Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 367: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE RHINE. 349 as in the time when they made war together against Mon- sieur de Turenne in Flanders, they threw themselves upon the enemy. The fever of combat had seized them. When they were seen coming cries of enthusiasm rose from the ranks of the French cavaliers. The Chevalier de Ven- dome pounced upon a Dutch officer, killed him with a sword thrust, took his flag, and, armed with this trophy, continued his bold course; the Marquis d’Aubasson wished to follow him and fell, struck in the heart by a ball; the Duc de Longueville leaped over his dying body and placed himself in the first rank. Monsieur de Naucrais, Belle- Rose, Cornelius, and Déroute formed a wedge which opened the Dutch Army with the irresistible force of a battering-ram. Monsieur de Pomereux was everywhere at the same time, choosing his adversaries and improvising here and there duels in the midst of the combat. When a movement was made in any direction, Belle-Rose quitted his friends, ran where the danger was, and maintained the superiority acquired at the beginning of the action. He had at the same time the bravery of the soldier and the glance of the chief; he was followed with enthusiasm and. obeyed witha blind confidence. The Tower of Tolhus soon ceased its fire; it was dismantled and conquered. The two batteries of the Prince de Condé turned their smoking cannon toward the plain, where the Dutch were to be per- ceived behind their hedges and palisades. The impulse was given; it was now beyond the power of the chiefs to stop it; to tell the truth, not one cf them thought of it, and far from wishing to restrain their troops, they would have urged them on if there had been any need to do so. The princes of the blood themselves fought like officers of fortune. The presence of the Prince de Condé, of his son the Duc d’Enghien, of the Duc de Luxembourg, of the young Duc de Longueville, communicated an incredible ardor to the soldiers who had just so audaciously crossed the Rhine. No attention was paid to the musketry which decimated their ranks, and they arrived pell-mell at the barriers, the best mounted in front, the others behind. The Dutch officers had succeeded in re-establishing a little order among their troops, who imagined that the whole French army was upon them; the cavaliers, rallied behind the first ditch, made use of the pistol. A ball carried away Monsieur de Pomereux’s hat, who saluted with his sword. _ Behold a lesson in politeness for which I must thank these gentlemen,’’ said he, and applied a dig of the spur to his horse, who neighed with pain and leaped the ditch. Gomicboo S ( 3