The Man in the Iron Mask
The Grotto.
In of the of which was the of the of Aramis, the event, to the of over which presides, did not out as the of Vannes had foreseen. Biscarrat, than his companions, at the opening of the grotto, and that and were one and all in it. Only, by that terror which every dark and way naturally upon the mind of man, he stopped at the of the grotto, and waited till his should have assembled him.
“Well!” asked the men, up, out of breath, and unable to the meaning of this inaction.
“Well! I cannot the dogs; they and the must all be in this cavern.”
“They were too close up,” said one of the guards, “to have all at once. Besides, we should them from one or another. They must, as Biscarrat says, be in this grotto.”
“But then,” said one of the men, “why don’t they give tongue?”
“It is strange!” another.
“Well, but,” said a fourth, “let us go into this grotto. Does it to be we should enter it?”
“No,” Biscarrat. “Only, as it looks as dark as a wolf’s mouth, we might our necks in it.”
“Witness the dogs,” said a guard, “who to have theirs.”
“What the can have of them?” asked the men in chorus. And every master called his dog by his name, to him in his mode, without a single one to either call or whistle.
“It is an grotto,” said Biscarrat; “let us see.” And, jumping from his horse, he a step into the grotto.
“Stop! stop! I will you,” said one of the guards, on Biscarrat in the of the cavern’s mouth.
“No,” Biscarrat, “there must be something in the place—don’t let us ourselves all at once. If in ten minutes you do not of me, you can come in, but not all at once.”
“Be it so,” said the man, who, besides, did not that Biscarrat ran much in the enterprise, “we will wait for you.” And without from their horses, they a circle the grotto.
Biscarrat entered then alone, and through the till he came in with the of Porthos’s musket. The which his met with him; he naturally his hand and of the barrel. At the same instant, Yves a knife against the man, which was about to upon him with all of a Breton’s arm, when the iron of Porthos stopped it half-way. Then, like low thunder, his voice in the darkness, “I will not have him killed!”
Biscarrat himself a protection and a threat, the one almost as terrible as the other. However the man might be, he not prevent a him, which Aramis by a over his mouth. “Monsieur de Biscarrat,” said he, in a low voice, “we you no harm, and you must know that if you have us; but, at the word, the groan, the whisper, we shall be to kill you as we have killed your dogs.”
“Yes, I you, gentlemen,” said the officer, in a low voice. “But why are you here—what are you doing, here? Unfortunate men! I you were in the fort.”
“And you, monsieur, you were to obtain for us, I think?”
“I did all I was able, messieurs, but—”
“But what?”
“But there are positive orders.”
“To kill us?”
Biscarrat no reply. It would have cost him too much to speak of the to gentlemen. Aramis the of the prisoner.
“Monsieur Biscarrat,” said he, “you would be already if we had not for your and our with your father; but you may yet from the place by that you will not tell your what you have seen.”
“I will not only that I will not speak of it,” said Biscarrat, “but I still that I will do in the world to prevent my from setting in the grotto.”
“Biscarrat! Biscarrat!” voices from the outside, like a into the cave.
“Reply,” said Aramis.
“Here I am!” Biscarrat.
“Now, begone; we on your loyalty.” And he left his of the man, who returned the light.
“Biscarrat! Biscarrat!” the voices, still nearer. And the of into the of the grotto. Biscarrat to meet his friends in order to stop them, and met them just as they were into the cave. Aramis and Porthos with the attention of men life upon a of air.
“Oh! oh!” one of the guards, as he came to the light, “how you are!”
“Pale!” another; “you ought to say corpse-color.”
“I!” said the man, to his faculties.
“In the name of Heaven! what has happened?” all the voices.
“You have not a of blood in your veins, my friend,” said one of them, laughing.
“Messieurs, it is serious,” said another, “he is going to faint; any one of you to have any salts?” And they all laughed.
This of Biscarrat’s ears like musket-balls in a melee. He himself a of interrogations.
“What do you I have seen?” asked he. “I was too when I entered the grotto, and I have been with a chill. That is all.”
“But the dogs, the dogs; have you them again—did you see anything of them—do you know anything about them?”
“I they have got out some other way.”
“Messieurs,” said one of the men, “there is in that which is going on, in the and of our friend, a which Biscarrat will not, or cannot reveal. Only, and this is certain, Biscarrat has something in the grotto. Well, for my part, I am very to see what it is, if it is the devil! To the grotto! messieurs, to the grotto!”
“To the grotto!” all the voices. And the echo of the like a to Porthos and Aramis, “To the grotto! to the grotto!”
Biscarrat himself his companions. “Messieurs! messieurs!” he, “in the name of Heaven! do not go in!”
“Why, what is there so in the cavern?” asked at once. “Come, speak, Biscarrat.”
“Decidedly, it is the he has seen,” he who had that hypothesis.
“Well,” said another, “if he has him, he need not be selfish; he may as well let us have a look at him in turn.”
“Messieurs! messieurs! I you,” Biscarrat.
“Nonsense! Let us pass!”
“Messieurs, I you not to enter!”
“Why, you in yourself.”
Then one of the officers, who—of a age than the others—had till this time behind, and had said nothing, advanced. “Messieurs,” said he, with a which with the of the men, “there is in there some person, or something, that is not the devil; but which, it may be, has had power to our dogs. We must who this some one is, or what this something is.”
