inflicted upon the Vendeans was correspondingly great. It was some
little time before the peasants could be aroused again.
Small bodies, indeed, kept the field and, under their leaders,
showed so bold a face whenever reconnoitring parties of the Blues
went out from Fontenay, that the troops were not long before they
again began to lose heart; while the generals, who had thought that
the victory at Fontenay would bring the war to a conclusion, again
began to pour in letters to the authorities at Paris, calling for
reinforcements.
On the side of the Vendeans, the priests everywhere exerted
themselves to impress upon their flocks the necessity of again
joining the army. Cathelineau himself made a tour through the
Bocage, and the peasants, persuaded that the defeat was a
punishment for having committed some excesses at the capture of
Chataigneraie, responded to the call. In nine days after the
reverse they were again in force near Fontenay, and in much greater
numbers than before; for very many of them had returned to their
homes, as soon as Thouars had been captured, and their strength in
the first battle was but little greater than that of the
Republicans.
Burning with ardour to avenge their defeat, and rendered furious by
the pillage of all the houses of the patriots at Chataigneraie--to
which town Chalbos with seven thousand troops had marched--it was
against him that the Vendeans first moved. Chalbos, who had
occupied his time in issuing vainglorious proclamations, and in
writing assurances to the Convention that the Vendeans were so
panic stricken that the war was virtually over, only saved his army
by a long and painful night march back to Fontenay. Here the troops
lay down to sleep, feeling certain that there could be no attack
that day by the enemy.
At one o'clock, however, the Vendeans issued from the woods on to
the plain, and the troops were hastily called to arms.
The Royal Catholic Army, as it now called itself, advanced in three
columns. It was without cannon, but its enthusiasm more than
counterbalanced this deficiency. The Vendeans received unshaken the
discharge of the artillery of the Blues, pursuing their usual
tactics of throwing themselves to the ground when they saw the
flash of the cannon, and then leaping up again and rushing forward
with loud shouts. The cavalry were ordered to charge, but only
twenty men obeyed. The rest turned and fled. The infantry offered
but a feeble resistance and, in ten minutes after the first gun was
fired, the Republican army was a mob of fugitives. Fontenay was
taken and, what pleased the peasants even more, their beloved
cannon, Marie Jeanne, was recaptured, having been recovered by
young Foret who, with a handful of peasants, charged the cavalry
that were covering the retreat, and snatched it from their hands.
After this victory the peasants, as usual, returned for the most
part to their homes.
As there was no probability of further fighting at the moment, Jean
Martin and Leigh started for the chateau. They had first asked
Cathelineau if they could be spared.
"For the moment, yes. I hope that we shall be joined by the Count
de Lescure, in a day or two. He will, of course, be one of our
generals. He has great influence with the peasantry and, if he can
but persuade them to remain under arms for a time, we will attack
the enemy. Messieurs d'Elbee and Bonchamp, and I may say several of
the gentlemen with me, are of opinion that if we are to be
successful in the end, it can only be by taking the offensive, and
marching against Paris. They urge that we should get Monsieur
Charette to go with us with his army, cross the Loire, rouse all
Brittany, and then march, a hundred thousand strong, against Paris.
"They say that although we have been most successful this time, and
repulsed the invaders everywhere except on the coast, they will
come again and again, with larger forces, till they overpower us.
Possibly, if Monsieur de Lescure and Henri de la Rochejaquelein aid
us with their influence and authority, we might persuade the
peasants that it is better to make one great effort, and then to
have done with it, than to be constantly called from their homes
whenever the Blues are in sufficient strength to invade us. We
shall tell them, too, that after the two repulses they have
suffered, the Blues will grow more and more savage, and that
already orders have been sent for all villages to be destroyed, and
all hedges and woods to be cut down--a business that, by the way,
would employ the whole French army for some years.
"However, as soon as our plans are decided upon, I will send a
messenger to you. At present there is nothing requiring either you
or your scouts, Monsieur Stansfield, and after the good service
that they have rendered, it is but fair that they should have a
short rest."
