When the duke was about a hundred paces from the queen's hostel, eighteen or twenty armed men, who had lain in ambush behind a house called Image de Notre-Dame, dashed suddenly out; the squires' horse took fright and ran away with them; and the assassins rushed upon the duke, shouting, "Death! death!" "What is all this ?" said he; "I am the Duke of Orleans." "Just what we want," was the answer; and they hurled him down from his mule.
He struggled to his knees; but the fellows struck at him heavily with axe and sword.

A young man in his train made an effort to defend him, and was immediately cut down; and another, grievously wounded, had but just time to escape into a neighboring shop.

A poor cobbler's wife opened her window, and, seeing the work of assassination, shrieked, "Murder! murder!" "Hold your tongue, you strumpet!" cried some one from the street.

Others shot arrows at the windows where lookers-on might be.

A tall man, wearing a red cap which came down over his eyes, said in a loud voice, "Out with all lights, and away!" The assassins fled at the top of their speed, shouting, "Fire! fire!" throwing behind them foot-trippers, and by menaces causing all the lights to be put out which were being lighted here and there in the shops.
[Illustration: Murder of the Duke of Orleans----38] The duke was quite dead.