Page:Memoirs of a Huguenot Family.djvu/217

Rh silence, and stooping very low, in order that they might be neither seen nor heard. An Irish servant who was fetching home the cows was the first person to discover them, marching in good order, and only the distance of a long musket shot from the house. He ran home as fast as he could, and cried out that we were all lost, for a number of armed men were in sight. We got up directly, and I ordered every door to be shut, but there was so much confusion that the gates of the large court in front, and even the house door below the tower were forgotten and left open for some time. This was perceived by the enemy as we afterwards learned, but it was supposed to have been done on purpose as a feint, and that we must have a loaded cannon within ready to fire if any one approached. When the men were near enough to hear me, I hailed them through a speaking-trumpet, and told them if they were friends to stop, and let us know who they were, and if enemies, to come forward, and we would receive them with vigor.

In the mean time my children were busily engaged loading our arms and putting them in order. The men continued to advance; so I ordered my son James to fire upon them from a garret window with our largest gun, which was six feet long. This made them lower their heads; they then separated into six detachments and took various posts, and some of them, under cover of hedges and ditches, contrived to get round to the back of the house. They had determined to root us out this time, for their first act was to set fire to the malt-house, which was towards the east, then to the stacks of hay, straw and grain which were at the north and east, and after that to the cow-house, stable, and long fish-press which were at the west of my house. These were all very