"The Camisards and the royal troops are at it again," said the huntsman. "But to day, it is said, that the Huguenots have entirely lost the game." "How so?" demanded the Counsellor.
"I heard on the other side of the water,--thank God, that I am on this!--that they had taken prisoner Catinat and Cavalier, and therefore it is probably all over with the war. What a pity, say I, if they massacre Cavalier, as they have so many others."
"Why a pity?" exclaimed the priest hastily, "what else then does the rebel deserve? perhaps you are also a follower of the new doctrine?" "No, reverend sir," said the huntsman, "I was one of the every first that was converted by these gentlemen dragoons. They came in the name of the king, and--of him whose bread I eat, whose song I sing--they were not particularly gentle; thirty in the village were massacred: 'Dog,' said they, 'the pure faith, or die!' why so harsh? said I, I am not at all prejudiced against the creed, only you might have enforced it with a little more gentleness. When I saw the execrable manœuvre, my resolution was quickly formed, and I am now in the service of a right zealous catholic master, the Intendant of Basville. I only mean that it is a pity for Cavalier for he is a good fellow, and has already puzzled many a brave officer."
"That is very true," said the priest a little softened, "he is the only one among the rebels, who understands how to conduct the affair; fearless as a lion, generous, ever self-possessed, knowing how to occupy the best positions, and humane to his prisoners, he is born to be a hero and a leader, and still more to be admired, for from a swineherd he rose to greatness. It is through him that I have lost my vicarage and that I am now making a tour here in Camargue, Nismes, and Montpellier in order to obtain another appointment."
"How is that sir?" enquired the Counsellor, "mind your own business! as the saying is, but we do not always follow this wise maxim," replied the former, "for hot blood and passion, but to often master our reason. You know that some time since a sort of crusade was preached against the Camisards in the Cevennes; the young men in Nismes and in the surrounding country have enlisted as volunteers and lie in wait for the rebels wherever they can; the hermit of the Cevennes, an old captain, has taken the field with a troop of rash, desperate fellows and fights like a Samson; but it is reported that he is very impartial, for, when an opportunity offers, he treats friends and foes alike, and has already plundered many an old Catholic, or stretched him in the trenches. Now, if such things occur, when all the energies are excited in the mélée, it is not so much to be wondered at, though they may happen a little too frequently; verily he has more deliberately counted over his rosary than he can now the number of murders he commits. It is curious enough, that a hermit, who had intended to renounce the world so entirely, should embark again in such adventures; his old military ardour is probably aroused within him. I too, retired in my solitary village in the mountains, when I heard of these proceedings was fired, or inspired with them, and formed the resolution of also rendering my poor services to God and the king, my parishoners would not hear of it: by Jove! they have no heroism in them, they have an antipathy to wounds and death, or they have secret dealings with the Camisards, as I have always suspected that satan's brood of it, for much as I have loudly and zealously harangued them in the pulpit, they almost invariably slept during my sermon: that they were thus insensible to my loud exhortations, is alone a proof, that they must have been possessed by the devil. In pursuance of my design, I assembled some people together, two Spanish deserters, three Savoyards, five fellows who had escaped from prison, and two prodigiously bold tinkers. It was at the time, when Cavalier had so incomprehensively taken the town of Sauve in the middle of the mountains and laid it under contribution. We marched directly against them, passing St. Hipolite, for I received intelligence that this rebel commander had abandoned his corps with a small troop. We met him just as we issued from a narrow defile in the mountains, I called to him to surrender; he resisted, bang! I shot a fellow dead, who was standing by him, I fell upon them with sword and gun and broke their ranks--sir, it was an epoch in my life, it was as if three regiments were in my body--shots were fired, I looked back,---there lay my whole army cut down behind me by a few villains--my courage failed, I rode off as fast as my horse would carry me, it was the same hungarian horse, my good sir, now, in your stable,--I am saved.
"Cavalier, as I understand, was a reasonable man, but the knave, who is called after the late Marshal Catinat, stirred up the others; they march into my village, persuade my penitents to join them, set fire to my house and even to my dear dilapidated church, and have sworn to hew me into ten thousand pieces, if I ever shew myself there again. Now as I have suffered all this for the sake of my country, it is but just that reparation should be made to me for the loss I have sustained, and I am shortly to receive a better living with a good Catholic Christian community herein the neighbourhood of Nismes. Thus was my chivalrous expedition terminated; but I have sworn, that wherever I see but one, or more of these murderous dogs--were there a hundred, to make them feel my vengeance."
The Counsellor turned with indignation from the priest and his countenance brightened as Edmond, in a different dress, entered the hall. "This is witch's weather," said he, and kissed his father's hand, which the latter held out to him kindly. He then mingled with the company and soon entered into conversation with the loquacious priest.
"As I was saying," recommenced the latter in his clamorous manner, "these numskulls have something quite peculiar and incomprehensible in them. Even the children, urchins of three years old, pretend to exhort and preach atonement, they can speak as familiarly of every sin, as if they had long ago gone through the whole catalogue of them, this is a well known fact; moreover, it frequently happens, that these devil's nurslings even prophecy, and most of them speak in good and distinct French about what probably they have never heard in their lives--this may be explained by all who like explanations, some say, that they are in a fit, others that they are possessed with the devil, those of their own party take it for inspiration. Above there in Alais, some hundreds of them assemble, great and small, old and young, prophecying among one another, that the walls of their prison might be broken down. The medical college of Montpellier has transferred itself thither, each doctor has taken with him his hat and cloak; I believe they have also carried with them the antique mantle of Rabelais, in order to be quite perfect in their art. I hear they have now observed, discoursed, disputed, calculated, speculated, deduced, and what is the result? that we are as wise as before. These learned gentlemen declare, that it cannot be taken for divine inspiration because it is opposed to the king and the clergy; and still less can they be possessed by the devil, in as much as they speak and sing only spiritual things and do not as yet know the ways of that gentleman, neither, say they, could it proceed from fits, or any other bodily infirmity, but it was to them something quite unheard of and new; it may well be termed new, and, therefore, must appropriately be called fanaticism and the people denominated fanatics." "There may be many things," interrupted the huntsman hastily, "that are inexplicable; with your reverence's permission, my opinion is, that they are all bewitched; for, if you have no objection, that is the easiest explanation of the matter; therefore, there is no such great injustice in burning them--always excepting Mr. Cavalier, for whom I should be very sorry--and the reason which might tolerate such proceedings is, that they may not by degrees infect the whole community, for it is very evident that the evil is spreading daily and is communicated from one to the other. Witchcraft is just as much something corporeal as well as spiritual, something visible as well as invisible, and not only men, but also houses, mountains and rivers may be enchanted; I have experienced this myself in the course of my life."
"And how?" enquired the Counsellor. "Do you not know the wide-spreading ash, which stands in the field between the castle of Castelnau and the town of Alais? at no great distance from that is the large, old olive-tree, which, they say, is three, or four hundred years old, but it is so far certain, that both the trees, particularly the ash, may be seen at the distance of many miles from the plain as well as from the mountains."
"I know both these trees very well," said Edmond.
"Now," continued the huntsman, "under the ash it is not safe. While I was yet a boy in the service of the father of the present lady of Castelnau, who almost always resided at Alais, for the