ement began, Monsieur Bonchamp, seeing
that the town was now certain to be taken, had hurried, with the
greater portion of the men armed with muskets, to the church; which
had already been prepared by him, on the previous day, for the
defence. A great number of paving stones had been got up from the
roadway and piled inside the church and, as soon as he arrived
there with his men, the doors were closed, and blocked behind with
a deep wall of stones.

Berruyer saw that the position was a formidable one and, ignorant
of the number of the defenders, sent back for his guns, and
contented himself for the time by clearing the rest of the town of
its defenders. These, however, as they issued out, were rallied by
Cathelineau and his officers. They assured the peasants that the
day was not yet lost, that the church would hold out for hours, and
that d'Elbee would soon arrive, with his force from Chollet, to
their assistance.

Leigh, anxiously watching the progress of the fight, had sent
messenger after messenger along the road by which d'Elbee would
come. His heart sank, as he heard the guns open in the centre of
the town, and knew that they were directed against the church.
Still, there was no abatement of the fire of the defenders. An
incessant fire of musketry was maintained, not only from the church
itself, but from every window in the houses around it.

At last, he heard that d'Elbee's force was but a quarter of a mile
away and, running down from his lookout, he started to meet it. It
was coming at a run, the men panting and breathless, but holding on
desperately, half maddened with the sound of battle.

"All is not lost yet, then?" d'Elbee said, as he came up.

"No, sir. The church holds out, and I could see that the peasants
who have been driven out of the town have rallied, but a few
hundred yards away, and are evidently only waiting for your arrival
to renew the attack. I think, sir, that if you will run up to the
belfry of the church with this glass, you will be able to
understand the exact situation."

The officer ran up the tower, and returned in two or three minutes.
Then he led his men down towards the southeastern corner of the
town.

Leigh, on hearing that d'Elbee was close at hand, sent off two
messengers to Cathelineau to inform him of the fact; and he now
sent off another, stating the direction in which the reinforcement
was marching.

"I am going to attack at that corner, instead of in the rear,"