Patsey was delighted when her husband and Leigh arrived. She was
under no uneasiness as to their safety as, after the repulse of
Berruyer's army at Chemille, and the rout of Leigonyer, Leigh had
sent one of the boys home, with the assurance that they were
unhurt.
"I don't quite know how much to believe," she said, as they sat
down to a meal, "of the reports that the boys have brought home.
The first came and told me that on your arrival at Cathelineau's,
he himself praised them all, and that Monsieur Bonchamp drilled
them for an hour. Then came home two wounded lads, with a story
about the great fight, in which they insisted that Leigh commanded,
and that they kept the army of the Blues at bay for three hours,
and killed hundreds of them. The next messenger told us a tale
about Leigh's having discovered some treachery, upon the part of
the man who was in charge of the artillery, and that he was in
consequence shot. He insisted that Cathelineau had declared that
Leigh had saved Chemille, because the enemy were so long delayed
that Monsieur d'Elbee, with his band, had time to come up from
Chollet and rout the Blues.
"Of course, I did not believe anything like all they said; but I
suppose there must be something in it, for I questioned the boys
myself; and though I had no doubt they would make as much as they
could of their own doings, among their neighbours and friends, they
would hardly venture to lie, though they might exaggerate greatly
to me."
"Strange as it may appear, Patsey," Jean said, "they told you the
simple truth and, as soon as we have finished supper, I will tell
you the whole story of what has taken place since we left; and you
will see that this brother of yours has cut a very conspicuous
figure in our affairs."
"You are not joking, Jean?"
"Not in the smallest degree. I can assure you that if Leigh chose
to set up as leader on his own account, a large proportion of the
peasants would follow him."
"Ridiculous, Jean!" Leigh exclaimed hotly.
"It may seem ridiculous, but it is a real fact.
"The peasants, you must know, Patsey, choose their own leaders.
There is no dividing or sorting them, no getting them to keep in
regular companies; they simply follow the leader in whom they have
the most confidence, or who appears to them the most fortunate. If
he does anything that they don't like, or they do not approve of
his plan, they tell him so. Leigh's defence of the stream against
Berruyer's army created a feeling of enthusiasm among them, and I
verily believe that his discovery of the plot to render the cannon
useless was regarded, by them, as almost supernatural. Superstitious
and ignorant as they are, they are, as you know, always ready to
consider anything they can't understand, and which acts greatly in
their favour, as a special interposition of Providence. I am bound
to say that Leigh acted upon such very slender grounds that even
Cathelineau, who is enormously in advance of the peasantry in general,
was staggered by it; and told me he could not have believed it
possible that anyone should, on such a slight clue, have followed the
matter up, unless by a special inspiration."
"The thing was as simple as A B C," Leigh broke in.
"You will have to remain a silent listener, Leigh," his sister
said, "when Jean is telling me the story. I cannot have him
interrupted."
"Very well," Leigh said. "Then I will put on my hat, take a fresh
horse from the stable, and ride off to see how the two wounded boys
are going on."
"I can tell you that they are almost well; but still, if you don't
want to hear Jean's story of all your adventures, by all means go
round. I am sure that the tenants will be gratified at hearing that
you rode over to see them, the very first evening you came home."
The Vendean leaders had for some time felt the necessity of having
a generally recognized authority, and after the battle of Fontenay
they decided to appoint a council, who were to reside permanently
at some central place and administer the affairs of the whole
district, provide supplies for the armies, and make all other civil
arrangements; so that the generals would be able to attend only to
the actual fighting. A body of eighteen men was chosen, to
administer affairs under the title of the Superior Council; and a
priest who had joined them at Thouars, and who called himself,
though without a shadow of right, the Bishop of Agra, was appointed
president. He was an eloquent man, of commanding presence, and the
leaders had not thought it worth while to inquire too minutely into
his claim to the title of bishop; for the peasants had been full of
enthusiasm at having a prelate among them, and his influence and
exhortations had been largely instrumental in gathering the army
which had won the battle of Fontenay.
