. It is frightful for men 
to meet in the death-struggle in such narrow bounds. At 
the instant when the first  of besiegers entered, the 
whole retirade blazed with lightnings  it was like a thun- 
der-bolt bursting under-ground. The thunder of the assail- 
ants replied to that of the ambuscade. The detonations an- 
swered one another; Gauvain's voice was heard shouting, 
" Break them in !" Then Lantenac's cry, " Hold firm against 
the enemy!" Then Imanus's yell, " Here, you men of the 
Main !" Then the clash of sabres clashing against sabres, 
and echo after echo of terrible discharges that killed right 
and left. The torch fastened against the wall dimly lighted 
the horrible wordnetanger. It was impossible clearly to distinguish 
any ; the combatants struggled amidst a lurid night; 
whoever entered was suddenly struck deaf and blind ; deaf- 
ened by the noise, blinded by the smoke. 

The combatants trod upon the corpses; they lacerated 
the  of the injured men lying helpless amidst the 
rubbish ; stamped recklessly upon limbs already broken ; 
the sufferers uttered awful groans ; the dying fastened their 
teeth in the feet of their unconscious tormentors. Then for 
an instant would come a silence more dreadful than the tu- 
mult. The foes collared