ButonMondayaconcourseofpeople,whohadheardthatthearmyfromBeaucairewouldarrivethenextday,madeahostiledemonstrationbeforethebarracks,demandingwithshoutsandthreatsthatthefivecannonsshouldbehandedovertothem。Thegeneralandtheofficerswhowerequarteredinthetown,hearingofthetumult,repairedatoncetothebarracks,butsooncameoutagain,andapproachingthecrowdtriedtopersuadeittodisperse,towhichtheonlyanswertheyreceivedwasashowerofbullets。Convincedbythis,ashewaswellacquaintedwiththecharacterofthepeoplewithwhomhehadtodeal,thatthestrugglehadbeguninearnestandmustbefoughtouttothebitterend,thegeneralretreatedwithhisofficers,stepbystep,tothebarracks,andhavinggotinsidethegates,closedandboltedthem。
Hethendecidedthatitwashisdutytorepulseforcebyforce,foreveryonewasdeterminedtodefend,atnomatterwhatcost,apositionwhich,fromthefirstmomentofrevolt,wasfraughtwithsuchperil。
So,withoutwaitingfororders,thesoldiers,seeingthatsomeoftheirwindowshadbeenbrokenbyshotsfromwithout,returnedthefire,and,beingbettermarksmenthanthetownspeople,soonlaidmanylow。Uponthisthealarmedcrowdretiredoutofmusketrange,andentrenchedthemselvesinsomeneighbouringhouses。
Aboutnineo\'clockintheevening,amanbearingsomethingresemblingawhiteflagapproachedthewallsandaskedtospeaktothegeneral。
HebroughtamessageinquiringonwhattermsthetroopswouldconsenttoevacuateNimes。Thegeneralsentbackwordthattheconditionswere,thatthetroopsshouldbeallowedtomarchoutfullyarmedandwithailtheirbaggage;thefivegunsalonewouldbeleftbehind。