CHAPTER CXI.
THE TWO LIGHTERS.
D'Artagnan had set off; Fouquet likewise was gone, and he with arapidity which doubled the tender interest of his friends. The firstmoments of this journey, or better to say, of this flight, were troubledby the incessant fear of all the horses and all the carriages whichcould be perceived behind the fugitive. It was not natural, in fact, ifLouis XIV. was determined to seize this prey, that he should allow it toescape; the young lion was already accustomed to the chase, and he hadbloodhounds sufficiently ardent to allow him to depend upon them. Butinsensibly all the fears were dispersed; the surintendant, by hardtraveling, placed such a distance between himself and his persecutors,that no one of them could reasonably be expected to overtake him. As tohis position, his friends had made it excellent for him. Was he nottraveling to join the king at Nantes, and what did the rapidity provebut his zeal to obey? He arrived, fatigued but reassured, at Orleans,where he found, thanks to the care of a courier who had preceded him, ahandsome lighter of eight oars. These lighters, in the shape ofgondolas, rather wide and rather heavy, containing a small coveredchamber in shape of a deck, and a chamber in the poop, formed by a tent,then acted as passage-boats from Orleans to Nantes, by the Loire, andthis passage, a long one in our days, appeared then more easy andconvenient than the high road, with its post hacks, or its bad, scarcelyhung carriages. Fouquet went on board this lighter, which set outimmediately. The rowers, knowing they had the honor of conveying thesurintendant of the finances, pulled with all their strength, and thatmagic word, the _finances_, promised them a liberal gratification, ofwhich they wished to prove themselves worthy. The lighter bounded overthe tiny waves of the Loire. Magnificent weather, one of those sunrisings that empurple landscapes, left the river all its limpidserenity. The current and the rowers carried Fouquet along as wingscarry a bird, and he arrived before Beaugency without any accidenthaving signalized the voyage. Fouquet hoped to be the first to arrive atNantes; there he would see the notables and gain support among theprincipal members of the States; he would make himself necessary, athing very easy for a man of his merit, and would delay the catastrophe,if he did not succeed in avoiding it entirely. "Besides," said Gourvilleto him, "at Nantes, you will make out, or we will make out, theintentions of your enemies; we will have horses always ready to conveyyou to the inextricable Poitou, a bark in which to gain the sea, andwhen once in the open sea, Belle-Isle is the inviolable port. You see,besides, that no one is watching you, no one is following you." He hadscarcely finished when they discovered at a distance, behind an elbowformed by the river, the masts of a large lighter, which was comingdown. The rowers of Fouquet's boat uttered a cry of surprise on seeingthis galley.
"What is the matter?" asked Fouquet.
"The matter is, monseigneur," replied the patron of the bark, "that itis a truly remarkable thing--that lighter comes along like a hurricane."
Gourville started, and mounted on the deck, in order to see the better.
Fouquet did not go up with him, but he said to Gourville with arestrained mistrust: "See what it is, dear friend."
The lighter had just passed the elbow. It came on so fast, that behindit might be seen to tremble the white train of its wake illumined withthe fires of day.
"How they go," repeated the patron, "how they go! They must be wellpaid! I did not think," he added, "that oars of wood could behave betterthan ours, but those yonder prove the contrary."
"Well they may," said one of the rowers, "they are twelve, and we arebut eight."
"Twelve rowers!" replied Gourville, "twelve! impossible."
The number of eight rowers for a lighter had never been exceeded, evenfor the king. This honor had been paid to Monsieur le Surintendant, muchmore for the sake of haste than of respect.
"What does that mean?" said Gourville, endeavoring to distinguishbeneath the tent which was already apparent, travelers which the mostpiercing eye could not yet have succeeded in discovering.
"They must be in a hurry, for it is not the king," said the patron.
Fouquet shuddered.
"By what do you know that it is not the king?" said Gourville.
"In the first place, because there is no white flag with fleurs-de-lis,which the royal lighter always carries."
"And then," said Fouquet, "because it is impossible it should be theking, Gourville, as the king was still in Paris yesterday."
Gourville replied to the surintendant by a look which said: "You werethere yourself yesterday."
"And by what do you make out they are in such haste?" added he, for thesake of gaining time.
"By this, monsieur," said the patron; "these people must have set out along while after us, and they have already nearly overtaken us."
