As the country had been ravaged for a hundred miles round, the respective Princes of course were for throwing themselves into the forts, where there was plenty of provision; and, when once there, they speedily began to turn out such of the garrison as were disagreeable to them, or had an inconvenient appetite, or were of a doubtful fidelity.  These poor fellows turned into the road, had no choice but starvation; as to getting into Paris, that was impossible:  a mouse could not have got into the place, so admirably were the forts guarded, without having his head taken off by a cannon-ball.  Thus the three conflicting parties stood, close to each other, hating each other, “willing to wound and yet afraid to strike”—­the victuals in the forts, from the prodigious increase of the garrisons, getting smaller every day.  As for Louis Philippe in his palace, in the centre of the twenty-four forts, knowing that a spark from one might set them all blazing away, and that he and his money-bags might be blown into eternity in ten minutes, you may fancy his situation was not very comfortable.

But his safety lay in his treasure.  Neither the Imperialists nor the Bourbonites were willing to relinquish the two hundred and fifty billions in gold; nor would the Princes of Orleans dare to fire upon that considerable sum of money, and its possessor, their revered father.  How was this state of things to end?  The Emperor sent a note to his Most Christian Majesty (for they always styled each other in this manner in their communications), proposing that they should turn out and decide the quarrel sword in hand; to which proposition Henri would have acceded, but that the priests, his ghostly counsellors, threatened to excommunicate him should he do so.  Hence this simple way of settling the dispute was impossible.

The presence of the holy fathers caused considerable annoyance in the forts.  Especially the poor English, as Protestants, were subject to much petty persecution, to the no small anger of Jenkins, their commander.  And it must be confessed that these intrepid Footmen were not so amenable to discipline as they might have been.  Remembering the usages of merry England, they clubbed together, and swore they would have four meals of meat a day, wax-candles in the casemates, and their porter.  These demands were laughed at:  the priests even called upon them to fast on Fridays; on which a general mutiny broke out in the regiment; and they would have had a fourth standard raised before Paris—­viz., that of England—­but the garrison proving too strong for them, they were compelled to lay down their sticks; and, in consideration of past services, were permitted to leave the forts.  ’Twas well for them! as you shall hear.