the better! they won't shoot
us off like dogs along the road." Then, raising his voice till it
echoed through the woods, he exclaimed, "Come on, my men! Shall we let
ourselves be _fooled_ by those brigands?"

The word here given is but a feeble equivalent of the one the brave
commandant used; but every veteran can substitute the real one, which
was far more soldierly in character.

"Gerard! Merle!" added Hulot, "call in your men, form them into a
battalion, take the rear, fire upon those dogs, and let's make an end of
this!"

The order was difficult to obey, for the young chief, hearing Hulot's
voice, cried out: "By Saint Anne of Auray, don't let them get away!
Spread out, spread out, my lads!" and each of the two wings of the Blues
was followed by Chouans who were fully as obstinate and far superior in
numbers. The Republicans were surrounded on all sides by the Goatskins
uttering their savage cries, which were more like howls.

"Hold your tongues, gentlemen," cried Beau-Pied; "we can't hear
ourselves be killed."

This jest revived the courage of the Blues. Instead of fighting only at
one point, the Republicans spread themselves to three different points
on the table-land of La Pelerine, and the rattle of musketry woke all
the echoes of the valleys, hitherto so peaceful beneath it. Victory
might have remained doubtful for many hours, or the fight might have
come to an end for want of combatants, for Blues and Chouans were
equally brave and obstinate. Each side was growing more and more
incensed, when the sound of a drum in the distance told that the body of
men must be crossing the valley of Couesnon.

"There's the National Guard of Fougeres!" cried Gudin, in a loud voice;
"my man has brought them."

The words reached the ears of the young leader of the Chouans and
his ferocious aide-de-camp, and the royalists made a hasty retrograde
movement, checked, however, by a brutal shout from Marche-a-Terre. After
two or three orders given by the leader in a low voice, and transmitted
by Marche-a-Terre in the Breton dialect, the Chouans made good their
retreat with a cleverness which disconcerted the Republicans and even
the commandant. At the first word of command they formed in line,
presenting a good front, behind which the wounded retreated, and the
others reloaded their guns. Then, suddenly, with the agility already
shown by Marche-a-Terre, the wounded were taken over the brow of the
eminence to the right of the r