lles as a new comrade.

"I know nothing of fighting," the latter said; "but, gentlemen, I
shall do my best."

"That is all that anyone can do," Rochejaquelein said heartily. "We
may say that none of us, with the exception of Monsieur Bonchamp
and a few others, had any experience in fighting when we began; but
we have done pretty well, on the whole."

"Do you think that we have much chance of holding this place?" Jean
asked. "They told us, as we came in, that at present there are not
much more than eight thousand men here; and Westermann, they say,
has about as many."

"That is so," Bonchamp said, "and I do not expect that we shall
beat them; but we must fight, or they will march through the
country, wasting and destroying as they go. It is only by showing
them that we are still formidable, and that they must keep together
and be prudent and cautious, that we can maintain ourselves. A
succession of blows, even of light ones, will break a rock."

At two o'clock the enemy's forces approached, and the engagement
soon became hot. Every hedge was lined by the peasants, every
position strongly defended, and only evacuated when the horns gave
the signal. At the end of two hours Westermann, after losing a
considerable number of men, approached ground where his cavalry
could come into play; and the leaders of all the bands had been
warned that, when they fell back to this point, the horn was to be
sounded three times, and that resistance was to cease at once and
the bands disperse, to meet at a given point, two hours later.
Seven of the ten cannon they had with them were safely carried off;
and although compelled to retire from their position, the peasants
were well satisfied with having withstood, so long, the attack of
an equal number of troops, supported by an artillery much superior
to their own.

Leigh had taken no part in the actual fighting. His right arm was
tightly strapped, and bandaged across his chest; and he therefore
acted only as the general's aide-de-camp.

"I'll tell you what it is, Jules," Jean said to Desailles, as they
retired from the field; "if you are going to expose yourself in the
way you have done today, your fighting will be over before long.
When it comes to leading the peasants to an attack, one must
necessarily set the men an example; but when on the defence, you
see, the peasants all lie down behind the hedges and bushes, and
show themselves as little as possible.

"And there were you, w