CHAPTER CXXII.
THE GROTTO.
In spite of the sort of divination which was the remarkable side of thecharacter of Aramis, the event, subject to the chances of things overwhich uncertainty presides, did not fall out exactly as the bishop ofVannes had foreseen. Biscarrat, better mounted than his companions,arrived the first at the opening of the grotto, and comprehended thatthe fox and the dogs were all engulfed in it. Only struck by thatsuperstitious terror which every dark and subterraneous way naturallyimpresses upon the mind of man, he stopped at the outside of the grotto,and waited till his companions should have assembled round him.
"Well!" asked the young men, coming up out of breath, and unable tounderstand the meaning of his inaction.
"Well! I cannot hear the dogs; they and the fox must be all engulfed inthis cavern."
"They were too close up," said one of the guards, "to have lost scentall at once. Besides, we should hear them from one side or another. Theymust, as Biscarrat says, be in this grotto."
"But then," said one of the young men, "why don't they give tongue?"
"It is strange!" said another.
"Well, but," said a fourth, "let us go into this grotto. Does it happento be forbidden that we should enter it?"
"No," replied Biscarrat. "Only as it looks as dark as a wolf's mouth,we might break our necks in it."
"Witness the dogs," said a guard, "who seem to have broken theirs."
"What the devil can have become of them?" asked the young men in chorus.And every master called his dog by his name, whistled to him in hisfavorite note, without a single one replying to either the call or thewhistle.
"It is perhaps an enchanted grotto," said Biscarrat; "let us see." Andjumping from his horse, he made a step into the grotto.
"Stop! stop! I will accompany you," said one of the guards, on seeingBiscarrat disappear in the shade of the cavern's mouth.
"No," replied Biscarrat, "there must be something extraordinary in theplace--don't let us risk ourselves all at once. If in ten minutes you donot hear of me, you can come in, but not all at once."
"Be it so," said the young men, who, besides, did not see that Biscarratran much risk in the enterprise, "we will wait for you." And withoutdismounting from their horses, they formed a circle round the grotto.
Biscarrat entered then alone, and advanced through the darkness till hecame in contact with the muzzle of Porthos' musket. The resistance whichhis chest met with astonished him; he naturally raised his hand and laidhold of the icy barrel. At the same instant Yves lifted a knife againstthe young man, which was about to fall upon him with all the force of aBreton's arm, when the iron wrist of Porthos stopped it half way. Then,like low muttering thunder, his voice growled in the darkness, "I willnot have him killed!"
Biscarrat found himself between a protection and a threat, the onealmost as terrible as the other. However brave the young man might be,he could not prevent a cry escaping him, which Aramis immediatelysuppressed by placing a handkerchief over his mouth. "Monsieur deBiscarrat," said he in a low voice, "we mean you no harm, and you mustknow that, if you have recognized us; but, at the first word, the firstsigh, or the first breath, we shall be forced to kill you as we havekilled your dogs."
"Yes, I recognize you, gentlemen," said the officer, in a low voice."But why are you here--what are you doing here? Unfortunate men! Ithought you were in the fort."
"And you, monsieur, you were to obtain conditions for us, I think?"
"I did all I was able, messieurs, but--"
"But what?"
"But there are positive orders."
"To kill us?" Biscarrat made no reply. It would have cost him too muchto speak of the cord to gentlemen. Aramis understood the silence of hisprisoner.
"M. Biscarrat," said he, "you would be already dead if we had not hadregard for your youth and our ancient association with your father; butyou may yet escape from the place by swearing that you will not tellyour companions what you have seen."
"I will not only swear that I will not speak of it," said Biscarrat,"but I still further swear that I will do everything in the world toprevent my companions from setting foot in the grotto."
"Biscarrat! Biscarrat!" cried several voices from the outside, cominglike a whirlwind into the cave.
"Reply," said Aramis.
"Here am I!" cried Biscarrat.
"Now, begone; we depend upon your loyalty." And he left his hold of theyoung man, who hastily returned toward the light.
