The Rebellion in the Cevennes, an Historical Novel Volume I Part 7

CHAPTER VIII.

The mountains and the country around were by this time filled with new tidings that contained representations of the most horrible cruelties, said to have been practised by the Camisards. Even their best friends and such as willingly lent them their aid, became displeased, and many of the rebels themselves ventured not to extenuate the barbarity, which these had permitted themselves to exercise against catholic priests, landholders, nay even towards secret protestants. It appeared as if the weakest party desired, in defying despair to outdo the harshness of their foes; but this alienated many hearts from them and withheld the help that otherwise would have been openly lent to them.

A serene summer morning shed its light over the mountains, when Edmond with hasty steps took his way towards the secret wilds, where there was neither track nor footpath, and which was only known to him from representation. He felt as if his wonderful gift of inward sight was conducting him in the direct way, for he discovered the most secret directing signs by which the rebels alone could find a clue to the hiding-places, without straying among the windings of the rocks, or being stopped by the appearance of unexpected precipices. He left the fortress of St. Hyppolite on one side and came in a short time after having climbed steep mountains, into another rocky district, to which only small stony paths led, and which far around was torn asunder by s.p.a.cious crevices and caverns. Here did the Camisards keep their severely wounded that had been able to escape from the fight; if this was impossible, they shot them themselves, in order to deliver them from the cruel ingenuity of the executioner. In these caves, Roland also concealed his provision of arms and ammunition, if he should have a superfluity of them, and also a supply of food and wine, likewise medicines, and that which was necessary for the care of the sick.

Government had already offered a large reward for the discovery of this important place of refuge, but until now in vain, for only the most trustworthy among the rebels were acquainted with this district, who naturally would not betray it and they took care, that only those among the country-people, whose integrity could be depended upon, should be admitted. As Edmond went along the narrow way which lay on the right under a steep mountain, whilst on the left, at the distance of a few paces, yawned a giddy abyss; he was just reflecting how easily and safely this pa.s.s might be defended, when he suddenly heard a large figure with a hairy face and wild, savage expression, call out, requesting to speak with him. Edmond was going to explain to him for what purpose he had come there, when the hairy figure without replying took up his gun and was in the act of firing at him, a cracked voice from behind a projection of the rock, cried out: "For G.o.d's sake stop, brother Mazel!" at the same moment two naked brown arms fell on the breast of the armed man and dashed the gun on the ground. "He is no spy, he cannot be such!" exclaimed the half-naked man, "it is the young Lord of Beauvais."

As Edmond looked round he saw Eustace, the charcoal-burner whom he knew very well, standing before him.

"How came you to this secret place?" said the invalid, who was taken care of here.

Edmond now saw several strange faces which gathered round to examine him with looks of curiosity. The young man experienced a singular sensation on beholding these ragged, wretched looking figures, and on finding himself compelled to tell them wherefore he was come, and that he intended to live among them as a brother, and to fight for their abused rights. Eustace clapped his hands in the greatest amazement, and cried out: "I should have sooner expected the day of judgment! you cannot conceive bow haughty and indignant this n.o.ble gentleman was, when I once attempted to speak and jest with his little lady sister!

Yes, Abraham, that is a sign from G.o.d, to strengthen us in our good cause. If such a gentleman to whom nothing is wanting, to whom G.o.d has plentifully given whatever human wealth can procure, brought up and learned in their religion, if he should come over to us, and be willing to undergo the severity of the weather, storms, hunger, nakedness, and for the sake of G.o.d, perhaps, a disgraceful death: what are we then to do, whom they have plundered, ill used, whose children they have slaughtered, whose priests they have murdered; indeed these are signs which precede judgment?" In the same moment he began to scream out a psalm; but Mazel said: "Cease now, good brother, for we do not at all know yet, if brother Roland will accept him, he must first be brought before him; we have lately been several times too much deceived and the thing may be only a snare this time also, but Roland and Cavalier know directly what they are about, no one can deceive these."

