The little band descended from their vantage-ground on the hill, and came down into the chestnut wood, singing the sixty-eighth Psalm--"Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered." The following is the song itself, in the words of Marot. When the Huguenots sang it, each soldier became a lion in courage. "Que Dieu se montre seulement Et l'on verra dans un moment Abandonner la place; Le camp des ennemies épars, Épouvanté de toutes parts, Fuira devant sa face. On verra tout ce camp s'enfuir, Comme l'on voit s'évanouir; Une épaisse fumée; Comme la cire fond au feu, Ainsi des méchants devant Dieu, La force est consumée. L'Éternel est notre recours; Nous obtenons par son secours, Plus d'une déliverance. C'est Lui qui fut notre support, Et qui tient les clefs de la mort, Lui seul en sa puissance. A nous défendre toujours prompt, Il frappe le superbe front De la troupe ennemie; On verra tomber sous ses coups Ceux qui provoquent son courroux Par leur méchante vie." This was the "Marseillaise" of the Camisards, their war-song in many battles, sung by them as a _pas de charge_ to the music of Goudimal. Poul, seeing them approach from under cover of the wood, charged them at once, shouting to his men, "Charge, kill, kill the Barbets!"[40] But "the Barbets," though they were only as one to three of their assailants, bravely held their ground. Those who had muskets kept up a fusillade, whilst a body of scythemen in the centre repulsed Poul, who attacked them with the bayonet. Several of these terrible scythemen were, however, slain, and three were taken prisoners. [Footnote 40: The "Barbets" (or "Water-dogs") was the nickname by which the Vaudois were called, against whom Poul had formerly been employed in the Italian valleys.] Laporte, finding that he could not drive Poul back, retreated slowly into the wood, keeping up a running fire, and reascended the hill, whither Poul durst not follow him. The Royalist leader was satisfied with remaining master of the hard-fought field, on which many of his soldiers lay dead, together with a captain of militia. The Camisard chiefs then separated, Laporte and his band taking a westerly direction. The Royalists, having received considerable reinforcements, hastened from different directions to intercept him, but he slipped through their fingers, and descended to Pont-de-Montvert, from whence he threw himself upon the villages situated near the sources of the western Gardon. At the same time, to distract the attention of the Royalists, the other Camisard leaders descended, the one towards the south, and the other towards the east, disarming the Roman Catholics, carrying off their arms, and spreading consternation wherever they went.