colonel hulot
colonel hulot was a man of thirty-eight or forty. he had served for ten years under the late king without having been able to rise to the rank of corporal. but as soon as the revolution had been proclaimed, he had earned one grade after another at the point of his sword, like the brave soldier that he was.
he had learned of the altercation which had taken place at the gate between citizen fran?ois goulin and the pretended mademoiselle rotrou.
"citizeness," he said as he entered, "i have heard of what took place between yourself and the commissioner of the directory. i need hardly tell you that we old soldiers have no great affection for these fellows who follow the armies with the guillotine as if powder and ball and swords did not give death sufficient pasture to reap in. hearing that you had stopped at the post-house, i came to you with the sole intention of congratulating you upon the manner in which you had treated citizen goulin. when men tremble before such wretches it behooves women to prove to them that they are but the fag-ends of the human race, and that they are not worthy to be called rabble by a beautiful mouth like yours. and now, citizeness, have you need of colonel hulot? if so, command him."
"thanks, colonel," said diane; "if i had anything to fear or to ask i would accept your offer with a frankness equal to that with which you make it. i am going to vitré,[pg 493] which is the end of my journey, and, as there is but one more stage to make, i think that i am not liable to meet with any inconveniences greater than those which have already befallen me heretofore."
"hum!" said colonel hulot. "i know that vitré is but some fifteen miles distant, but i also know that the road forms a narrow pass, bordered by furze and thorn brush, most admirably suited to serve as an ambush for my gentlemen, the chouans. my own opinion is that in spite of our respectable numbers we shall scarcely reach vitré without being attacked. if you are, as you say, thoroughly vouched for by citizen barras, you must be a person of considerable importance. now, one who is so well protected by barras has everything to fear from master cadoudal, who does not feel for the directory the respect which it deserves. moreover, i have been officially notified, both personally and as the leader of this column, that a citizeness named mademoiselle rotrou, might perhaps claim the favor of travelling under the protection of our bayonets. when i say 'claim the favor,' i merely quote the words in the letter, for, in this case, the favor would be all on my side."
"i am, indeed, mademoiselle rotrou, sir, and i am grateful to monsieur barras for his kind remembrance. but, as i have already said, all my precautions are taken; and some claims to consideration, which i may call to the attention of the chouan leader, incline me to believe that i run little danger in that direction. however, colonel, i am equally grateful to you, and i am particularly glad that you share my aversion for the miserable creature whom they have given you for a travelling companion."
"oh! as for us," said colonel hulot, "we are not at all afraid of him. we are no longer in the times of saint-just and lebas, a fact which i must confess i deplore with all my heart. they were brave men who exposed themselves to the same dangers as we ourselves; who fought with us, and who, since they remained on the field at the imminent risk of being shot, had the right to proceed against those[pg 494] who abandoned them. the soldiers did not love them but they did respect them; and when they stretched forth their hands over a head they understood that no one had the right to rescue it from the vengeance of the republic. but as for our fran?ois goulin, who will run away at the first shot he hears, taking his guillotine with him, there is not a soldier among our six thousand who would let him touch a hair of one of our officers."
just then mademoiselle rotrou was told that her carriage was ready.
"citizeness," said colonel hulot, "it is part of my duty to clear the road along which our column is to pass. i have with me a small detachment of cavalry composed of three hundred hussars and two hundred chasseurs, and i am about to send them—not for you, but for myself—along the road which we are to follow. if you are in need, you have only to apply to the officer in command, and he is under orders to do his utmost to serve you, and even, if you desire it, to escort you as far as vitré."
"thank you, sir," said mademoiselle de fargas, giving her hand to the old soldier; "but i should never forgive myself were i to imperil the lives of your soldiers, which are so precious as defenders of the republic, to assure the safety of a life as humble and of as little importance as mine."
with these words diane went out, escorted by the colonel, who gallantly gave her his hand to assist her to enter the carriage. the postilion was waiting with his horses.
