He was determined, if possible, to be
revenged that same night for the defeat which he had experienced.
The two cousins were at Clisson when they first heard that Westerman was
actually on his road towards Bressuire, and they had lost no time in
taking the best measures in their power to stop his progress, but they
had not even hoped that their effort would have been so successful as
it proved. The tocsin had been rung in the three neighbouring parishes,
and about seven hundred men had been collected. These men all possessed
muskets, but they themselves had no ammunition, and the whole supply
which could be found in the district, including the little depot at
Clisson, only sufficed to give the men some three and some four rounds
each. When Westerman, with his ten thousand men, retreated from about
seven hundred, the royalists had not one charge of powder to three
muskets among them.
About ten in the evening Henri and de Lescure returned on foot from the
battle to the chateau of Clisson. Henri still had the red scarf round
his neck and waist, and stuck in the latter he had three or four
pistols, of various sizes, all of which had been used in the recent
engagement.
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