"Biscarrat! Biscarrat!" cried the voices, still nearer. And the shadowsof several human forms projected into the interior of the grotto.
Biscarrat rushed to meet his friends in order to stop them, and met themjust as they were adventuring into the cave. Aramis and Porthos listenedwith the intense attention of men whose life depends upon a breath ofair.
"Oh! oh!" exclaimed one of the guards, as he came to the light, "howpale you are!"
"Pale!" cried another, "you ought to say livid."
"I!" said the young man, endeavoring to collect his faculties.
"In the name of Heaven! what has happened to you?" exclaimed all voices.
"You have not a drop of blood in your veins, my poor friend," said oneof them, laughing.
"Messieurs, it is serious," said another, "he is going to faint; doesany one of you happen to have any salts?" And they all laughed.
All these interpellations, all these jokes crossed each other roundBiscarrat as the balls cross each other in the fire of a _melee_. Herecovered himself amid a deluge of interrogations.
"What do you suppose I have seen?" asked he. "I was too hot when Ientered the grotto, and I have been struck with the cold; that is all."
"But the dogs, the dogs, have you seen them again--did you see anythingof them--do you know anything about them?"
"I suppose they have gone out by another way."
"Messieurs," said one of the young men, "there is in that which is goingon, in the paleness and silence of our friend, a mystery which Biscarratwill not, or cannot reveal. Only, and that is a certainty, Biscarrat hasseen something in the grotto.
"Well, for my part, I am very curious to see what it is, even if it werethe devil! To the grotto! messieurs, to the grotto!"
"To the grotto!" repeated all the voices. And the echo of the caverncarried like a menace to Porthos and Aramis. "To the grotto! to thegrotto!"
Biscarrat threw himself before his companions. "Messieurs! messieurs!"cried he, "in the name of Heaven! do not go in!"
"Why, what is there so terrific in the cavern?" asked several at once."Come, speak, Biscarrat."
"Decidedly, it is the devil he has seen," repeated he who had beforeadvanced that hypothesis.
"Well!" said another; "if he has seen him, he need not be selfish: hemay as well let us have a look at him in our turns."
"Messieurs! messieurs! I beseech you," urged Biscarrat.
"Nonsense!--Let us pass!"
"Messieurs, I implore you not to enter!"
"Why, you went in yourself."
Then one of the officers who--of a riper age than the others--had, tillthis time, remained behind, and had said nothing, advanced, "Messieurs,"said he, with a calmness which contrasted with the animation of theyoung men, "there is in this some person, or something, that is not thedevil; but which, whatever it may be, has had sufficient power tosilence our dogs. We must know who this some one is, or what thissomething is."
Biscarrat made a last effort to stop his friends, but it was useless. Invain he threw himself before the most rash; in vain he clung to therocks to bar the passage; the crowd of young men rushed into the cave,in the steps of the officer who had spoken last, but who had sprung infirst, sword in hand, to face the unknown danger. Biscarrat, repulsed byhis friends, not able to accompany them, without passing in the eyes ofPorthos and Aramis for a traitor and a perjurer, with painfullyattentive ear and still supplicating hands leaned against the rough sideof a rock which he thought must be exposed to the fire of themusketee
rs. As to the guards, they penetrated further and further, withcries that grew weaker as they advanced. All at once, a discharge ofmusketry, growling like thunder, exploded beneath the vault. Two orthree balls were flattened against the rock where Biscarrat was leaning.At the same instant cries, howlings, and imprecations burst forth, andthe little troop of gentlemen reappeared--some pale, some bleeding--allenveloped in a cloud of smoke, which the outward air seemed to draw fromthe depths of the cavern. "Biscarrat! Biscarrat!" cried the fugitives,"you knew there was an ambuscade in that cavern, and you have not warnedus! Biscarrat, you are the cause that four of us have been killed! Woebe to you, Biscarrat!"
