It was on this day 250 years ago that seven children -- five boys and two girls ranging in age from eight to 12 -- faced the Beast in Le Villeret in the Gévaudan. Jacques Portefaix, Jacques Couston, Jean Pic, Jean Veyrier, Joseph Panafleu, Madeleine Chausse, and Jeanne Gueffier were watching over their familes' cattle when the Beast attacked, grabbing eight-year-old Panafleu and going for his face, tearing away a cheek. Armed with crude bayonets (long sticks topped with strapped-on knives or triangular iron points), and led by Portefaix, 12, the children fought back, striking the Beast over and over and driving it into a nearby swamp. The Beast soon tired of the feisty children and retreated, and an adult appeared on the scene to assist. The children's courage garnered them fame and rewards, and Portefaix was given an all-expense-paid education by the state.
Image Wikimedia Commons. PD-1996. Bibilothèque nationale de France.
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