The storm of lead came whistling again about Canolles without touching him, but decimating his little troop once more.
"Back!" cried Vibrac, "back!"
"At them! at them!" cried Ravailly; "forward, my lads, forward!"
His men obeyed and rushed forward; Canolles, with hardly more than a half a score of men, sustained the shock; he had picked up a dead soldier's gun, and used it as a club.
The soldiers entered the governor's house, Vibrac and he bringing up the rear. With their united efforts they succeeded in closing the door, despite the efforts of the assailants to prevent them, and secured it with an enormous bar of iron.
There were bars at the windows.
"Axes, crow-bars, cannon if necessary!" cried the voice of Duc de La Rochefoucauld; "we must take them all, dead or alive."
His words were followed by an appalling discharge; two or three bullets pierced the door, and one of them shattered Vibrac's thigh.
"'Faith, commandant," said he, "my account is settled; do you look now to settling yours; I am done with it all."
He lay down by the wall, unable to stand erect.