till assailing, was
set on fire.

The people were now rising, and the several detachments into which the
attacking force had divided found themselves fiercely assailed. Duclerc,
at the head of the main body, after losing heavily, barricaded himself in
a stone warehouse on the quay, round which his foes gathered thickly.
While there the bells of the city rang out merrily, a sound which he
fancied to be made by his own men, who he thought were thus celebrating
their victory. In reality it signified the victory of the Portuguese, who
had fallen upon, defeated, and slaughtered one of his detachments. A
second detachment, which had entered and begun to plunder the magazine,
was set upon by the rabble and completely butchered. Duclerc's defence
soon grew hopeless, and he was forced to surrender at discretion. The
Portuguese sullied their victory by acts of cruel reprisal, many of the
prisoners in their hands being murdered. In all nearly seven hundred of
the French were killed and wounded. Six hundred, including the wounded,
were taken prisoners, and of these many died through bad treatment in the
prisons. Duclerc was murdered some-months after being taken. Soon after
the fight the squadron appeared off the port, where its officers, learning
of the loss of the assailants, squared their yards and sailed away for
France. Thus ended the first act in our tragedy of plunder.

The second act was one of revenge. In France was found a second Dominique
de Gourgues to call to a harsh account the murderers of his countrymen.
France, indeed, was in a fury throughout when the news came of the inhuman
slaughter of its citizens. The man who played the part of De Gourgues was
a distinguished and able naval officer named M. de Guay-Trouin. He was
moved by a double motive. While hot for revenge, the hope for plunder was
an equally inspiring force. And the fame that might come to him with
victory added still another motive. The path was made easy for him, for
the government gave its approval to his enterprise, and certain wealthy
citizens of St. Malo, eager for gain, volunteered the money to fit out the
expedition.

It was important to keep the affair secret, and the vessels were fitted
out at different ports to avoid suspicion. Yet the rumor that an unusual
number of war-vessels were being got ready was soon afloat and reached
Portugal, where its purpose was suspected, and a fleet of merchant and
war-vessels was hurried to sea with supplies