notice of their approach than the shock and crash of the collision of the vessels.

Even the treasure-carriers found no time for exclamations, but assisted by their silence the policy of the assailants. The rowers, with one hand interposed their oars to protect their heads from the blow, while, with the other, they tugged at their swords, concealed and entangled in their peasant's cloaks. The men-at-arms, lying perdue at the bottom of the boats, raised themselves up, with smothered curses, to meet an attack, of which they knew not the nature or strength; and thus the conflict went on for some time, with hardly any of the usual sounds of battle, except the clash of swords and battle-axes.

Such was the suddenness of the assault, that the affair would have been decided almost at a blow, had the numbers of the parties been equal; but on the side of the treasurecarriers, there were three boats, well manned, while Douglas commanded only two. This, even taking into account the disadvantage at which men might fight who are set upon unawares, kept the balance pretty nearly equal; and in a few minutes, the shouts of the Laval party, when they had recovered recollection sufficiently to know that noise was their true policy, threatened to bring assistance even from the castle.

The middle boat of the three was evidently the one which contained the money; for the other two, instead of attempting to fly, pressed in to its assistance. The fight was thus concentrated in a single spot; and the majority of the combatants, crowding round the few who were actually engaged, could only take part in the conflict by their cries and gestures.

"Sir Englishman," said Douglas, when they had both stood back to breathe for an instant, "will you put it to the trial of our strength and courage which has the fairest mie?"

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Agreed," replied Beauchamp. "May I crave to know which of the red-haired daughters of Caledonia has the honour of calling you her servant?"

"The daughters of Caledonia," said Sir Archibald, "are fairer than your mother's fame; but to-day I strike for Pauline de Laval!"

"And I also, in the name of St. Michael and St. George! as witness this blow-" and Beauchamp, forcing his way to the front, raised himself upon the gunwale, and swinging his axe round his head, let it fall, with deadly aim, upon the casque of one who was clothed in complete mail, with

vizor down, and who seemed to be the chief of the adverse party. This personage, however, stooping his head adroitly at the instant, the weapon just touched the smooth steel, and glancing away, the luckless knight, borne down by the impetus of his own blow, dived headlong into the enemy's boat.

Douglas to the rescue!" cried Sir Archibald, bounding after him like a tiger. But he was down the same instant, felled by a blow from the redoubtable leader. At this sight, a shout burst simultaneously from three voices in the second boat; and Nigel, and his comrades, hewing down all opposition, forced their way into the enemy's vessel, crying, A Douglas! a Douglas! St. Bride for the Bleeding

Heart!"

"The heat of the battle was thus suddenly transferred to the treasure-boat; and one of the others, imagining that his principal was taken, and the affair decided, made off at full speed, pulling lustily towards La Verrière. The crew of the remaining vessel, which was now stuck immoveable among the soft, deep mud, and aquatic plants of the bay, were not so fortunate. Some, indeed, contrived to reach the nearest land by swimming; but others were slain before they could spring from the gunwale; and others, attempting to strike across the river, were borne down by the weight of their armour, and disappeared before they had gained the middle of the stream. The waters of the sluggish Erdre, in the immediate scene of the fight, were one puddle of blood; only diversified here and there by a white bubble rising to the surface, with the last breath of one gasping beneath.

The pilot, in the meanwhile, sat immoveable in the stern of the boat; which, by this time, had been whirled into the bay, and lay wedged among its floating turfs, and matted plants, with the treasure-boat close outside in deep water. He gazed in stupified fear, not so much at the bloody scene, as at one of its principal actors. His eyes appeared to be fixed, as if by fascination, upon him who appeared to be the leader of the escort. This individual, indeed, performed such feats of strength and valour as excited the admiration of the whole of the combatants. The sweep of his arm appeared to be resistless; and his battle-axe struck to the ground whatever it touched. But to turn the fate of the day was impossible even for him; his comrades were slain by his side, or taken prisoners one by one; and, retreating from beam to beam of his own boat, he was at length driven into that of the pilot.

The dread which seemed to have taken possession of the

mind of Jehan, instead of diminishing as the defeat of its object became certain, acquired new force every step that the stranger was forced backwards; till at length, on seeing him retreat alone into the boat where he sat, his stare became ghastly, his jaw collapsed, and his whole countenance-assumed the colour and immobility of death. The capture of this formidable personage, however, was now certain; for the distance from the bank was at least twice more than a man could overleap, and the shaking and splashing, during the struggle, of the grassy surface between, proved the nature of the gulf beneath.

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"Demand quarter!" cried Douglas, following the stranger, with some of the others, into the boat. Keep back, my friends; it were shame to slay so brave a man!" And the generosity was ratified by his comrades, who all cried out with one voice, "Yield, Sir Stranger! We grant you life and liberty!"

