looked behind him, but his new
comrades were out of sight.

Hulot and his command stopped at Ernee long enough to place the wounded
in the hospital of the little town, and then, without further hindrance,
they reached Mayenne. There the commandant cleared up his doubts as
to the action of the Chouans, for on the following day the news of the
pillage of the turgotine was received.

A few days later the government despatched to Mayenne so strong a force
of "patriotic conscripts," that Hulot was able to fill the ranks of his
brigade. Disquieting rumors began to circulate about the insurrection. A
rising had taken place at all the points where, during the late war, the
Chouans and Bretons had made their chief centres of insurrection. The
little town of Saint-James, between Pontorson and Fougeres was occupied
by them, apparently for the purpose of making it for the time being a
headquarters of operations and supplies. From there they were able to
communicate with Normandy and the Morbihan without risk. Their subaltern
leaders roamed the three provinces, roused all the partisans of
monarchy, and gave consistence and unity to their plans. These
proceedings coincided with what was going on in La Vendee, where the
same intrigues, under the influence of four famous leaders (the Abbe
Vernal, the Comte de Fontaine, De Chatillon, and Suzannet), were
agitating the country. The Chevalier de Valois, the Marquis d'Esgrignon,
and the Troisvilles were, it was said, corresponding with these leaders
in the department of the Orne. The chief of the great plan of operations
which was thus developing slowly but in formidable proportions was
really "the Gars,"--a name given by the Chouans to the Marquis de
Montauran on his arrival from England. The information sent to Hulot by
the War department proved correct in all particulars. The marquis
gained after a time sufficient ascendancy over the Chouans to make them
understand the true object of the war, and to persuade them that the
excesses of which they were guilty brought disgrace upon the cause they
had adopted. The daring nature, the nerve, coolness, and capacity
of this young nobleman awakened the hopes of all the enemies of the
Republic, and suited so thoroughly the grave and even solemn enthusiasm
of those regions that even the least zealous partisans of the king
did their part in preparing a decisive blow in behalf of the defeated
monarchy.

Hulot received no answer to the questions and