The inhabitants of the high town saw him and his men standing there for an hour, unable to make up their minds to return.
Eventually he and his men took the route to Dun, and disappeared in the distance.
The King continued his way—the way of the Cross.
After the arrest of M. Dandoins and his lieutenant, an officer of the National Guard, Citizen Legay, had established under the trees at the angle of the Rue de la Post au Bois and the Rue du Marais a post of National Guards, picked men, and all ordered to fire on any one entering or leaving the city at a gallop, without responding to the challenge of the sentinels.
Some minutes after these orders had been given, a report was circulated that the hussars of Pont-de-Somme-Vesles had gone round the town, and that Drouet and Guillaume ran a great risk of falling into their hands.
M. Legay then asked for two volunteers to go with him on the road, and pick up what information they could with regard to Drouet and Guillaume.
Two gendarmes, Collet and Pointe, offered themselves, and all three set out on their voyage of discovery.
On the road they met the two citizens of St. Menehould, who had started on sorry hacks, and been unable to keep up the chase. They learnt from them that no accident had happened to the two messengers. Anxious to be the bearers of this good news, they put their horses to the gallop, and, forgetting the orders given by Legay, omitted to answer the challenge of the sentinels in ambuscade.
The sentinels fired. Two of the horsemen fell; one dead, and the other wounded.