Jacobin church, consisting
almost exclusively of militia wearing the red tuft. The mayor pronounced
a panegyric on those who wore it, and was followed by Pierre Froment, who
explained his mission in much the same words as those quoted above. He
then ordered a cask of wine to be broached and distributed among the
cebets, and told them to walk about the streets in threes, and to disarm
all the dragoons whom they might meet away from their post. About six
o'clock in the evening a red-tuft volunteer presented himself at the gate
of the palace, and ordered the porter to sweep the courtyard, saying that
the volunteers were going to get up a ball for the dragoons. After this
piece of bravado he went away, and in a few moments a note arrived,
couched in the following terms:

"The bishop's porter is warned to let no dragoon on horse or on foot
enter or leave the palace this evening, on pain of death.

"13th June 1790."

This note being brought to the lieutenant, he came out, and reminded the
volunteer that nobody but the town authorities could give orders to the
servants at the palace. The volunteer gave an insolent answer, the
lieutenant advised him to go away quietly, threatening if he did not to
put him out by force. This altercation attracted a great many of the
red-tufts from outside, while the dragoons, hearing the noise, came down
into the yard; the quarrel became more lively, stones were thrown, the
call to arms was heard, and in a few moments about forty cebets, who were
prowling around in the neighbourhood of the palace, rushed into the yard
carrying guns and swords. The lieutenant, who had only about a dozen
dragoons at his back, ordered the bugle to sound, to recall those who had
gone out; the volunteers threw themselves upon the bugler, dragged his
instrument from his hands, and broke it to pieces. Then several shots
were fired by the militia, the dragoons returned them, and a regular
battle began. The lieutenant soon saw that this was no mere street row,
but a deliberate rising planned beforehand, and realising that very
serious consequences were likely to ensue, he sent a dragoon to the town
hall by a back way to give notice to the authorities.

M. de Saint-Pons, major of the Nimes legion, hearing some noise outside,
opened his window, and found the whole city in a tumult: people were
running in every direction, and shouting as they ran that the dragoons
were being killed at the palace. The major rus