The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-12-06

ed let no one set his foot over the threshold
of our noble foes dwelling. Now to your
companies with all the speed You can z; give
your men the necessary orders, and in all
things do exactly as have told you. Quick
and as little noise as possible pray you"
| Thereupon the captains returned to their |
companies, which they Immediately led for |
| ward in order to the edge of the road, while |
Deconnck advanced large body Of weavers |
to within q very moderate distance of the city |
walls. He himself approached still nearer, and
endeavored with his eye to penetrate the dark
ness; burning port-fire, the end of which he
concealed in the hollow of his hand, shed its
red glow from between his fingers. So he
| walked on, keeping q sharp look out. till at
last he espied head peering over the wall; it
was that of the cloth worker Gerard, whom he
had visited the evening before. The Dean now
| produced a bundle of flax from under his gar
ment, laid it upon the ground, and blew vigor-
ousy upon the port fire. Soon clear flame
shot up and cleaned over the plain, and the
head of the clothworker disappeared from the
wall. A moment more, and the sentinel who
was posted on the ramparts fell heavily for
ward, with single sharp cry, and lay dead at
it's foot. Then followed a confused noise be-
hind the gate-the clash of arms mingled with
cries of the dying; and then all was still-still
as the grave.
| The gate was opened. In deepest silence the
guildsmen defiled into the city; and each cap
tain drew off his company to the station as
signed him by Deconinck. quarter Of an
hour later all the sentinels duty ut the
gates had been surprised and cut off, each guild
had taken up its position, and at the door of
, every house occupied by u Frenchman stood
, eight Edwards, ready to force an entrance
with hammers and axes. Not single street
was unoccupied; each division of the city
: swarmed with Edwards, eagerly awaiting the
, signal of attack.
q Deconinck was standing in the middle of the
n Friday Market place. After a moment of deep
thou ght, he pronounced the doom of the French
d with the words, The Lion for Flanders
y Whose is French is false; strike homer
% This order, the doom OF the alien, was echoed
by five thousand voices; and it is easy to i'm
N agine the fearful cries, the appalling tumult
m that followed. The Edwards, thirsting for re
70 venge, rushed into the bed ch ambers of the
N French, and slaughtered all who could moi
ia pronounce the fatal words, Sohild en- vrend.'
rs In many of the houses there were more French
es men than could be reached in SO short time
a. SO that many had time to dress themselve
I hurriedly, and seize their weapons and thi
,r was the especially in the quarter occupies
~ by De Chatillon and his numerous guards. Il
Of spite of the furious rapidity of Breydel en-
in his comrades about six hundred Frenchme
so had collected in this manner. Many also, q
wa though wounded, coptrived to escape from th
be fray; and the rumber of fugtives was thus 6
W. much Increased, that they resolved to stan'
ed and sell their lives as dearly es they coul'
They stood in compact mass in front Of Il
nd houses, and defended themselves against IL
err butchers with the energy of despair. Mar
of them had crossbows with which they sh
a. down some of the Edwards; but the sight
their fallen companions only increased the fu
low of the survivors, De Chatillon's voice W
not every heard animating his men to resistanc
r. and De Mortenay was especially conspicuor
inc his long sword cleaning like a lightning-fa
nat in the darkness,
Breydel ragged like mailman, and dealt
., blows right and left among the French.
49, many of the foe had fallen before him, that
already stood raised some feet above the grour
), Blood was flowing in streams between the de
30 bodies and the cry, The Lion for Flande
;,, strike homew mixed its terrible sound W
;,. the groans of the dying. Jan van Gstel W
of course, among the French. As he know Il
his death was inevitable if the Flemings go
We cd the victory, he shouted incessantly, Gran
rS'ss France I" hoping thus to sustain the courage
his troops.
the NV JUN D'o9 NeA MS 'U'N0'
ople. raueS'> S".u nv " -" "'Tl l"Ee, =,
0 us Ihe soul%t WIS " - ~ -
ch in ious o'ouSN -O' " N' NO'
take ino o'oSe . -
..a, With these waTds, he threw himself with
4ho axe amongst the French, and soon struck dc
,,,a every foo within reach of his arm. So furi
:, A. was their onslaught, that they soon drove
-otn enemy back against the walls of the hout
- and Ave hundred of them fell beneath the
of the butchers. In this moment of extr
S peril, of terrible agoay, De Mortenay rem
- bered the word and promise of Deoonil
~. Rejoicing that he yet had the power to
g G. the governor-general, he Cried am De