“What have you done, dear Julia,” said Madame Coulancourt, “with our troublesome guests?”
“Eh! mon Dieu! they are troublesome,” said Julia. “They have posted sentinels within twenty yards of each other round the château, whilst the sergeant and the rest who will relieve the guard have settled themselves and their weapons in the lower hall. I have ordered them refreshments. Sergeant Perrin is very polite and agreeable, and by no means taciturn. He says there are forty or fifty men, besides coast guards, gone down to Palos Creek to watch, lest an attempt should be made on the Vengeance. They would have taken her up the creek to Grantain, but it is low neap-tides, and she draws too much water; so they have chained her to a huge anchor, nearly two tons weight, and riveted the chains. Captain Pierre Gaudet swears he will burn or blow her up before the English shall have her.”
“Ah!” said Mabel, her cheeks flushing, though she shuddered as she spoke; “if William has determined to take her, he will do so; but I trust in God he will not attempt it, for many lives must be lost, I dread to think it, on both sides.”
CHAPTER XXXV.
Neither Mabel nor Madame Coulancourt, when they retired to rest that night, undressed, for they fully expected to be roused by the sounds of contention from Palos Creek. Mabel remained with her mother, and both, leaving their lamp burning, lay down as they were. Just before midnight the loud, dull sound of a heavy gun in the direction of the creek caused both ladies to jump up and listen; they threw up their window, which looked in the direction of the firing, and then came plainly enough the sounds of discharges of musketry, and the loud boom of the twelve-pound carronade.
“Oh, Heavens! how quick the discharges of musketry are,” said Mabel, trembling all over; “what a terrible fight they must have!”
“O God, protect those we love!” fervently uttered both mother and daughter; “and inspire them with mercy to their enemies. It’s frightful to think of men defacing God’s own image by slaying each other, and without one real feeling of individual animosity.”
“Ah, mother, rulers of states have a terrible responsibility to answer for, when they arm their poor subjects to slay and destroy other human beings, from some paltry political feeling. There goes the great gun again!”
A knock at the door interrupted the conversation.