Edmond looked at him with the utmost contempt and exclaimed: "Conduct me to the wood, to Lord Roland!"--

"Brother Roland, if you please," replied the stout Mazel, "among us there are no Lords; G.o.d is our Lord.--Stephen! Favart!" Cried he, in a commanding tone, and out of the cliffs sprang forward a fair-haired young man, and behind him stole forth another, whom Edmond immediately recognised for the old huntsman, that he had met about twelve days before at his father's house. "Conduct the young man to brother Roland," said Mazel to both of them, and Edmond accompanied them in silence, still deeper into the solitude of the mountains. Favart glanced sideways at the new comrade, while they walked on together, at length he said: "Lately, but for that young lad, things would have turned out badly enough."

"Who was he?" asked Edmond.

"I do not know," replied the huntsman, "I should like very much to know who he is; he knew me, although I did not know him. I had abandoned the brethren for sixteen months, now I am again returned to them, princ.i.p.ally because the young lad said in my ear that I was an apostate and a traitor to G.o.d; now, I know too, how the Lord of Basville, the Intendant thinks, and all the other G.o.dless men. They are blood-thirsty men."

Young Stephen drew out a little flute and blew upon it a spiritual song, which sounded pleasingly far through the mountains. "Leave off that G.o.dless blowing," said Favart. "Why G.o.dless?" asked Edmond. "It is only a worldly little pipe," said the squinting huntsman, "all these things proceed from the wicked enemy, to ensnare our souls and hearts through sensual pleasure; in simplicity we should think on the Lord and our lips alone should laud and praise him, but not artificially and seducingly, for it is not seemly to make jubelee in our sorrow."

"You are too severe," said Stephen, "the birds in the woods praise the Lord and artificially too, in their way."

"They have no reason, no soul," said Favart, "they are poor beasts, even if it were the nightingale herself; it is still no praise to the Lord, they do but call their mates, or brood in their nests, their G.o.dliness is all a lie."

"As you will," said Stephen, at the same time replacing his flute. They came to a number of trees hewn down, and placed so as to form a sort of fence, from out of which a voice exclaimed: "Who goes there?" "Zion!"

replied the two guides; and some large birch-trees were pushed backwards, and made way on the narrow path. They pa.s.sed through. "Where is Roland?" demanded they of the sentinels. "Up there," replied the latter, "under the great Apostle chesnut tree."

"We shall soon be there," said Stephen. They already heard a noise in the distance, talking, singing, and also clattering of iron; and now, when they had reached the summit of the wooded mountain plain, Edmond perceived many men in various groups, all brown and burnt by the sun, the greatest part of them in ragged doublets; some appeared to be praying, a few were reading, others were reposing on the gra.s.s, several were whetting their jagged swords or cleaning their guns, others were mending their vestments; many sang psalms. A tall wild-looking man advanced towards them, he walked up and down agitatedly with his hands behind his back, huge whiskers descended on either side of his face, his hair was tightly drawn up to the top of his head; "Good day brethren," cried he, in a discordant voice, which Edmond immediately recognised for the same he had heard in the distance on the eventful night. "The hero Catinat!" exclaimed Favart, shaking the gigantic man heartily by the hand, "how fares it with you?" "I am accused brother,"

said the former, "and Roland will hold no intercourse with me until all his officers, Cavalier and the rest, have spoken respecting me."

"Where is Roland?" enquired Edmond, hastily. "It is he yonder, who sits with his bared neck under the chesnut tree," said Catinat.

Edmond perceived a man of slight figure and middle age, leaning against the trunk of the tree, who was looking quietly on the ground and smoking a short clay tobacco pipe; he had taken off a red silk neckerchief which lay by his side, and had loosened his waistcoat, so that his whole breast was laid bare, his head was uncovered, his face was only shaded by large whiskers. He calmly raised his light brown eyes, as the three presented themselves before him, and Stephen explained in a few words Edmond's request. "Indeed!" said Roland, still continuing to smoke and quickly turning his searching glance from Edmond; "have a little patience, until I give you my answer, we do nothing without higher counsel, and I have not been thus blessed. Are any of our prophets here?" asked he in a loud voice, looking round the circle.

"No, brother Roland," resounded from all sides; "Be patient, some of them will shortly be here, for I do not know you, but nothing can be concealed from them."