But although he was appointed president, the leading spirit of the
council was the Abbe Bernier, a man of great energy and intellect,
with a commanding person, ready pen, and a splendid voice; but who
was altogether without principle, and threw himself into the cause
for purely selfish and ambitious motives.
It was on the sixteenth of May that Fontenay was won, and on the
third of June the church bells again called the peasantry to arms.
The disaster at Fontenay had done more than all the representations
of their generals to rouse the Convention. Seven battalions of
regular troops arrived, and Biron, who had been appointed
commander-in-chief, reached Niort and assumed the command.
He wrote at once, to the minister of war, to say that he found the
confusion impossible to describe. There was an absence of any
organization, whatever. The town was crowded with fugitives who,
having distinguished themselves by the violence of their opinions
and the severity of their measures, before the insurrection broke
out, were forced to take refuge in the cities. The general reported
that he had caused the assembly to be sounded again and again,
without more than a tenth part of the troops paying the slightest
heed to the summons.
The army was without cavalry, without waggons for carrying
supplies, without an ambulance train--in fact, it was nothing but a
half-armed mob. Biron himself was at heart a Royalist, and when he
in turn had to meet his fate by the guillotine, openly declared
himself to be one; and the repugnance which he felt on assuming the
command against the Vendeans--which he had only accepted after a
long delay, and after petitioning in vain to be allowed to remain
at his former post--was heightened when he discovered the state of
affairs, and the utter confusion that prevailed everywhere.
When sending the order for the bells to ring on the first of June,
the superior council of the Vendeans issued a proclamation, which
was to be read in all the churches, to the effect that provisional
councils should be formed, in each parish, to provide for the
subsistence of the women and children of men with the army.
Receipts were to be given for all supplies of grain used for this
purpose, which were to be paid for by the superior council. Those
men who did not remain permanently with the army, as long as
necessary, would be called upon to pay the taxes to which they were
subject, prior to the rising.
The sales of the land belonging to the churches--which had been
sequestrated on the refusal of the clergy to comply with the orders
of the Convention--were declared null and void. As these had been
bought by the upholders of the Revolution, for no devout Vendean
would have taken part in the robbery of the church, the blow was a
heavy one to those who had so long been dominant in La Vendee.
These lands were, for the time, to be administered for the good of
the cause by the parish council.
It was hoped that this proclamation would act beneficially in
keeping the peasants in the field; as they would know that their
families were cared for, and that if they only went out at times,
they would subject themselves to taxation, and be regarded by the
families of those who remained with the army as being wanting in
zeal.
Upon rejoining the army, Leigh and his party of scouts learned, to
their satisfaction, that it was intended to march against Saumur.
They were now double their former strength, as the story of what
they had done had roused the spirit of emulation among lads in the
surrounding parishes; and Leigh could have had a hundred, had he
chosen. He was this time mounted, in order that he might at times
ride with Rochejaquelein, while at others he went out scouting with
his party.
"I am heartily glad to see you back again, my friend," the young
count said, shaking him warmly by the hand. "To be with you does me
good, for the generals, and even Lescure, are so serious and solemn
that I feel afraid to make a joke. You see, in the cavalry we have
little responsibility except in an actual battle. In an open
country we should scout ahead, and have affairs with the enemy's
outposts; but in this land of woods, where one can seldom see more
than twenty yards ahead, there is little use for us. Besides, with
the exception of a score or two of gentlemen, I have no troops to
command and, having health and good spirits, and enjoying life, I
cannot go about as if the cares of life were on my shoulders. Your
brother-in-law Martin is a capital fellow but, with a wife and
child, he cannot feel so lighthearted as I do; though next to
yourself he is the most ready to join me in a laugh. Sailors seem
always to be lighthearted, and he certainly is no exception."
"He is a splendid fellow, count."
"Yes, he is a fine fellow; but you see, he is seven or eight years
older than I am, while I feel with you that you are about my own
age. By the way, it is high time that we dropped calling each other
by our surnames, especially as mine is such a long one; so in
future let us be' Henri' and 'Leigh 'to each other. Most of the
peasants call me Henri."
