d near him dashed forward to extricate M. Dourville, who,
taking advantage of the opening thus made, retreated, his wound bleeding
profusely. On the other hand, the Camisards perceiving at some distance
bodies of infantry coming up to reinforce the royals, instead of pursuing
their foes, contented themselves with keeping up a thick and
well-directed musketry-fire from the position in which they had won such
a quick and easy victory.

As soon as the royal forces were out of reach of their weapons, the rebel
chief knelt down and chanted the song the Israelites sang when, having
crossed the Red Sea in safety, they saw the army of Pharaoh swallowed up
in the waters, so that although no longer within reach of bullets the
defeated troops were still pursued by songs of victory. Their
thanksgivings ended, the Calvinists withdrew into the forest, led by
their new chief, who had at his first assay shown the great extent of his
knowledge, coolness, and courage.

This new chief, whose superiors were soon to become his lieutenants, was
the famous Jean Cavalier.

Jean Cavalier was then a young man of twenty-three, of less than medium
height, but of great strength. His face was oval, with regular features,
his eyes sparkling and beautiful; he had long chestnut hair falling on
his shoulders, and an expression of remarkable sweetness. He was born in
1680 at Ribaute, a village in the diocese of Alais, where his father had
rented a small farm, which he gave up when his son was about fifteen,
coming to live at the farm of St. Andeol, near Mende.

Young Cavalier, who was only a peasant and the son of a peasant, began
life as a shepherd at the Sieur de Lacombe's, a citizen of Vezenobre, but
as the lonely life dissatisfied a young man who was eager for pleasure,
Jean gave it up, and apprenticed himself to a baker of Anduze.

There he developed a great love for everything connected with the
military; he spent all his free time watching the soldiers at their
drill, and soon became intimate with some of them, amongst others with a
fencing-master who gave him lessons, and a dragoon who taught him to
ride.

On a certain Sunday, as he was taking a walk with his sweetheart on his
arm, the young girl was insulted by a dragoon of the Marquis de Florae's
regiment. Jean boxed the dragoon's ears, who drew his sword. Cavalier
seized a sword from one of the bystanders, but the combatants were
prevented from fighting by Jean's friends. Hearing