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Rh with a band, who had fortunately escaped the royal troops, rushed from a narrow defile. They halted upon the summit and the prisoners were brought forward. The court martial, which was quickly held, sentenced them all to death, and scarcely were the words pronounced, when the ready Ravanel shot the foremost dead with his pistol, so that the gushing blood sprinkled Edmond, who was standing close by. The fallen man expired instantly after a few struggles. Edmond drew back pale and horrified.

"Thou hast surely not seen much blood yet, young man?" cried Ravanel mockingly; "Thou oughtst to celebrate thy consecration to-day, and massacre some of those wretches thyself."

"Not now, brother Ravanel," said Catinat, "the royal troops are stationed so near and we do not know their number, therefore we must not attract them hither by our firing. It would be difficult enough to disengage ourselves from them afterwards."