midnight all the forces which they could collect were divided into twelve
detachments, composed of archers and soldiers, and at the head of each
detachment was placed a man that could be depended upon. Dumayne, the
king's lieutenant, assigned to each the districts they were to search,
and they all set out at once from the town hall, at half-past twelve,
marching in silence, and separating at signs from their leaders, so
anxious were they to make no noise. At first all their efforts were of
no avail, several houses being searched without any result; but at length
Jausserand, the diocesan provost, having entered one of the houses which
he and Villa, captain of the town troops, had had assigned to them, they
found three men sleeping on mattresses laid on the floor. The provost
roused them by asking them who they were, whence they came, and what they
were doing at Montpellier, and as they, still half asleep, did not reply
quite promptly, he ordered them to dress and follow him.

These three men were Flessiere, Gaillard, and Jean-Louis. Flessiere was
a deserter from the Fimarcon regiment: he it was who knew most about the
plot. Gaillard had formerly served in the Hainault regiment; and
Jean-Louis, commonly called "the Genevois," was a deserter from the
Courten regiment.

Flessiere, who was the leader, felt that it would be a great disgrace to
let themselves be taken without resistance; he therefore pretended to
obey, but in lifting up his clothes, which lay upon a trunk, he managed
to secure two pistols, which he cocked. At the noise made by the hammers
the provost's suspicions were aroused, and throwing himself on Flessiere,
he seized him round the waist from behind. Flessiere, unable to turn,
raised his arm and fired over his shoulder. The shot missed the provost,
merely burning a lock of his hair, but slightly wounded one of his
servants, who was carrying a lantern. He then tried to fire a second
shot, but Jausserand, seizing him by the wrist with one hand, blew out
his brains with the other. While Jausserand and Flessiere were thus
struggling, Gaillard threw himself on Villa, pinning his arms to his
sides. As he had no weapons, he tried to push him to the wall, in order
to stun him by knocking his head against it; but when the servant, being
wounded, let the lantern fall, he took advantage of the darkness to make
a dash for the door, letting go his hold of his antagonist. Unfortunately
for him, the doors, of whi