"They generally speak of you as 'our Henri,'" Leigh said, "and
would follow you through fire and water. I think the Vendeans are,
as a whole, serious people; and they admire you all the more
because you are so unlike themselves. If you do not mind my saying
so, you remind me much more of the young English officers I used to
meet, at Poole, than of Frenchmen."
"Yes, I have often been told that I am more English than French in
appearance, and perhaps in manner; for in France most men have
forgotten, for the past four years, what it is to smile; and I
question whether a laugh would not be considered, in itself,
sufficient to ensure a man's condemnation as an enemy of the
Republic.
"Well, so we are going to Saumur! That is an enterprise worth
undertaking. It may be considered as the headquarters of the Blues
in these parts. There is a considerable body of troops there. If we
capture it, we shall give a rare fright to Poitiers, Tours, and the
other towns, and cause a scare even in Paris."
Leigh was requested to go forward at daybreak, with his band, to
discover the situation of the enemy, who might come out from their
situation to give battle before Doue. Leigonyer, who commanded
here, had with him four good regiments; and occupied several strong
positions on the right bank of the river Layon, and also a post
called Rochette on the left bank.
The fact that the Vendeans were advancing against them was already
known to Leigonyer for, confident as they now felt, the Vendeans
made no secret of their destination, and the news was speedily
carried by the adherents of the Convention, who everywhere acted as
spies. Three such men were captured by Leigh's party, making their
way to Leigonyer; and, being unable to give any account of
themselves, were immediately shot.
Leigh had no difficulty in ascertaining the position of the enemy
and, as the army was but two hours' march in the rear, he himself
rode back to carry the news.
At ten o'clock the Vendeans arrived, and at once attacked the
Blues; their main column throwing itself upon the centre of the
position, which it speedily forced. Leigonyer's troops at Rochette
and Verches were thereby threatened in flank; and Leigonyer, who
was himself present, ordered the whole force to fall back to a
position which he had before chosen as being favourable for giving
battle behind Doue.
But the Vendeans pressed forward with such eagerness that the
retreat speedily degenerated into a rout; and the troops, for the
most part throwing away their arms, fled precipitately, carrying
the reserve with them to Bourlan, a strong position in front of
Saumur, where General Menou was stationed, and where he succeeded
in rallying them.
Leigonyer, having from his previous experience great doubts as to
whether he should be successful in his stand against the Vendeans,
had taken the precaution to send back the waggons with the
munitions and stores, together with the artillery. As his men had
fled too rapidly to be overtaken, the numerical loss was not great.
He himself, in his report of the fight, ascribed it to a cause that
has been frequently used by the French to excuse their defeats;
namely that it was due to treachery, for many of the men broke and
fled, directly the action began; and these, he avowed, could have
been none other than Vendeans who had disguised themselves, and
enlisted for the purpose of causing discontent among the men, and
confusion in their ranks, the first time they met the enemy.
Since the commencement of the campaign he had several times begged
to be relieved of his command, and to return to the post that he
occupied previously. He now repeated the demand, saying that he had
lost the confidence of his men, and that a new commander would be
far more likely to succeed with them. This time the request was
granted, and General Menou was appointed to succeed him.
Fortunately for Leigonyer, the commissioners of the Convention
reported most favourably of the activity and energy that he had
personally shown and, although he was accused of treachery in the
Assembly, this report saved him from the guillotine.
As soon as the fight was over, Cathelineau sent for Leigh.
"It is of the greatest importance that we should know what is
passing at Saumur. We have learned, from one of the officers who is
a prisoner in our hands, that Biron is at Tours, and is
endeavouring to persuade the Paris battalions that have arrived
there to march, at once, to Saumur. They have absolutely refused to
do so, until the arrival of the cannon that were promised to them,
before they left Paris. They may, by this time, be marching towards
Saumur, with or without their cannon. General Salomon is at
Thouars, with a considerable force, and it is possible that he also
may march to aid in the defence of Saumur; and as he has, in
addition to the new levies, a fine battalion of gendarmes, his
arrival at Saumur would greatly increase the strength of the
defence.
