The volunteers, hearing the uproar and seeing the hostile preparations, halted, and to show that their intentions were peaceful, put their shakos on their musket stocks and waved them above their heads, shouting that no one need fear, for they would do no harm to anyone.  But alarmed as they were by the terrible stories told by Bertrand, the villagers shouted back that they could not trust to such assurances, and that if they wanted to pass through the village they must first give up their weapons.  It may easily be imagined that men who had broken the convention in order to keep their weapons were not likely to give them up to these villagers—­in fact, they obstinately refused to let them out of their hands, and by doing so increased the suspicions of the people.  A parley of a very excited character took place between M. Fournier for the royal guards and M. Boucarut, who was chosen spokesman by the villagers.  From words they came to deeds:  the miquelets tried to force their way through, some shots were fired, and two miquelets, Calvet and Fournier, fell.  The others scattered, followed by a lively discharge, and two more miquelets were slightly wounded.  Thereupon they all took to flight through the fields on either side of the road, pursued for a short distance by the villagers, but soon returned to examine the two wounded men, and a report was drawn up by Antoine Robin, advocate and magistrate of the canton of Uzes, of the events just related.

This accident was almost the only one of its kind which happened during the Hundred Days:  the two parties remained face to face, threatening but self-controlled.  But let there be no mistake:  there was no peace; they were simply awaiting a declaration of war.  When the calm was broken, it was from Marseilles that the provocation came.  We shall efface ourselves for a time and let an eye-witness speak, who being a Catholic cannot be suspected of partiality for the Protestants.

“I was living in Marseilles at the time of Napoleon’s landing, and I was a witness of the impression which the news produced upon everyone.  There was one great cry; the enthusiasm was universal; the National Guard wanted to join him to the last man, but Marshal Massena did not give his consent until it was too late, for Napoleon had already reached the mountains, and was moving with such swiftness that it would have been impossible to overtake him.  Next we heard of his triumphal entry into Lyons, and of his arrival in Paris during the night.  Marseilles submitted like the rest of France; Prince d’Essling was recalled to the capital, and Marshal Brune, who commanded the 6th corps of observation, fixed his headquarters at Marseilles.

“With quite incomprehensible fickleness, Marseilles, whose name during the Terror had been, as one may say, the symbol of the most advanced opinions, had become almost entirely Royalist in 1815.  Nevertheless, its inhabitants saw without a murmur the tricolour flag after a year’s absence floating once more above the walls.  No arbitrary interference on the part of the authorities, no threats, and no brawling between the citizens and the soldiers, troubled the peace of old Phocea; no revolution ever took place with such quietness and facility.