hey flung themselves
upon the solid wall of infantry.

"Bravo!" cried Felix excitedly, "they are broken; they are turning back!
Ah, St. Cyr is upon them! There go the Englishmen! For the Faith! For
the Faith!"

We stood in our stirrups, waving our swords and cheering like madmen.
Straight as a die the noble veteran with his gallant troop and the
scanty band of Englishmen leaped into the midst of the baffled horsemen,
and drove them back in wild disorder.

But there were brave and valiant hearts among those royalist gentlemen,
and we had hardly finished our exulting cheers when they returned to the
attack. They flung away their lives recklessly, but they forced a
passage, and our infantry were slowly yielding to numbers when Coligny,
with a "Follow me, gentlemen!" galloped to the rescue.

Cheer answered cheer as we dashed into the fray, and the shouts of
"Anjou!" were drowned by the cries of "For the Faith!" "For the
Admiral!"

With splendid bravery the royalists stood their ground; but Coligny's
presence so inspired his followers that at last, with one irresistible
rush, they swept forward, carrying everything before them.

"Stand firm, my brave lads!" said our chief, as the troops, flushed with
their success, formed up anew, "stand firm, and the day is won!"

He had turned to speak to the Count of St. Cyr, when a mounted messenger
dashed up, panting and breathless.

"My lord," he gasped, after a moment's pause, "we are heavily beset on
the left, and are being forced back. I fear that the whole wing is in
danger."

"Courage, my friend," replied Coligny, "courage. We will be with you
directly. Come, gentlemen, there is still work for us to do."

The battle was now at its height, but as we dashed along from right to
left, our centre paused to cheer their gallant general. They were hardly
pressed, but were holding their own sturdily, and our spirits rose at
sight of their intrepid defence.

On the left wing, however, the case was different. Here Anjou, or
Tavannes--for I suppose it was the marshal who really directed the
battle--was throwing successive bodies of troops upon the devoted
Huguenots, who were sorely put to it to defend their position. But at
our approach a great cry of relief went up from the panting soldiers.
There was one among us worth a whole division!

Even those who had begun to retreat joined in the shout, and once more
dashed into the fray. Wave after wave of royalists rolled down upon u