"the road to vitré," said diane.
the postilion started. the soldiers drew aside to let the carriage pass; and as they were all aware of the manner in which she had reproved fran?ois groulin, compliments, somewhat coarsely expressed, it is true, but none the less sincere, were not spared her.
as she set out, she heard the colonel shout: "to horse, chasseurs and hussars!"
and from three or four different directions she heard[pg 495] the "boots and saddle" sounded. when they had driven through la guerche, the postilion stopped, as if to adjust some portion of the harness, and, approaching the carriage, said: "perhaps the citizeness has business with them?"
"with them?" repeated diane astonished.
the postilion winked.
"why, yes, with them."
"whom do you mean?"
"the friends, of course. they are here to the right and left of the road," and he imitated the hoot of a screech-owl.
"no," replied diane, "go on; but when you have reached the foot of the hill stop."
"bah!" muttered the postilion to himself, "you will stop all right enough, little mother."
they were then at the summit of a hill which sloped gently down for more than a mile and a half. both sides of the road were lined with a thick growth of furze and thorn, which was in places dense enough to conceal three or four men.
the postilion started the horses at the usual pace, and drove down, singing an old breton song in the karnac dialect.
from time to time he elevated his voice, as if his song were a signal which the people along the side of the road understood. diane, who knew that she was surrounded with chouans, used her eyes to good advantage without uttering a word. this postilion might be a spy, whom goulin had set to watch her, and she had not forgotten his threat should she give him any advantage over her, or fall into his hands again. just as they reached the foot of the hill, where a little path crossed the road, a man on horseback sprang out of the woods to stop the carriage: but when he saw that its only occupant was a lady, he raised his hat.
the postilion turned round as he saw him, and said in a low tone: "do not be afraid; that is general roundhead."
"madame," said the horseman, with the greatest polite[pg 496]ness, "i believe that you come from la guerche, and possibly from chateaubriant."
"yes, sir," said she, leaning forward in the carriage without exhibiting any fear, although she saw no less than fifty horsemen ambushed along the side of the road.
"do your political opinions permit you to give me any information concerning the strength of the republican column which you have left behind you?"
"both my political opinions and my social conscience permit me to do so," replied the fair traveller with a smile. "the column consists of six thousand men, who have just returned from prisons in england and holland. they are commanded by a brave man named colonel hulot; but they have in their train a miserable wretch whom they call fran?ois goulin, and a horrible machine which they call the guillotine. when i entered the town i had an altercation with the aforesaid fran?ois goulin, who has promised me that i shall make the acquaintance of his machine, if ever i fall into his hands. this made me so popular with the soldiers, who detest their travelling companion, that colonel hulot insisted upon an interview with me, and wished to give me an escort as far as vitré, lest i should otherwise fall into the hands of the chouans. but as i left paris with the express intention of falling into the hands of the chouans, i refused his escort. then i told the postilion to drive on, and here i am, delighted to meet you, general cadoudal, and to express to you my admiration for your courage, and the esteem which your character inspired in my breast. as for the escort which was to have accompanied me, there it is just coming out of the town. it consists of two hundred chasseurs and three hundred hussars. kill as few of those brave fellows as you can, and you will please me."
"i will not conceal from you, madame," replied cadoudal, "that there will be an encounter between my men and that detachment. will you go on as far as vitré, where i will rejoin you after the fight, as i am anxious to learn more[pg 497] definitely the motive of a journey for which you have given me an improbable cause."
"it is none the less the true one," replied diane; "and as a proof, if you will permit, i will remain to witness the engagement. since i have to join your army, this will serve as an apprenticeship."
cadoudal gazed at the little column, which grew in size as it approached, then said to the postilion: "place madame where she will be in no danger; and if we are beaten, explain to the blues that i, to her great despair, prevented her from continuing her journey." bowing to diane, he added: "madame, pray for the good cause while i fight for it." then, darting down the path, he rejoined his ambushed companions.