Edmond felt hurt, his heart was ready to overflow; he related in a few words his wonderful transformation and how the spirit had led him into the mountains; "Yes, I myself, unworthy as I may be," concluded he, with deep emotion, his narration, "I have been blessed with this wonderful gift of fore-knowledge."

"Indeed!" said Roland in a drawling tone, while he rather winked than looked at the youth with his half closed eyes, in which was reflected either his contempt, or perhaps his envy, the latter was what Edmond conceived it to indicate. He raised his foot, and knocked the ashes out of the top of his tobacco pipe; "Go and walk up and down for a short time, I have some reflections to make; as soon as one of our prophets arrives, you shall obtain your answer."

Edmond turned away much annoyed, and cast his eyes over the interminable mountains; to the immense chain of the Cevennes are joined the blue summits of the Pyrenees, and on the other side were to be seen craggy cliffs and ma.s.ses of rocks, which give so striking a feature to the right bank of the Rhone. What was Edmond's surprise, when among the fraternity he recognized two n.o.blemen, whom he had formerly met many times at Nismes, and who had sunk into universal contempt on account of their frivolity and bad conduct. Cesar and Mark Anthony were merely what is usually termed in ordinary life boon companions; they had been finally compelled, in consequence of their debts to make their escape, and had, apparently, from absolute necessity alone, sought the society of these religious mountaineers. However much they tried to imitate the looks and demeanour of the rest, there still lay concealed even in the very manner that they greeted Edmond, something of that reckless insolence and licentious freedom, which all well-principled young men had excluded from their society many years before.

When Edmond had taken a survey of the surrounding country and of his future companions, Roland again called out in a loud voice, as he stood up:

"Is no prophet yet arrived?" "Yes," said Favart, "here is brother Duplant." At the same moment a pale, haggard little man stepped up, who trembled in every joint as from cold and whose prominent eyes added to his appearance of illness. "What do you wish brother?" asked he of the leader in an almost whining tone.

"Come forward brother," said Roland in a full, sonorous voice; "here is a new brother, who presents, himself to us from out of the valley, a rich distinguished man and a catholic; what does the spirit say to you about it?"

Duplant opened his light-blue eyes still wider, gazed on Edmond with a feeble, death-like look, then gathered himself up, shook his head violently, fell down, and while his breast and the lower part of his body heaved convulsively, a deep, and to him, unusual voice proceeded from him, resounding loudly: "I tell thee brother, this is a choice instrument, he will serve the Lord faithfully; his father in his heart is in our mountains, rejoice all that he is come among us. Amen!"

Roland immediately embraced the youth, then extended his hand to him; "In the name of G.o.d then!" said he solemnly, "My vocation must be true," answered Edmond, "for you have given a reception such as might well have frightened back an ordinary enthusiast."

"We cannot do otherwise brother," said Roland, "we are too often put to the test by spies in various forms; therefore, the Lord, decides among us, He, who cannot be deceived."

"It is good for me to be among you and to look upon the faces of all these, honoured men: but where is Cavalier, the hero, whose name resounds throughout the whole country? my soul burns to know him and to fold him in my arms."

"Yonder he comes with his troop in wonderful array."

A mult.i.tude of Camisards, clad in pillaged uniforms, marched up the mountain shouting with joy, at their head rode their commander, mounted on a little horse, one feather in his large hat, a richly embroidered uniform hung wide and loosely on his little thin body. He sprang from his horse, and while Edmond was making his way up to him, impressed with the almost ludicrous appearance of the unbecoming attire, the so justly renowned Cavalier advanced towards him, and Edmond, in terror and in deep confusion, stepped back, for the young hero was no other than that miller-lad, whom he had a short time before in his father's house treated with so much contempt, nay even with cutting bitterness.

CHAPTER IX.

The young commander first cast a lengthened look of astonishment on Edmond, then approached nearer and kindly offered him his hand. "You are one of us," exclaimed he, "the Lord had so ordained, accept the a.s.surance of my brotherly love."--

Edmond seized the hand of the young man, held it long between his own, and then said with great emotion: "What have I not to thank you for at a time, when I neither knew, nor loved you; you it was who saved our house, myself, my sister and my beloved father! The veil has fallen from my eyes, and I shall now honour and love you, and all these heroes of the faith, as brothers."

