Admiral trusts him."

Bowing low, I spurred my horse sharply, and darted off. Around me rose
the din of battle--the thunder of the guns, the savage cries of angry
men closely locked in deadly combat. Already Monseigneur's troops were
shouting "Victory!" and I had visions of an even more fearful disaster
than at Jarnac.

De Courcy Lamont listened to my message with a proud smile on his face.
His troopers were faint and weary; many were more or less seriously
wounded; they had lost several of their comrades; but Coligny's words
acted like magic.

"The Admiral trusts to us!" said their leader. "Shall we disappoint
him?"

"No! no!" they cried; "we will die for the Admiral! Let us charge!"

"I thank you, gentlemen," said De Courcy simply.

It was a desperate enterprise, and would never have been attempted but
for the love these gallant men bore to our great chief. For his sake
they were going to throw themselves upon death.

"Charge!" Half mad with excitement, I took my place with them, behind
De Courcy, who rode several lengths in advance. From a trot to a canter,
from a canter to a gallop, and then with one mighty rush we swept down
on the foe. A body of horse dashed across our path; we brushed them
aside like a handful of chaff, and never slackened pace.

"The Admiral! The Admiral! For the Cause! Remember Jarnac!" we shouted
hoarsely, as our straining animals flew over the intervening space.

Faster and faster grew the mad gallop, until, like a living whirlwind,
we flung ourselves on a line of bristling pikes.

"For the Admiral!" cried our leader joyously.

"Anjou! Anjou!" came back the defiant answer, and then we were in the
midst of them. We had made a gap, but at terrible expense.

Hotter and hotter waxed the strife; swords flashed, pikes ran red,
shouts of triumph mingled with groans of despair; men went down and were
trampled underfoot in the horrible press; we were tossed and buffeted
from side to side, but we fought on with savage desperation, and the
cry, "For the Admiral!" still rose in triumph. Truly it could not be
said that we grudged our lives that day!

And presently an answering cry of "For the Admiral!" sounded on our
ears. Our charge had not been made in vain! Back went the enemy, slowly
and stubbornly at first, fighting every inch of the ground, but still
retreating.

"They give way!" cried De Courcy, who was bare-headed and wounded,
"they give way! Charge, my brave lads!"

The words d