28 AMBROISE PARfi 



pistols, pikes, partisans, and halbards; and advanced as far 

 as the trenches, to take the enemy unawares. Then an 

 alarum would be sounded all through the enemy's camp, and 

 their drums would beat plan, plan, ta ti ta, ta ta ti ta, ton touf 

 touf. Likewise their trumpets and clarions rang and 

 sounded, To saddle, to saddle, to saddle, to horse, to horse, 

 to horse, to saddle, to horse, to horse. And all their soldiers 

 cried, '(Arm, arm, arm! to arms, to arms, to arms! arm, 

 to arms, arm, to arms, arm": like the hue-and-cry after 

 wolves; and all diverse tongues, according to their nations; 

 and you saw them come out of their tents and little lodgings, 

 as thick as little ants when you uncover the ant-hills, to 

 bring help to their comrades, who were having their throats 

 cut like sheep. Their cavalry also came from all sides at 

 full gallop, patati, patata, patati, potato, pa, ta, ta, patata, 

 pata, ta, eager to be in the thick of the fighting, to give 

 and take their share of the blows. And when our men 

 saw themselves hard pressed, they would turn back into the 

 town, fighting all the way; and those pursuing them were 

 driven back with cannon-shots, and the cannons were 

 loaded with flint-stones and with big pieces of iron, square 

 or three-sided. And our men on the wall fired a volley, and 

 rained bullets on them as thick as hail, to send them back 

 to their beds; whereas many remained dead on the field: 

 and our men also did not all come back with whole skins, 

 and there were always some left behind (as it were a tax 

 levied on us) who were joyful to die on the bed of honour. 

 And if there was a horse wounded, it was skinned and 

 eaten by the soldiers, instead of beef and bacon ; and 

 if a man was wounded, I must run and dress him. Some 

 days afterward there were other sallies, which infuriated 

 the enemy, that we would not let him sleep a little in 

 safety. 



M. de Guise played a trick upon them: he sent a peasant, 

 who was none of the wisest, with two letters to the King, and 

 gave him ten crowns, and promised the King would give 

 him an hundred if he got the letters to him. In the one 

 letter M. de Guise told the King that the enemy shewed no 

 signs of retreating, and had put forth all their strength 

 and made a great breach, which he hoped to defend, even at 



