“They are cowards, Charles,” said Henri, “or they would not have deserted their King.”

“They are good soldiers, nevertheless,” said Bonchamps.  “I have fought among them, and know it.”

“They are the better worth our fighting then,” said Henri.

“Providence can give us the victory over tried veterans as well as over untried conscripts; it were a sin to doubt it,” said M. d’Elbee.

“That would be a good subject for a sermon to the soldiers, but a bad argument in a council chamber,” said Bonchamps.  “We shall find the cuirassiers tough fellows to deal with.”

“We must take our enemies as we find them,” said Cathelineau; “but if you will allow me, gentlemen, and as you have placed me here, I will tell you what I would propose?’

“Do, Cathelineau, do!” said Henri; “let us have one plan, and then make the best we can of it; we can at any rate do our duty like men.”

“I think we should leave this early tomorrow morning, and move across the country as though we were going to Montreuil; we shall so come on the Montreuil road about a league from Saumur, and not very far, that is about half a league, from the camp at Varin.”

“And then, Cathelineau, will you attack the camp tomorrow evening?” said de Lescure.

“I think not, M. de Lescure; but I would make a feint to do so, and I would thus keep the republicans on the alert all night; a small body of our men may, I think, in that way fatigue the masses of the republicans in the camp—­we might harass them the whole night, which will be dark from eleven till near three; and then with the earliest sunrise our real attack should be made.”

“Bravo, Cathelineau!” said Henri; “and then fall on them when they are in want of sleep.”

“Yes,” said de Lescure, “and they will have learnt to think that our attacks in that quarter are only feints.”

“Such may be our good luck, M. de Lescure; at any rate, if you think of nothing better, we may try it.”

It was thus decided, and arranged that Larochejquelin should, on the following evening, leave the main body of the army with all the mounted men belonging to it, and advance near enough to the camp at Varin to allow of his being seen and heard by the republicans, and that he should almost immediately retreat:  that a body of infantry should then move on, and take up a position near to the camp, which should also return after a while, and that as soon as darkness had come on, a third advance should be made by a larger body of men, who should, if possible, approach within musket shot o the trenches, and endeavour to throw the republicans into disorder.  At four o’clock in the morning, the real attack was to be made by the combined Vendean forces, of which Cathelineau was to lead the centre, de Lescure the left, consisting of the men brought by himself and Larochejaquelin from the centre of the Bocage; and d’Elbee the right, which was formed of men chiefly brought by M. Bonchamps from the province of Anjou.  M. Bonchamps was himself too ill from the effects of his wounds to accompany the army beyond Doue.