aken by an aged peasant
of the village, with a scythe over his shoulder, returning from his
morning's work. There was the usual polite greeting and exchange of
salutations--for the French peasant is by nature polite--and a ready
opening was afforded for conversation. It turned out that the old man
had been a soldier of the first empire, and fought under Soult in the
desperate battle of Toulouse in 1814. He was now nearly eighty, but
was still able to do a fair day's work in the fields. Inviting us to
enter his dwelling and partake of his hospitality, he went down to his
cellar and fetched therefrom a jug of light sparkling wine, of which
we partook. In answer to an inquiry whether there were any Protestants
in the neighbourhood, the old man replied that Ners was "all
Protestant." His grandson, however, who was present, qualified this
sweeping statement by the remark, _sotto voce_, that many of them were
"nothing."

The conversation then turned upon the subject of Cavalier and his
exploits, when our entertainer launched out into a description of the
battle of Martinargues, in which the Royalists had been "toutes
abattus." Like most of the Protestant peasantry of the Cevennes, he
displayed a very familiar acquaintance with the events of the civil
war, and spoke with enthusiasm and honest pride of the achievements of
the Camisards.

* * * * *

We have in previous chapters described the outbreak of the
insurrection and its spread throughout the Upper Cevennes; and we have
now rapidly to note its growth and progress to its culmination and
fall.

While the Camisards were secretly organizing their forces under cover
of the woods and caves of the mountain districts, the governor of
Languedoc was indulging in the hope that the insurrection had expired
with the death of Laporte and the dispersion of his band. But, to his
immense surprise, the whole country was suddenly covered with
insurgents, who seemed as if to spring from the earth in all quarters
simultaneously. Messengers brought him intelligence at the same time
of risings in the mountains of the Lozere and the Aigoal, in the
neighbourhoods of Anduze and Alais, and even in the open country about
Nismes and Calvisson, down almost to the sea-coast.

Wherever the churches had been used as garrisons and depositories of
arms, they were attacked, stormed, and burnt. Cavalier says he never
meddled with any church which had not been thus conver