Having accomplished two-thirds of the descent, at a spot called La Grevières, M. de Dampierre called out a second time “Vive le Roi!” fired off his gun in the air, and plunging his rowels into his steed, darted off at a gallop.
A wood was situated about half a league from the road. They believed that some troops were in ambuscade there, and that the discharge of the gun was a preconcerted signal for them.
Five or six horsemen dashed off in pursuit of M. de Dampierre; ten or twelve shots were fired at him at the same time, but none of the bullets touched him.
M. de Dampierre, still at a gallop, waved his arm in a triumphant manner in the air.
I rushed off like the others, though on foot, not to capture M. de Dampierre—heaven forbid!—but, on the contrary, to help him if needful.
M. de Dampierre had already galloped more than five hundred yards, and he had almost escaped from his pursuers, when his horse, in leaping a ditch, stumbled, and fell.
But, with the aid of the bit and bridle, he managed to raise him up again, and once more set off at a gallop. His gun was left in the ditch.
At this moment a solitary gun was discharged.
It was fired by a peasant, mounted on a horse belonging to one of the hussars, which he had captured the evening before.
It was easy to see that M. de Dampierre was wounded. He fell backwards on the croup of his horse, which reared.