Chapter 26 The Last Doubts Scattered
THIS TIME, as before, the King’s last command to the generals
was this: “See to it that you do nothing without the sanction of the
Maid.” And this time the command was obeyed; and would
continue to be obeyed all through the coming great days of the
Loire campaign.
That was a change! That was new! It broke the traditions. It shows
you what sort of a reputation as a commander-in-chief the child
had made for herself in ten days in the field. It was a conquering of
men’s doubts and suspicions and a capturing and solidifying of
men’s belief and confidence such as the grayest veteran on the
Grand Staff had not been able to achieve in thirty years. Don’t you
remember that when at sixteen Joan conducted her own case in a
grim court of law and won it, the old judge spoke of her as “this
marvelous child”? It was the right name, you see.
These veterans were not going to branch out and do things without
the sanction of the Maid–that is true; and it was a great gain. But
at the same time there were some among them who still trembled
at her new and dashing war tactics and earnestly desired to modify
them. And so, during the 10th, while Joan was slaving away at her
plans and issuing order after order with tireless industry, the
old-time consultations and arguings and speechifyings were going
on among certain of the generals.
In the afternoon of that day they came in a body to hold one of
these councils of war; and while they waited for Joan to join them
they discussed the situation. Now this discussion is not set down in
the histories; but I was there, and I will speak of it, as knowing you
will trust me, I not being given to beguiling you with lies.
Gautier de Brusac was spokesman for the timid ones; Joan’s side
was resolutely upheld by d’Alen‡on, the Bastard, La Hire, the
Admiral of France, the Marshal de Boussac, and all the other really
important chiefs.
De Brusac argued that the situation was very grave; that Jargeau,
the first point of attack, was formidably strong; its imposing walls
bristling with artillery; with seven thousand picked English
veterans behind them, and at their head the great Earl of Suffolk
and his two redoubtable brothers, the De la Poles. It seemed to him
that the proposal of Joan of Arc to try to take such a place by storm
was a most rash and over-daring idea, and she ought to be
persuaded to relinquish it in favor of the soberer and safer
procedure of investment by regular siege. It seemed to him that
this fiery and furious new fashion of hurling masses of men against
impregnable walls of stone, in defiance of the established laws and
usages of war, was–
But he got no further. La Hire gave his plumed helm an impatient
toss and burst out with:
“By God, she knows her trade, and none can teach it her!”
And before he could get out anything more, D’Alen‡on was on his
feet, and the Bastard of Orleans, and a half a dozen others, all
thundering at once, and pouring out their indignant displeasure
upon any and all that mid hold, secretly or publicly, distrust of the
wisdom of the Commander-in-Chief. And when they had said their
say, La Hire took a chance again, and said:
“There are some that never know how to change. Circumstances
may change, but those people are never able to see that they have
got to change too, to meet those circumstances. All that they know
is the one beaten track that their fathers and grandfathers have
followed and that they themselves have followed in their turn. If
an earthquake come and rip the land to chaos, and that beaten
track now lead over precipices and into morasses, those people
can’t learn that they must strike out a new road–no; they will
march stupidly along and follow the old one, to death and
perdition. Men, there’s a new state of things; and a surpassing
military genius has perceived it with her clear eye. And a new road