34 THE PIGEON-FANCIER. 



pigeons came out of .the church and flew three 

 times round the Hungarian forces. A heavy 

 shower which fell at the same instant relaxed 

 their bowstrings, and prevented the barbarians 

 from accomplishing their ferocious purpose. Panic- 

 struck, they fled with such haste that the chiefs 

 had to use their whips on those who still sought 

 to continue the conflict. 



Concerning the pedigree in England, Spital- 

 fields is the cradle of the Fancy. Instigated 

 by the royal tigress Catherine de Medici, at 

 night, on the 24th of August 1572, commenced 

 the dark tragedy of St. Bartholomew in the 

 streets of Paris. The leaders, the Dukes of 

 Guise, Nevers, and Montpensier, riding fiercely 

 from street to street like demons of the storm, 

 roused the passions of the populace into frenzy 

 by their cries, " Kill, kill ! Blood-letting is good 

 in August. By the King's command. Death to 

 the Huguenot ! Kill ! " Sixty thousand trained 

 hands did their bloody bidding. The populace, 

 playing the afterpart of jackals on a battlefield, 

 prowled on the track of slaughter, robbing and 

 mutilating the corpses in vile derision. For 

 seven long days Paris was a scene of pillage 

 and murder. The roads became almost impas- 

 sable from the multitudinous corpses of men, 



