"No!" said de Lescure to the General's messenger: "tell M. Quetineau
that the Vendeans cannot accede to those terms--we cannot allow his
soldiers to march to Angers, and to return within a week to inflict new
cruelties on our poor peasants. M. Quetineau must surrender without any
terms: the practices of our army must be his only guarantee, that his
men will not be massacred in cold blood, as the unfortunate royalists
are massacred when they fall into the hands of the republicans."
The republicans were not in a condition to insist upon anything; as M.
de Lescure had said, the practices of the Vendeans were a guarantee that
no blood would be unnecessarily shed, and relying on this assurance
alone, M. Quetineau surrendered the castle and gave up his sword. De
Lescure took possession of it till he should be able to hand it over to
his General, and the Vendeans found themselves complete masters of
Saumur.
There was, however, still a very strong detachment of republican troops
on the heights of Bournan, who were watched on one side by Foret and his
detachment, and on the other by a portion of M.
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