eir 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
hate--a 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 inhabited by his co-religionists, Cavalier assembled the
inhabitants in the market-place, and made them join with him in prayer
to God, that He would prevent the king from following evil counsel;
he also exhorted his brethren to be ready to sacrifice their goods and
their lives for the re-establishment of their religion, affirming that
the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that the arm of the Lord, which had
always come to their aid, was still stretched out over them.

Cavalier undertook these movements in the hope of interrupting the
work of destruction going on in Upper Cevennes; and partly obtained the
desired result; for M. de Julien received orders to come down into the
open country and disperse the Camisards.

The troops tried to fulfil this task, but, thanks to the knowledge that
the rebels had of the country, it was impossible t