The vanquished knight, after turning one glance upon the space between him and the bank, paused for a moment, waving back his pursuers, as if he intended to accept the proffered grace. But the next instant, he turned round as quick as thought, caught up the pilot, with no more effort than if he had been an infant, and threw him, like a lifeless clod, midway to the land. He then leaped upon the gunwale, sprang upon the breast of the fated wretch, and thence bounded anew far enough to reach the brink. Jehan uttered neither word nor cry; although the clutch he caught of the floating surface, when he descended upon it first, showed that he was still sensible. His body, which might else have floated for some time, spurned by the foot of the stranger sunk at once; and when the convulsion occasioned by the plunge was over, the tangled weeds of the Erdre closed over it for a pall.

Douglas did not this time repeat the contemptuous reproaches he had showered after his intended assassin, when he took to flight before the unloaded culverine!

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"It is he!" was all he uttered, in a tone of wonder and deep anxiety, as he followed with his eyes the retreating form of the stranger.

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It is he!" said Nigel, who overheard him. is but one in Europe!"

"It is indeed he," repeated Andrew, musingly, as a gun!"

"There

"as sure

CHAPTER XXVII.

AFTER the campaign had been opened in so brilliant and decisive a manner, it was necessary for Montrichard and his party to throw off all disguise; and messengers, therefore, were despatched the same night from Nantes, to acquaint the more powerful lords of the family of Laval with what he had done, and to summon his immediate friends and neighbours (who awaited impatiently the signal), to a common rendezvous, with what force they could muster.

The money taken was not completely divided among the captors, because it was prudent, at least in the mean time, to represent their proceedings as arising from public and disinterested motives. A sum, however, was subtracted from the fund, and equitably apportioned, sufficient to repay all parties for their trouble; and among the rest, our three students found themselves possessed of what appeared to them to be inexhaustible wealth. The business in which they had assisted, was indeed, in some of its details, not altogether such as could be dwelt on with pleasure by the imaginations of youths raw to the world; but this was all the better reason why they should be paid handsomely for what they had done. As they pocketted the gold, they thought that war was not so very horrible a trade as it seemed; an then they set their faces to further adventures, with the grave looks of men who are "getting on," and waxing in the prosperity of life.

Early in the morning, the four Scots separated into two parties; Andrew and Douglas taking the road with Montrichard, and Nigel and Bauldy setting forth with Houpelande's waggon. Before they parted, Andrew ascertained that the culverine was still properly fixed, and took great pains to teach his comrades how to point it: only cautioning them strongly not to be guilty of the extravagance and impolicy of charging it with powder and ball. He then took Bauldy aside, out of earshot, and said to him in a low voice,— You have seen Caleb, the son of Benjamin ?" Bauldy nodded.

"You had doubtless some cracks with him?"

"Doubtless."

He is not so ill-spoken neither. I dare say he told you what he wanted ?"

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"If he did, it was only natural.”

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Something, I guess, that is not to be cried in open market, like a proclamation?"

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You have hit the mark.'

Well, well-God preserve you, Bauldy! I see you can keep your tongue within your teeth, and that is a rarer aecomplishment than fiddling. But, between ourselves, if David should take me to task about the Jew's communication-supposing I meet him first, poor fellow!—what am I to say?"

"Why, this," said Bauldy, with a grave and mysterious look, as he put his lips close to Andrew's ear, which distended visibly to catch the secret; "Just this-and then God bless you till we meet again—that you know nothing at all about the matter!" and so saying, the canny Scot pushed his friend away from him, and went to lift Felicité upon the wagon.

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Bauldy felt supremely happy. The assent given by David to his love-speculation was no less welcome than surprising; for, although hardly conscious of the fact himself, he had awaited the decision of the master-scholar with more dread and anxiety than if he had been his legal guardian. But how David's whole theory of sentiment and action could have been so suddenly overturned, was a puzzling question. He had always, as Andrew said, been a great stickler for propriety;" which meant, as touching the present subject, that he was for having everybody enter into the holy estate of matrimony, like the brutes into the ark, each male and female after his kind. The lion was to mate with the lioness, the boar with the feminine pig; and the gentle blood of such a beast as Bauldy, was by no means to intermingle with the red puddle of a rotourier animal.

But Bauldy was unacquainted with the history of David, since he had leaped the window of the Scottish college, and withdrawn for ever from the maternal shades of Academia. In great political convulsions, rank and birth are forgotten; high families are overthrown; mean ones rise up from the dregs of society; and men begin to reckon by a new scale of honour which, however (though this is beside the question), wants nothing but antiquity to identify it with the old. In like manner, when the individual is taken suddenly away from the routine of everyday existence, to find himself involved in the shock and struggle of the world—with the allegorical winds and waters of life howling round his head and hissing in his ears-it is no wonder that he should forget the nice rules which he had planned for the govern

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