e men who, when all the others have fled like sheep, still
cling together and defend their guns. At least a hundred of them
have fallen, since they left the town; and we have lost double that
number, and should lose at least as many more, before we finally
overcame their opposition. If all the armies of the Republic were
composed of such stuff as this regiment, I fear that our chance of
defending La Vendee successfully would be small, indeed."

On rejoining Cathelineau, and hearing his reason for calling off
the pursuit, Henri at once admitted its wisdom.

"After the defeat of Leigonyer, you will see that Berruyer will not
long be able to maintain himself at Chemille," he said; "and when
he hears the news, I fancy that he will retire at once; for he will
know, well enough, that it will be useless for him to pursue us.
Still, if he were to come down on our rear as we advanced, it would
have a bad effect upon the peasants; and it is much better to avoid
fighting, unless under circumstances that are almost sure to give
us victory. We can almost always choose our own ground, which is an
enormous advantage in a country like this. It is very fortunate
that it is so, for we certainly could not raise a body of cavalry
that could stand against those of the line; but in these lanes and
thickets they have no superiority in that respect, for no general
would be fool enough to send cavalry into places where they would
be at the mercy of an unseen foe. At the same time, I must own that
I regretted today that we had no mounted force. With but a squadron
or two of my old regiment, not a man of Leigonyer's force would
have escaped; for the country here is open enough to use them, and
I should certainly have had no compunction in cutting down the
rascals who are always shouting for blood, and yet are such arrant
cowards that they fly without firing a shot."

The day after the capture of Bressuire the Vendeans marched against
Thouars, to which town Quetineau had retreated with his force.
Thouars was the only town in La Vendee which was still walled. The
fortifications were in a dilapidated condition, but nevertheless
offered a considerable advantage to a force determined upon a
desperate resistance. With the fugitives from Bressuire, and the
garrison already in Thouars, Quetineau was at the head of three
thousand five hundred troops; of these, however, comparatively few
could be depended upon. The successive defeats that had been
infl