A circle had been formed and Roland now stepped with solemn demeanour into the middle of it. "We are a.s.sembled," commenced he, greatly affected, "in order to pa.s.s judgment upon a friend, who is to me one of the dearest among the most valiant of the fraternity, and in the work of the Lord a distinguished zealot. Here stands Catinat, the man at whose name all our foes tremble. You are all here present, Cavalier, thou Ravanel, Castanet, Duplant, and Salomon, Clary, Abraham Mazel is also arrived here. I have often spoken on this point already, my dear friends, and wished to make known to you my opinion, and my sentiments, that in this war, in which we are fighting for the Lord, we should refrain from shedding blood as much as possible. No, my beloved friends, we will not therein follow the example of our adversaries, that we may excel them in their emulation for murder, incendiarism and all their works of darkness. Let the enemy, who comes armed against us, be given up to the sword, the villain, who betrays us and belies the Lord, let him fall a sacrifice to his own malice, but the harmless labourer, the helpless priest, the defenceless woman, the child under age, let them be spared, what have they done to us? what can they accomplish against us? we have certainly always struggled to put our enemies to shame and to convince them by Christian charity, that our course is a just one; but here, Catinat has again acted in opposition to my express command, in his expedition he has set fire to three churches with his own hands, he has ma.s.sacred two priests, his troop according to his orders has reduced villages to ashes, and women and children have been murdered and burned in the most terrible manner.

Their lamentations, the cries of the orphans, the wailings of the parents rise up to heaven, and arouse and call upon the enduring goodness of the Lord to thrust and to fling us in his wrath far away from him, like useless vessels. If we ourselves act in this manner, wherefore should we complain, when the enemies open wide the jaws of cruelty and show less compa.s.sion than the wolf in the wilderness, or the beast of prey of the mountains, then, with justice, their stakes blaze threateningly to meet us! why are we angered, when their barbarous executioners, with greedy looks, grin up towards our mountains, and in malicious joy whet their instruments of death? then fight brute against brute, and devil against Belzebub! By what then shall the good cause be recognised? I will also remind you, my beloved brethren, that these deeds alienate the best people in the country from us; not only the Catholic, but such as are in their hearts our brothers, will desert us, as well as those newly converted ones, who would willingly help us. Have you then forgotten, how pious men of foreign lands, priests and leaders of armies, have warned us not to stain our hands with innocent blood, and our holy cause with firebrands and cruelty? all pious minds in distant lands who turn looks of love upon us will be mistaken, and will surely think, that innate cruelty and savage nature must be alleged for these proceedings, and not our conscience and the cause of the Lord that we fight for. It is misfortune enough, that we should be compelled to stand in arms against our lawful king, who wanted to rob us of our G.o.d; let this misfortune suffice, let us do no more than our conscience demands. Finally, I will remind you, that by your unanimous consent I am your leader since the glorious death of my uncle, my command must be held inviolable, and therefore, he whom I send out and who wilfully and maliciously transgresses my orders, must be considered a rebel to me, yourselves, and your holy undertaking. You know, that a like fault would be punished with death yonder among the royal party; far be it from me to wish to punish so severely a brother and hero of the faith on account of his disobedience to me, a weak and miserable instrument of the Lord, but I propose depriving him of his command, because none should command who cannot also obey. Now take counsel among yourselves, my valiant and enlightened friends, whether you will confirm my sentence? once more I repeat my fear, that by these transgressions of individuals, our great cause will go to ruin."

Roland retired from the circle and all were silent. "We will hear what Catinat says for himself," said the broad, stout Mazel, and Ravanel, a little swarthy man with dark looks and wild appearance advanced towards the gigantic man and cried: "speak brother, you know how I love you, I am yours, unto death, and do not believe that you can ever be in the wrong, for in your fist is the sword of the Lord!"