"I should say that half your scouts had better go to Thouars and,
should there be any considerable movement of troops there, they
should bring me word at the greatest possible speed. We shall
tomorrow march forward and take post facing the enemy's positions,
and on the ninth shall attack. I tell you this in order that your
scouts may know where to find me.
"To you, with the other half of your party, I give the charge of
watching Saumur. If one or two of them could cross the Loire and
watch the road between Tours and Saumur, and bring me speedy word
if they see a large body of troops coming along, we should know
what force we have to encounter, and act accordingly."
"You shall have news, general," Leigh said and, saluting, at once
joined his band.
Jean, who had been talking with him when the message from
Cathelineau arrived, and had waited to hear what his orders were,
said as he came up:
"You and your regiment are off on an adventure again, Leigh?"
"Yes, we are going to watch Thouars and Saumur, and to find out, if
possible, if the battalions from Paris are on their way from
Tours."
"The first will be easy enough but, unless you swim the Loire, I
don't see how the second is to be managed."
"I should think that a boat might be obtained, at one of the
villages on the river bank. Anyhow, I shall get across somehow."
Andre was ordered to take his party to Thouars.
"Remember," Leigh said, "there is to be no fighting; not a shot
must be fired. I want you and another to enter the town, if
possible, from the other side; to see whether there is any unusual
excitement, and especially whether there is any stir among the
troops that would seem to show that they are on the point of
marching away. You are to remain there until you see some such
movement. The lad that you are taking in with you must go out,
every hour, to the spot where you have left the rest; and one of
these must at once start with your report to the general, who will
tomorrow be on his way to Saumur, and will halt not far from its
works of defence. Having delivered his message, he is to return to
you, for you must continue to send off messengers until you hear
that there is fighting at Saumur. If the commander of the Blues at
Thouars has not moved by that time, you need remain no longer, but
return with your party and join the army."
After Andre had left, Leigh marched with Pierre and the others to a
spot up the river, ten miles above Saumur.
"Can any of you swim?" he asked.
Three only of the party were able to reply in the affirmative.
"Do you think that you could swim across the Loire?"
All of them expressed great doubt of being able to do so.
"Well, at any rate, I must take you with me," he said. "To be able
to swim a little is a good deal better than not to be able to swim
at all, for by making a faggot you will gain such support as will
enable you to get across.
"Now, Pierre, you must for the present remain here. Tomorrow
morning you can go into the village, whose church tower you can see
over there, and find out whether the people there are for us or for
the Blues. If they are for us you can show them Cathelineau's
order, of which you have a copy, and they will certainly provide
you with a boat. In that case, cross the river with your party and
take post on the opposite bank, keeping the boat with you, and a
man who can row. Then, as soon as one of my messengers arrives
there, you will send on my report to the general who, tomorrow
evening, will be not far from Saumur. Do the same with each
messenger that arrives.
"If, on reaching the bank opposite the village, they do not find
you there, they will follow the opposite bank down until they are
opposite to you. Then they will call, and you, unless anything has
happened to drive you away, will reply. The messenger will then
swim across with my report, as in the other case. You will send it
forward at once, and he will return to the spot I shall appoint.
"I see there is another village, a mile below us. I shall go there
with my three followers, tonight. We will manage to steal a boat
and row across. I shall go to that village instead of the other,
because the loss of a boat may cause anger and, even if well
disposed to the cause, they might not receive you well. However, I
shall tie the boat up on the opposite bank when I leave it, so that
it will not drift away down the river; and when they see it in the
morning, they will only have to send another boat across to fetch
it over."
"I understand, captain, and will do my best to carry out your
instructions. Even if I find that, at the village above, they are
divided in opinion, I shall surely be able to discover, from their
talk, some who are on our side, and who will arrange to bring a
boat down to this spot; in which case your messenger, when he does
not find us opposite the village, will follow the bank down till he
does so."
"At any rate, Pierre, here are a couple of crowns, so that you can
arrange with a man for the hire of the boat, and his services, for
twenty-four hours, if necessary."