The Bayonet

The bayonet is said to be a native of Bayonne. The story is told that a Basque regiment at Bayonne, running short of ammunition, inserted their long-handled knives into the muzzles of their muskets and did deadly work; hence "the deadly bayonet."

It is the boast of Bayonne that it has never been conquered; and with pride they call their city "Bayonne, the Invincible." Its narrow streets, with low stone-walled arcaded houses on either side, built for siege as well as for shelter in an age when every man's hand might rise against his neighbor and "every man's hovel became his castle of defence," are an interesting feature of the town. Bayonne has successfully withstood seventeen sieges, and now rests in peace, content with her personal biography, especially with the fact that it was the one city in Southern France that promptly refused to take part in the Massacre of the Huguenots (August 24th and 25th, 1572). The Governor of Bayonne sent to Charles IX. this spirited reply: "I have examined those of your subjects under my command; all are good citizens and good soldiers, but I fail to find a single executioner." But Bayonne is more than a reminiscence; it is now only second to Bordeaux as a western seaport, and is a great railroad center for roads south and east.