Catinat shook him by the hand, then raised his eyes and glanced with a calm and penetrating look round the circle, and said: "My valiant brethren, my fault is evident and undeniable, it consists in transgression against subordination, and as I have been as good a soldier as brother Roland, I know well that nothing can be said to extenuate it. If you speak in accordance with the letter of the law, I am then condemned, and I will lay down my command as obediently as I accepted it from Roland. But I again ask you here openly, as I have already expressed my opinion privately on this point, can we, the immediate instruments of the Most High, penetrated with his spirit, measure commands and quietly follow them? shall we, are we permitted to pursue this war as with men like ourselves, and may we obstinately withdraw the holy zeal, when the spirit descends upon us, and rules the sword in our hand, and hurls the burning brand into the idolatrous temples? Where then is truth, confidence, and faith, if I am not allowed to do what the Lord himself designs to exact from me. No my friends, my inspired brethren! let other self-sufficient, self-willed men then, who fight without heaven be your soldiers, I can never be such. Roland and Cavalier pardon the prisoners we make, send them back comforted, refresh and succour their wounded, and hope by their well-meaning kindness to arouse the hearts of the villains, that they may feel humane and brotherly towards us. But no such thing! they mock at this our weakness and call it folly, nay, they publicly term it cowardice and say, that we dare not act otherwise, for we are only rebels and outlaws. a.s.suredly we are a reproach to men, and when they catch, or wound us, they show us less compa.s.sion than they would testify to a dog, even if it had torn their dearest child to pieces. Is it then necessary to remind you of the barbarities they have practised upon our brethren, who have struggled and died for the faith? I will only recall to your recollection the holy father Brusson, who gloriously won the crown of martyrdom at Montpellier, the pious man, who preached the gospel to us poor abandoned flocks in the wilderness, and then took leave of us, drew no sword, lighted no torch, lived and died in the spirit of peace, and who only came once more to take a last farewell of the old mountains, and of the brethren, whom the faith had collected around him as his own children, with the gospel in his pocket, and with the bread of tears he wished to return to the strange land, which had become to him as his native country; and when they caught him, of what avail was his quiet, peaceable spirit to him? Under martyrdom, at which the imagination shudders, he was forced to resign his soul into the hands of the Creator. Need I remind you of the n.o.ble spirit of Seguier, how heroically he died and only scorned the cruel ingenuity of the executioner? But how then do you forget the wholly innocent people, who often a.s.sembled in the fields to worship G.o.d in secret and were put down by the faithful, as they call themselves, or, as it often happened, ma.s.sacred, women and children not excepted? And you no longer remember, how parents who were suspected had their children torn from them to be brought up as Catholics, how the mothers never saw them more and how those under age, who then remained faithful to the Gospel, were ill-used, suffered martyrdom, or were doomed to languish in a dungeon? All then has escaped your recollection, what those priests of the pulpit and the altar have uttered against us, and the ban and the curse, and that we are no men and unworthy of commiseration, when we were still constrained to attend their ma.s.s? and is it even permitted that gentleness, virtue, consideration, humanity and pity, should be observed towards these bloodhounds? No, verily, we are ruined if we do not pay them in their own coin, return evil for evil, blood for blood, death for death, rage and fury for their inflexibility and severity. As they have been mild and compa.s.sionate towards us, let us respond to it; let the Christianity that they preach, fall burning down upon their own heads, let us dive into their hearts and entrails, to see where they have concealed pity and the feelings of humanity. Wherever our name resounds, they must turn pale, and when we set all against all, we shall then be able to know whether we lose, or win, we shall extirpate them, or they us; and if we cease to exist, so may the wasted wilderness, the depopulated land, the ruined palaces, and burnt-down temples and horror and desolation, announce to the after-world what we have suffered and done. What are a priest, country or king in comparison to my faith, in comparison to the fire that kindles through all my veins and burns in every fibre? Do you think you are permitted to reason and be men of the ordinary world?

