At the same time the king and the cardinal had just arrived at the camp before La Rochelle.
[Illustration: The King and Richelieu at La Rochelle----250] Before long the English could not harbor a doubt but that the king's army had recovered its real heads: a grand expedition was preparing to attack them in the Island of Re, and the cardinal had gone in person to Oleron and to Le Brouage in order to see to the embarkation of the troops.

"The nobility of the court came up in crowds to take leave of his Majesty, and their looks were so gay that it must be allowed that to no nation but the French is it given to march so freely to death for the service of their king or for their own honor as to make it impossible to remark any difference between him that inflicts it and him that receives." [_Memoires de Richelieu,_ t.iii.

p.

398.] Marshal Schomberg took the road to Marennes, whence he sent to the cardinal for boats to carry over all his troops.

"This took him greatly by surprise, and as his judgments are always followed by the effect he intended, he thought that this great following of nobility might hinder the said sir marshal from executing his design so promptly.