massacres of the south-第16章

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had　come　down　into　the　plain；　swarmed　over　La　Camargue；　and　had　been
seen　in　the　neighbourhood　of　Saint…Gilles。　　At　the　same　time　word　was
sent　him　that　two　ships　had　been　seen　in　the　offing；　from　Cette；　and
that　it　was　more　than　probable　that　they　contained　troops；　that
England　and　Holland　were　sending　to　help　the　Camisards。

M。　de　Montrevel；　leaving　the　further　conduct　of　the　expedition　to　MM。
de　Julien　and　de　Canillac；　hastened　to　Cette　with　eight　hundred　men
and　ten　guns。　　The　ships　were　still　in　sight；　and　were　really；　as　had
been　surmised；　two　vessels　which　had　been　detached　from　the　combined
fleets　of　England　and　Holland　by　Admiral　Schowel；　and　were　the
bearers　of　money；　arms；　and　ammunition　to　the　Huguenots。　　They
continued　to　cruise　about　and　signal；　but　as　the　rebels　were　forced
by　the　presence　of　M。　de　Montrevel　to　keep　away　from　the　coast；　and
could　therefore　make　no　answer；　they　put　off　at　length　into　the　open；
and　rejoined　the　fleet。　　As　M。　de　Montrevel　feared　that　their　retreat
might　be　a　feint；　he　ordered　all　the　fishermen's　huts　from
Aigues…Morte　to　Saint…Gilles　to　be　destroyed；　lest　they　should　afford
shelter　to　the　Camisards。　　At　the　same　time　he　carried　off　the
inhabitants　of　the　district　of　Guillan　and　shut　them　up　in　the
chateau　of　Sommerez；　after　having　demolished　their　villages。　　Lastly；
he　ordered　all　those　who　lived　in　homesteads；　farms；　or　hamlets；　to
quit　them　and　go　to　some　large　town；　taking　with　them　all　the
provisions　they　were　possessed　of；　and　he　forbade　any　workman　who
went　outside　the　town　to　work　to　take　more　than　one　day's　provisions
with　him。

These　measures　had　the　desired　effect；　but　they　were　terrible　in
their　results；　they　deprived　the　Camisards　of　　shelter　indeed；　but
they　ruined　the　province。　　M。　de　Baville；　despite　his　well…known
severity　tried　remonstrances；　but　they　were　taken　in　bad　part　by　M。
de　Montrevel；　who　told　the　intendant　to　mind　his　own　business；　which
was　confined　to　civil　matters；　and　to　leave　military　matters　in　his；
M。　de　Montrevel's；　hands；　whereupon　the　commandant　joined　M。　de
Julien；　who　was　carrying　on　the　work　of　destruction　with
indefatigable　vigour。

In　spite　of　all　the　enthusiasm　with　which　M。　de　Julien　went　to　work
to　accomplish　his　mission；　and　being　a　new　convert；　it　was；　of
course；　very　great。　　Material　hindrances　hampered　him　at　every　step。
Almost　all　the　doomed　houses　were　built　on　vaulted　foundations；　and
were　therefore　difficult　to　lay　low；　the　distance　of　one　house　from
another；　too；　their　almost　inaccessible　position；　either　on　the　peak
of　a　high　mountain　or　in　the　bottom　of　a　rocky　valley；　or　buried　in
the　depths　of　the　forest　which　hid　then　like　a　veil；　made　the
difficulty　still　greater；　whole　days　were　often　lost　by　the　workmen
and　militia　in　searching　for　the　dwellings　they　came　to　destroy。

The　immense　size　of　the　parishes　also　caused　delay：　that　of
Saint…Germain　de　Calberte；　for　instance；　was　nine　leagues　in
circumference；　and　contained　a　hundred　and　eleven　hamlets；　inhabited
by　two　hundred　and　seventy…five　families；　of　which　only　nine　were
Catholic；　that　of　Saint…Etienne　de　Valfrancesque　was　of　still　greater
extent；　and　its　population　was　a　third　larger；　so　that　obstacles　to
the　work　multiplied　in　a　remarkable　manner。　　For　the　first　few　days
the　soldiers　and　workmen　found　food　in　and　around　the　villages；　but
this　was　soon　at　an　end；　and　as　they　could　hardly　expect　the　peasants
to　keep　up　the　supply；　and　the　provisions　they　had　brought　with　them
being　also　exhausted；　they　were　soon　reduced　to　biscuit　and　water；
and　they　were　not　even　able　to　make　it　into　a　warm　mess　by　heating
the　water；　as　they　had　no　vessels；　moreover；　when　their　hard　day's
work　was　at　an　end；　they　had　but　a　handful　of　straw　on　which　to　lie。
These　privations；　added　to　their　hard　and　laborious　life；　brought　on
an　endemic　fever；　which　incapacitated　for　work　many　soldiers　and
labourers；　numbers　of　whom　had　to　be　dismissed。　　Very　soon　the
unfortunate　men；　who　were　almost　as　much　to　be　pitied　as　those　whom
they　were　persecuting；　waited　no　longer　to　be　sent　away；　but　deserted
in　numbers。