"Bah!" said Gourville, "who told you that they do not come fromBeaugency or from Moit, even?"
"We have seen no lighter of that shape, except at Orleans. It comes fromOrleans, monsieur, and makes great haste."
Fouquet and Gourville exchanged a glance. The patron remarked theiruneasiness, and to mislead him, Gourville immediately said:
"Some friend, who has laid a wager he would catch us; let us win thewager, and not allow him to come up with us."
The patron opened his mouth to reply that that was impossible, whenFouquet said with much _hauteur_:
"If it is any one who wishes to overtake us, let him come."
"We can try, monseigneur," said the patron, timidly. "Come, you fellows,put out your strength, row, row!"
"No," said Fouquet, "stop short, on the contrary."
"Monseigneur! what folly!" interrupted Gourville, stooping toward hisear.
"Quite short!" repeated Fouquet. The eight oars stopped, and resistingthe water, they created a retrograde motion in the lighter. It wasstopped. The twelve rowers in the other did not, at first, perceive thismaneuver, for they continued to urge on their boat so vigorously that itarrived quickly within musket-shot. Fouquet was short-sighted, Gourvillewas annoyed by the sun, which was full in his eyes: the patron alone,with that habit and clearness which are acquired by a constant strugglewith the elements, perceived distinctly the travelers in the neighboringlighter. "I can see them!" cried he, "there are two."
"I can see nothing," said Gourville. "You will not be long before youdistinguish them: in twenty strokes of their oars they will be withintwenty paces of us."
But what the patron announced was not realized; the lighter imitated themovement commanded by Fouquet, and instead of coming to join itspretended friends, it stopped short in the middle of the river.
"I cannot comprehend this," said the patron.
"Nor I, neither," said Gourville.
"You who can see so plainly the people in that lighter," resumedFouquet, "try to describe them to us, patron, before we are too faroff."
"I thought I saw two," replied the boatman, "I can only see one nowunder the tent."
"What sort of man is he?"
"He is a dark man, large shouldered, short necked."
A little cloud at that moment passed across the azure of the heavens,and darkened the sun. Gourville, who was still looking, with one handover his eyes, became able to see what he sought, and all at once,jumping from the deck into the chamber where Fouquet awaited him:
"Colbert!" said he, in a voice broken by emotion.
"Colbert!" repealed Fouquet, "Oh! how strange! but no, it isimpossible!"
"I tell you I recognized him, and he, at the same time, so plainlyrecognized me, that he has just gone into the chamber on the poop.Perhaps the king has sent him to make us come back."
"In that case he would join us, instead of lying by. What is he doingthere?"
"He is watching us, without doubt."
"I do not like uncertainty," said Fouquet; "let us go straight up tohim."
"Oh! monseigneur, do not do that, the lighter is full of armed men."
"He would arrest me, then, Gourville? Why does he not come on?"
"Monseigneur, it is not consistent with y
our dignity to go to meet evenyour ruin."
"But to allow them to watch me like a malefactor!"
"Nothing tells us that they are watching you, monseigneur; be patient!"
"What is to be done, then?"
"Do not stop; you were only going so fast to appear to obey the king'sorder with zeal. Redouble the speed. He who lives will see!"
"That's just. Come!" cried Fouquet; "since they remain stockstillyonder, let us go on, on our part."
The patron gave the signal, and Fouquet's rowers resumed their task withall the success that could be looked for from men who had rested.Scarcely had the lighter made a hundred fathoms, than the other, thatwith the twelve rowers, resumed its course equally. This position lastedall the day, without any increase or diminution of distance between thetwo vessels. Toward evening Fouquet wished to try the intentions of hispersecutor. He ordered his rowers to pull toward the shore, as if toeffect a landing. Colbert's lighter imitated this maneuver and steeredtoward the shore in a slanting direction. By the greatest chance, at thespot where Fouquet pretended to wish to land, a stableman, from thechateau of Langeais, was following the flowery banks leading threehorses in halters. Without doubt the people of the twelve-oared lighterfancied that Fouquet was directing his course toward horses prepared forhis flight, for four or five men, armed with muskets, jumped from thelighter on to the shore, and marched along the banks, as if to gainground on the horses and horsemen. Fouquet, satisfied of having forcedthe enemy to a demonstration, considered it evident, and put his boat inmotion again. Colbert's people returned likewise to theirs, and thecourse of the two vessels was resumed with fresh perseverance. Uponseeing this, Fouquet felt himself threatened closely, and in a propheticvoice--"Well, Gourville," said he, whisperingly, "what did I say at ourlast repast, at my house? Am I going, or not, to my ruin?"
