1915.] THE CHEVAUCHEE DE ST. MICHEL, 243 



emplacement east of the Yale Church. After breakfast the 

 members of the cortege, with their swords at their sides, 

 mounted their horses, the Greffier of the Court said the cus- 

 tomary prayer and the Seneschal read the proclamation, and 

 then they started in the following order : — 



The Sheriff of the Yale on horseback with his pion walk- 

 ing, then the King's Sheriff with two pions at his bridle rein, 

 then the three Sheriffs of the Court of St. Michel, called 

 respectively the Sheriffs of Grand Moiitier, of Petit Moiitier 

 and of Rozel, each with a pion at his bridle rein ; behind them 

 came in the following order, the Officers of the Royal Court, 

 namely, the King's Sergeant, the King's Greffier, the King's 

 Procureur (or Attorney General), the King's Comptroller (or 

 Solicitor General), and the King's Receiver, all mounted, and 

 each with two pions walking at his bridle reins. Tnen came 

 the Lance-bearer and his two pions, the Greffier and the Senes- 

 chal of the Court of St. Michel with their respective pions, and 

 finally the Yavasseurs of the Court of St. Michel, each with 

 one pion. Whilst on the march the five Sheriffs carried by 

 turns a white wand in the following order : — The Sheriff of the 

 Yale from the Yale Church to the end of the Grand Pont, the 

 King's Sheriff from the end of the Grand Pont as far as the 

 Forest (that being the limit of Fief le Roi), the Sheriff of 

 Grand Moutier from the Forest to the Grand Moulins (or King's 

 Mills), the Sheriff of Petit Moutier from the King's Mills to the 

 Douit des Landes du Marche, and the Sheriff of Rozel from the 

 last mentioned place to the Yale. As each Sheriff approached 

 his respective fief he carried the wand and rode in front of the 

 procession whilst his own domain was being traversed. During 

 the procession the Lance-bearer carried a wand of eleven and a 

 quarter feet long, aud any obstacles this wand encountered — 

 stones, branches, debris, etc., — had to be cleared away and the 

 proprietor fined, which helped to defray the day's expenses. 



From time immemorial the especial and recognised priviiege 

 of the pions — who were chosen for their good looks — was that 

 of kissing every woman they met, whether gentle or simple, 

 married or single, Governor's wife or labourer's daughter, the 

 only restriction being that only one pion was allowed to kiss 

 the same lady. This privilege was, of course, invariably exer- 

 cised. 



After leaving the Court the procession entered the Braye 

 du Yalle and there the Seneschal freed the pions from their 

 attendance on the bridle reins and gave them authority to em- 

 brace any woman they might meet, recommending good beha- 

 viour, and directing them to join their Cavaliers at the Hougue 

 a la Perre. The route followed was through the Braye by an 

 old roadway now closed, bordered by sea-walls and terminating 

 at the Rue du Yidcocq, then through La Rue des Mares Pelees 