M。　de　Julien　soon　saw　that　all　his　efforts　would　end　in　failure　if　he
could　not　gain　the　king's　consent　to　a　slight　change　in　the　original
plan。　　He　therefore　wrote　to　Versailles；　and　represented　to　the　king
how　long　the　work　would　take　if　the　means　employed　were　only　iron
tools　and　the　human　hand；　instead　of　fire；　the　only　true　instrument
employed　by　Heaven　in　its　vengeance。　　He　quoted　in　support　of　his
petition　the　case　of　Sodom　and　Gomorrahthose　cities　accursed　of　the
Lord。　　Louis　XIV；　impressed　by　the　truth　of　this　comparison；　sent　him
back　a　messenger　post…haste　authorising　him　to　employ　the　suggested
means。

〃At　once；〃　says　Pere　Louvreloeil；　〃the　storm　burst；　and　soon　of　all
the　happy　homesteads　nothing　was　left：　the　hamlets；　with　their　barns
and　outhouses；　the　isolated　farmhouses；　the　single　huts　and　cottages；
every　species　of　building　in　short；　disappeared　before　the　swift
advancing　flames　as　wild　flowers；　weeds；　and　roots　fall　before　the
ploughshare。〃

This　destruction　was　accompanied　by　horrible　cruelty。　　For　instance；
twenty…five　inhabitants　of　a　certain　village　took　refuge　in　a
chateau；　the　number　consisted　of　children　and　very　old　people；　and
they　were　all　that　was　left　of　the　entire　population。　　Palmerolle；　in
command　of　the　miquelets；　hearing　of　this；　hastened　thither；　seized
the　first　eight　he　could　lay　hold　of；　and　shot　them　on　the　spot；　〃to
teach　them；〃　as　he　says　in　his　report；　〃not　to　choose　a　shelter　which
was　not　on　the　list　of　those　permitted　to　them。〃

The　Catholics　also　of　St。　Florent；　Senechas；　Rousson；　and　other
parishes；　becoming　excited　at　seeing　the　flames　which　enveloped　the
houses　of　their　old　enemies；　joined　together；　and　arming　themselves
with　everything　that　could　be　made　to　serve　as　an　instrument　of
death；　set　out　to　hunt　the　conscripts　down；　they　carried　off　the
flocks　of　Perolat；　Fontareche；　and　Pajolas；　burned　down　a　dozen
houses　at　the　Collet…de…Deze；　and　from　there　went　to　the　village　of
Brenoux；　drunk　with　the　lust　of　destruction。　　There　they　massacred
fifty…two　persons；　among　them　mothers　with　unborn　children；　and　with
these　babes；　which　they　tore　from　them；　impaled　on　their　pikes　and
halberts；　they　continued　their　march　towards　the　villages　of　St。
Denis　and　Castagnols。

Very　soon　these　volunteers　organised　themselves　into　companies；　and
became　known　under　the　name　of　Cadets　de　la　Croix；　from　a　small　white
cross　which　they　wore　on　their　coats；　so　the　poor　Huguenots　had　a　new
species　of　enemy　to　contend　with；　much　more　bloodthirsty　than　the
dragoons　and　the　miquelets；　for　while　these　latter　simply　obeyed
orders　from　Versailles；　Nimes；　or　Montpellier；　the　former　gratified　a
personal　hatea　hate　which　had　come　down　to　them　from　their　fathers；
and　which　they　would　pass　on　to　their　children。

On　the　other　hand；　the　young　Huguenot　leader；　who　every　day　gained
more　influence　over　his　soldiers；　tried　to　make　the　dragoons　and
Cadets　de　la　Croix　suffer　in　return　everything　they　inflicted　on　the
Huguenots；　except　the　murders。　　In　the　night　from　the　2nd　to　the　3rd
October；　about　ten　o'clock；　he　came　down　into　the　plain　and　attacked
Sommieres　from　two　different　points；　setting　fire　to　the　houses。　　The
inhabitants　seizing　their　arms；　made　a　sortie；　but　Cavalier　charged
them　at　the　head　of　the　Cavalry　and　forced　them　to　retreat。　Thereupon
the　governor；　whose　garrison　was　too　small　to　leave　the　shelter　of
the　walls；　turned　his　guns　on　them　and　fired；　less　in　the　hope　of
inflicting　injury　on　them　than　in　that　of　being　heard　by　the
neighbouring　garrisons。

The　Camisards　recognising　this　danger；　retired；　but　not　before　they
had　burnt　down　the　hotels　of　the　Cheval…Blanc；　the　Croix…d'Or；　the
Grand…Louis；　and　the　Luxembourg；　as　well　as　a　great　number　of　other
houses；　and　the　church　and　the　presbytery　of　Saint…Amand。

Thence　the　Camisards　proceeded　to　Cayla　and　Vauvert；　into　which　they
entered；　destroying　the　fortifications。　　There　they　provided
themselves　abundantly　with　provisions　for　man　and　beast。　　In　Vauvert；
which　was　almost　entirely　inhabite