"Oh! monseigneur!"
"These two boats, which follow each other with so much emulation, as ifwe were disputing, M. Colbert and I, a prize for swiftness on the Loire,do they not aptly represent our two fortunes: and do you not believe,Gourville, that one of the two will be wrecked at Nantes?"
"At least," objected Gourville, "there is still uncertainty; you areabout to appear at the States; you are about to show what sort of manyou are; your eloquence and your genius for business are the buckler andsword that will serve to defend you, if not to conquer with. The Bretonsdo not know you: and when they shall know you your cause is won! Oh! letM. Colbert look to it well, for his lighter is as much exposed as yoursto being upset. Both go quickly, his faster than yours, it is true; weshall see which will be wrecked first."
Fouquet, taking Gourville's hand, "My friend," said he, "everythingconsidered, remember the proverb, 'First come, first served!' Well! M.Colbert takes care not to pass me. He is a prudent man, that M.Colbert!"
He was right; the two lighters held their course as far as Nantes,watching each other. When the surintendant landed, Gourville hoped heshould be able to seek refuge at once and have relays prepared. But, atthe landing, the second lighter joined the first, and Colbert,approaching Fouquet, saluted him on the quay with marks of theprofoundest respect--marks so significant, so public, that their resultwas the bringing of the whole population upon La Fosse. Fouquet wascompletely self-possessed; he felt that in his last moments of greatnesshe had obligations toward himself. He wished to fall from such a heightthat his fall should crush some one of his enemies. Colbert wasthere--so much the worse for Colbert. The surintendant, therefore,coming up to him, replied with that arrogant winking of the eyespeculiar to him, "What! is that you, M. Colbert?"
"To offer you my respects, monseigneur," said the latter.
"Were you in that lighter?" pointing to the one with twelve rowers.
"Yes, monseigneur."
"Of twelve rowers?" said Fouquet; "what luxury, M. Colbert. For amoment, I thought it was the queen-mother or the king."
"Monseigneur!" and Colbert blushed.
"This is a voyage that will cost those who have to pay for it dear, M.l'Intendant!" said Fouquet. "But you have, happily, arrived!--You see,however," added he, a moment after, "that I, who had but eight rowers,arrived ahead of you." And he turned his back toward him, leaving himuncertain whether all the tergiversations of the second lighter hadescaped the notice of the first. At least he did not give him thesatisfaction of showing that he had been frightened. Colbert, soannoyingly attacked, did not give way.
"I have not been quick, monseigneur," he replied, "because I followedyour example whenever you stopped."
"And why did you do that, M. Colbert?" cried Fouquet, irritated by thisbase audacity; "as you had a superior crew to mine, why did you noteither join me or pass me?"
"Out of respect," said the intendant, bowing to the ground.
Fouquet got into a carriage which the city sent to him, we know not whyor how, and he repaired to _la Maison de Nantes_, escorted by a vastcrowd of people, who, for several days, had been boiling with theexpectation of a convocation of the States. Scarcely was he installed,when Gourville went out to go and order horses, upon the route toPoitiers and Vannes, and a boat at Paimboeuf. He performed thesevarious operations with so much mystery, activity, and generosity, thatnever was Fouquet, then laboring under an access of fever, more nearbeing saved, except for the co-operation of that immense disturber ofhuman projects--chance. A report was spread during the night that theking was coming in great haste upon post-horses, and that he wouldarrive within ten or twelve hours at latest. The people, while waitingfor the king, were greatly rejoiced to see the musketeers, freshlyarrived with M. d'Artagnan, their captain, and quartered in the castle,of which they occupied all the posts, in quality of guard of honor. M.d'Artagnan, who was very polite, presented himself about ten o'clock atthe lodgings of the surintendant, to pay his respectful compliments tohim; and although the minister suffered from fever, although he was insuch pain as to be bathed in sweat, he would receive M. d'Artagnan, whowas delighted with that honor, as will be seen by the conversation theyhad together.