Louis XIV was horrified when he lost the Huguenots. They were among the most skilled workers in France. Many bankers, weavers, and merchants were Huguenots. Louis XIV ordered that France's borders be closed, and said that nobody could leave the country without his permission. However, Protestants still found ways to escape. Some hid in barrels on ships sailing away from France. Others disguised themselves as peasants and escaped. All together, probably more than two hundred thousand Huguenots ran away.