These four, with Hullin and Maillard in advance, attempted to defend the life for which a hundred thousand were clamoring.
A few French Grenadiers, whose uniform had become popular within three days, clustered round them. They were venerated by the mob.
As long as his generous defenders could do it they beat off the blows aimed at Count Launay; but he could not evade the hooting, the insults and the curses.
At Jouy Street corner, all the grenadiers had been brushed aside. Not the crowd's excitement, but the calculation of murderers may have had something to do with this; Gilbert had seen them plucked away as beads are flipped off a string.
He foresaw by this that the victory would be tarnished by bloodshed; he tried to get off the table but iron hands held him to it. In his impotence he sent Billet and Pitou to the defense of the governor, and obeying his voice they made efforts to reach the threatened one. His protectors stood in strong need of reinforcement. Chollat, who had eaten nothing since the evening before, fell with exhaustion, though he tried to struggle on: had he not been assisted, he would have been trodden under foot. His falling out of line made a breach in the living wall.
A man darted in by this crevasse in the dyke and clubbing his musket, delivered a crushing blow at the governor's bared head.
Lepine saw the mace descending and had time to throw his arms around Launay and receive the blow on his own forehead. Stunned by the shock and blinded by the blood, he staggered back and when he recovered, he was twenty paces apart from the prisoner.
This was the moment when Billet fought his way up, towing Pitou after him, like a steamship-of-war bringing up a sailing man-of-war into action.
He noticed that what marked Launay out was his being without a hat: he snatched off his own and put it on the count's head.
"I thank you," he said, "but whatever you do you cannot save me."
"If I can get you inside the City Hall, I will answer for all," said Hullin.
"Yes, but can you do it?" said the victim.
They might hope this as they reached the City Hall Square, It was packed with men with their arms bared to the pit, waving swords and spears. The rumor had run along that they were bringing the Bastile Governor and his major, and they were waiting for them like a pack of wolfhounds held back from breaking up the quarry.