ard devote it to the spread of the true faith."

"Rather a thousand deaths than apostasy!" answered the priest.

"Die, then!" cried Laporte, stabbing him; "take that for having burnt my
father in Nimes."

And he passed on the dagger to Esprit Seguier.

Duchayla made neither sound nor gesture: it would have seemed as if the
dagger had been turned by the priest's gown as by a coat of mail were it
not that a thin stream of blood appeared. Raising his eyes to heaven, he
repeated the words of the penitential psalm: "Out of the depths have I
cried unto Thee, O Lord! Lord, hear my voice!"

Then Esprit Seguier raised his arm and struck in his turn, saying, "Take
that for my son, whom you broke on the wheel at Montpellier."

And he passed on the dagger.

But this blow also was not mortal, only another stream of blood appeared,
and the abbe said in a failing voice, "Deliver me, O my Saviour, out of
my well-merited sufferings, and I will acknowledge their justice; far I
have been a man of blood."

The next who seized the dagger came near and gave his blow, saying, "Take
that for my brother, whom you let die in the 'ceps.'"

This time the dagger pierced the heart, and the abbe had only time to
ejaculate, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy!"
before he fell back dead.

But his death did not satisfy the vengeance of those who had not been
able to strike him living; one by one they drew near and stabbed, each
invoking the shade of some dear murdered one and pronouncing the same
words of malediction.

In all, the body of the abbe received fifty-two dagger thrusts, of which
twenty-four would have been mortal.

Thus perished, at the age of fifty-five, Messire Francois de Langlade
Duchayla, prior of Laval, inspector of missions in Gevaudan, and
Arch-priest of the Cevennes and Mende.

Their vengeance thus accomplished, the murderers felt that there was no
more safety for them in either city or plain, and fled to the mountains;
but in passing near the residence of M. de Laveze, a Catholic nobleman of
the parish of Molezon, one of the fugitives recollected that he had heard
that a great number of firearms was kept in the house. This seemed a
lucky chance, for firearms were what the Huguenots needed most of all.
They therefore sent two envoys to M. de Laveze to ask him to give them
at, least a share of his weapons; but he, as a good Catholic, replied
that it was quite true that he had indeed a store of arm