people think of their
guns; and if, when the fight began, the cannon had been silent,
instead of pouring their contents into the ranks of the enemy, they
would have lost heart at once, and would have been beaten almost
before the fight began.

"We have no honours to bestow on you, Monsieur Stansfield, but in
the name of La Vendee I thank you, with all my heart. I shall add,
to my order respecting your fight of yesterday, a statement of what
has taken place tonight; and I shall beg that all officers read it
aloud to the parties that follow them."

"I agree most cordially with the general's words," Monsieur
Bonchamp said. "Your defence yesterday would have been a credit to
any military man, and this discovery has saved us from ruin
tomorrow, or rather today. I will venture to say that not one man
in five hundred would have taken the trouble to go out of his way
to ascertain whether the words of a drunken man rested on any
foundation."

There was, then, a short conversation as to the approaching fight.
The number of men who had arrived was much smaller than had been
anticipated, owing to the fact that the simultaneous invasion, at
so many points, had the effect of retaining the peasants of the
various localities for the defence of their own homes. Leigh
learned that a mounted messenger had been despatched, shortly
before he brought the prisoner down, to beg Monsieur d'Elbee to
bring the force he commanded, at Chollet, with all speed to aid in
the defence of Chemille; for if that town fell, he would be exposed
to the attack of the united forces of Generals Berruyer and
Leigonyer.

"Now, gentlemen, I think we had better get a few hours' sleep,"
Cathelineau said. "They will not be here very early, probably not
until noon; for they may wait for a time before starting, in hopes
of being joined either by Leigonyer or one of the other columns,
and it is not likely that any news of the sharp reverse that
Leigonyer has met with has reached them."

It was now two o'clock in the morning, and Leigh slept heavily,
till roused at eight.

"You should have called me before, Andre," he said reproachfully,
when he learnt how late it was.

"I thought it was better that you should have a good sleep,
captain. Of course, if there had been any message to say that you
were wanted, I should have woke you; but as no one came, and there
is still no news of the enemy, I thought that it was better to let
you sleep till now."

Pierre had