This is precisely what makes our adversaries strong and prepares so many defeats for us, because we still turn our looks back upon the world and its wisdom. Here stand our prophets, arrest then the spirit, exorcise it when it rushes through your souls like a hurricane, like a flash of lightening and burst forth from their consecrated mouths the words of the Eternal on the wings of the spirit. You know that this miraculous gift is denied to me, to Roland and to many, as in our Duplant, Cavalier, or Salomon, when all recollection vanishes and every ordinary human feeling becomes extinct, in the same manner does it happen to me, when we at length fight in the tumult, or pa.s.s by triumphantly the churches of our foes: from every dumb brick their scorn grins at me, from every beam the blood of our martyrs so arrogantly shed cries out to me; then, when the malignant followers of their priests sneak up to me with feigned supplications, then indeed, something roars within me for revenge, like a lion if he has once tasted blood, the sword and dagger pierce through their b.r.e.a.s.t.s as they kneel before me, my whole heart bounds, when the laughing flames rise up triumphantly through the edifice, when in the blaze the beams are consumed and fall down and bury women and children in the red glow.

This then is no human fancy that gladdened me, but the true spirit of the Almighty that impels me onward, and the bishop, the king himself, even our prophets may advance threateningly and imploringly towards me in vain in these highly consecrated moments, nay should an angel descend from heaven and call out to me to desist, I would not listen to it. Thus I am brethren, and I neither can nor will be otherwise, this I swear here, by the Eternal G.o.d!"

With these last words, he lifted his ponderous sword towards heaven, and then struck it so forcibly against the rocky ground, that it clattered loudly, Ravanel exclaimed as if possessed: "An Elias! an Elias!" and threw himself upon the breast of the ferocious man; the rest were silent, and Roland again came forward with a calm countenance, and as if embarra.s.sed. "What is your decision my brethren?" demanded he with a deep sigh.

"The decision is difficult," said Constant, a robust, fair young man.

"Let our prophets decide." The deadly pale Duplant immediately came forward, gave a hollow sigh and fell down; on the other side appeared Salomon, a diminutive man, he folded his hands, knelt and threw himself upon the rock. Duplant cried with that peculiarly deep voice: "I tell you the Hero Catinat has only fulfilled my orders!"--scarcely however had he uttered these words, than Salomon already groaned forth; "Follow my servant Roland, for he is my chosen instrument, you know that the blood of the innocent is an abomination to me."

The circle now drew closer together, and in the greatest excitement the pale and swarthy faces were looking over one another's heads, and between the shoulders of the foremost. Every eye was glowing, and Ravanel exclaimed: "To me also was given the gift of prophecy, listen to me, brethren, for perhaps the Spirit may now come over me." "Stop!"

screamed out Abraham Mazel, "I am one of the oldest here, I have a right to speak before any of you, through me I can boast that this holy war arose, but here, I think prophecy cannot avail." He had with these words taken fast hold of the little thing, Ravanel, by the shoulders, but the latter darted like lightening out of his grasp, threw himself down by the side of Duplant, who still lay in ecstasy, and cried: "this is our greatest prophet, for thou hast only two degrees, and him must we follow."

"Is not Salomon," said Roland earnestly, "as almighty as he? Here the word of the Lord contradicts itself: how shall we interpret it?"

"Not certainly," interrupted Edmond, who could no longer restrain himself, "As wild pa.s.sion demands, where doubt exists, mildness and compa.s.sion are the designs of the Lord." He had not yet finished these words, when he felt the stroke of a sword between his neck and shoulders, which the wrathful Ravanel aimed at him. The youth tottered backwards and Cavalier received him in his arms. "How?" exclaimed several voices, "one brother against another?" many swords were bared, a wild shout flew over the mountains and all was confusion. "The spirit moves me: he is a traitor!" said Ravanel. "stop! peace!" cried Roland's powerful voice in the midst, "brother Duplant has just now prophesied that he means us fairly, and that he is inspired with the faith!"

Ravanel turned surlily away and spoke to Duplant, who had in the mean while awakened.

A tall, slight man, whose clear brown eyes sparkled brightly, had in the interim been busied with Edmond: he had quickly torn off his clothes, examined and bound up the wound, which did not appear to be dangerous, and had supported him nearly fainting from loss of blood, between his knees. Cavalier with his kindly, childlike eyes was bending over him, and the youth fancied that he was again in his father's house, and that the strange guest was come to seek a reconciliation with him. "You are my angel," said he in a feeble voice, "you are indeed Gabriel, as my sister there has just said: take then also Christine as well as my father under your protection, pious boy, we shall all see one another cheerfully and happily again, but shine less brightly." Then he lost all consciousness.