Biscarrat a last to stop his friends, but it was useless. In he himself the rashest; in he to the to the passage; the of men into the cave, in the steps of the officer who had spoken last, but who had in first, in hand, to the unknown danger. Biscarrat, by his friends, unable to them, without in the of Porthos and Aramis for a and a perjurer, with ear and hands against the of a which he must be to the fire of the musketeers. As to the guards, they and further, with that as they advanced. All at once, a of musketry, like thunder, in the of the vault. Two or three were against the on which Biscarrat was leaning. At the same instant, cries, shrieks, forth, and the little of reappeared—some pale, some bleeding—all in a cloud of smoke, which the air to from the of the cavern. “Biscarrat! Biscarrat!” the fugitives, “you there was an in that cavern, and you did not us! Biscarrat, you are the that four of us are men! Woe be to you, Biscarrat!”
“You are the of my being death,” said one of the men, a of life-blood in his palm, and it into Biscarrat’s face. “My blood be on your head!” And he rolled in at the of the man.
“But, at least, tell us who is there?” voices.
Biscarrat silent. “Tell us, or die!” the man, himself upon one knee, and his an arm a sword. Biscarrat him, opening his for the blow, but the man not to again, a which was his last. Biscarrat, with on end, eyes, and head, the of the cavern, saying, “You are right. Death to me, who have allowed my to be assassinated. I am a wretch!” And away his sword, for he to die without himself, he into the cavern. The others him. The eleven who out of sixteen his example; but they did not go than the first. A second five upon the sand; and as it was to see this issued, the others with a terror that can be than described. But, from flying, as the others had done, Biscarrat safe and sound, seated on a of rock, and waited. There were only six left.
“Seriously,” said one of the survivors, “is it the devil?”
“Ma foi! it is much worse,” said another.
“Ask Biscarrat, he knows.”
“Where is Biscarrat?” The men looked them, and saw that Biscarrat did not answer.
“He is dead!” said two or three voices.
“Oh! no!” another, “I saw him through the smoke, on a rock. He is in the cavern; he is waiting for us.”
“He must know who are there.”
“And how should he know them?”
“He was taken by the rebels.”
“That is true. Well! let us call him, and learn from him we have to with.” And all voices shouted, “Biscarrat! Biscarrat!” But Biscarrat did not answer.
“Good!” said the officer who had so much in the affair. “We have no longer any need of him; here are coming.”
In fact, a company of guards, left in the by their officers, the of the had away—from seventy-five to eighty men—arrived in good order, by their captain and the lieutenant. The five officers to meet their soldiers; and, in language the of which may be easily imagined, they related the adventure, and asked for aid. The captain them. “Where are your companions?” he.
“Dead!”
“But there were sixteen of you!”
“Ten are dead. Biscarrat is in the cavern, and we are five.”
“Biscarrat is a prisoner?”
“Probably.”
“No, for here he is—look.” In fact, Biscarrat appeared at the opening of the grotto.
“He is making a to come on,” said the officer. “Come on!”
“Come on!” all the troop. And they to meet Biscarrat.
“Monsieur,” said the captain, Biscarrat, “I am that you know who the men are in that grotto, and who make such a defense. In the king’s name I you to what you know.”
“Captain,” said Biscarrat, “you have no need to me. My word has been to me this very instant; and I came in the name of these men.”
“To tell me who they are?”
“To tell you they are to themselves to the death, unless you them satisfactory terms.”
“How many are there of them, then?”
“There are two,” said Biscarrat.
“There are two—and want to upon us?”
“There are two, and they have already killed ten of our men.”
“What of people are they—giants?”
“Worse than that. Do you the history of the Bastion Saint-Gervais, captain?”
“Yes; where four out against an army.”
“Well, these are two of those same musketeers.”
“And their names?”
“At that period they were called Porthos and Aramis. Now they are M. d’Herblay and M. du Vallon.”
“And what have they in all this?”
“It is they who were Bell-Isle for M. Fouquet.”
A ran through the ranks of the soldiers on the two “Porthos and Aramis.” “The musketeers! the musketeers!” they. And among all these men, the idea that they were going to have a against two of the of the French army, a shiver, enthusiasm, two-thirds terror, through them. In fact, those four names—D’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis—were among all who a sword; as, in antiquity, the names of Hercules, Theseus, Castor, and Pollux were venerated.
“Two men—and they have killed ten in two discharges! It is impossible, Monsieur Biscarrat!”
“Eh! captain,” the latter, “I do not tell you that they have not with them two or three men, as the of the Bastion Saint-Gervais had two or three lackeys; but, me, captain, I have these men, I have been taken by them—I know they themselves alone are all-sufficient to an army.”
“That we shall see,” said the captain, “and that in a moment, too. Gentlemen, attention!”
At this reply, no one stirred, and all prepared to obey. Biscarrat alone a last attempt.
“Monsieur,” said he, in a low voice, “be by me; let us pass on our way. Those two men, those two lions you are going to attack, will themselves to the death. They have already killed ten of our men; they will kill the number, and end by killing themselves than surrender. What shall we by them?”
“We shall the consciousness, monsieur, of not having allowed eighty of the king’s to retire two rebels. If I to your advice, monsieur, I should be a man; and by myself I should the army. Forward, my men!”
And he as as the opening of the grotto. There he halted. The object of this was to give Biscarrat and his time to to him the of the grotto. Then, when he he had a with the place, he his company into three bodies, which were to enter successively, up a fire in all directions. No doubt, in this attack they would five more, ten; but, certainly, they must end by taking the rebels, since there was no issue; and, at any rate, two men not kill eighty.
“Captain,” said Biscarrat, “I to be allowed to at the of the platoon.”
“So be it,” the captain; “you have all the honor. I make you a present of it.”
“Thanks!” the man, with all the of his race.
“Take your sword, then.”
“I shall go as I am, captain,” said Biscarrat, “for I do not go to kill, I go to be killed.”
And himself at the of the platoon, with and arms crossed,—“March, gentlemen,” said he.