"You are the cause of my being wounded to death," said one of theyoung men, gathering his blood in his hand, and casting it into the faceof Biscarrat. "My blood be upon your head!" And he rolled in agony atthe feet of the young man.
"But, at least, tell us who is there?" cried several furious voices.
Biscarrat remained silent. "Tell us, or die!" cried the wounded man,raising himself upon one knee, and lifting toward his companion an armbearing a useless sword. Biscarrat rushed toward him, opening his breastfor the blow, but the wounded man fell back not to rise again--utteringa groan which was his last. Biscarrat, with hair on end, haggard eyes,and bewildered head, advanced toward the interior of the cavern, saying,"You are right. Death to me, who have allowed my companions to beassassinated. I am a base wretch!" And throwing away his sword, for hewished to die without defending himself, he rushed head foremost intothe cavern. The others followed him. The eleven who remained out ofsixteen imitated his example; but they did not go farther than thefirst. A second discharge laid five upon the icy sand; and, as it wasimpossible to see whence this murderous thunder issued, the others fellback with a terror that can be better imagined than expressed. But, farfrom flying, as the others had done, Biscarrat remained safe and sound,seated on a fragment of rock, and waited. There were only six gentlemenleft.
"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 young men looked round them and saw thatBiscarrat did not answer.
"He is dead!" said two or three voices.
"Oh! no," replied another; "I saw him through the smoke, sitting quietlyon a rock. He is in the cavern; he is waiting for us."
"He must know who is there."
"And how should he know them?"
"He was taken prisoner by the rebels."
"That is true. Well! let us call him, and learn from him whom we haveto deal with." And all voices shouted, "Biscarrat! Biscarrat!" ButBiscarrat did not answer.
"Good!" said the officer who had shown so much coolness in the affair."We have no longer any need of him; here are re-enforcements coming."
In fact, a company of the guards, left in the rear by their officers,whom the ardor of the chase had carried away--from seventy-five toeighty men--arrived in good order, led by their captain and the firstlieutenant. The five officers hastened to meet their soldiers; and, in alanguage, the eloquence of which may be easily imagined, they relatedthe adventure, and asked for aid. The captain interrupted them. "Whereare your companions?" demanded he.
"Dead!"
"But there were sixteen of you!"
"Ten are dead. Biscarrat is in the cavern, and we are five."
"Biscarrat is then a prisoner?"
"Probably."
"No; for here he is--look." In fact, Biscarrat appeared at the openingof the grotto.
"He makes us a sign to come on," said the officer. "Come on!"
"Come on!" cried all the troop. And they advanced to meet Biscarrat.
"Monsieur," said the captain, addressing Biscarrat, "I am assured thatyou know who the men are in that grotto, and who make such a desperatedefense. In the king's name I command you to declare what you know."
"Captain," said Biscarrat, "you have no need to command me; my word hasbeen restored to me this very instant; and I come in the name of thesemen."
"To tell me who they are?"
"To tell you they are determined to defend themselves to the death,unless you grant them good terms."
"How many are there of them, then?"
"There are two," said Biscarrat.
"There are two--and want to impose conditions upon us?"
"There are two, and they have already killed ten of our men."
"What sort of people are they--giants?"
"Better than that. Do you remember the history of the bastion SaintGervais, captain?"
"Yes; where four musketeers held out against an army."
"Well, these two men were of those musketeers."
"And their names?"
"At that period they were called Porthos and Aramis. Now, they arestyled M. d'Herblay and M. de Valon."
"And what interest have they in all this?"
"It is they who held Belle-Isle for M. Fouquet!"
A murmur ran through the ranks of the soldiers on hearing the two words"Porthos and Aramis." "The musketeers! the musketeers!" repeated they.And among all these brave men, the idea that they were going to have astruggle against two of the oldest glories of the French army, made ashiver, half enthusiasm, half terror, run through them. In fact, thosefour names--D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis--were venerated amongall who wore 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! That isimpossible, Monsieur Biscarrat!"
"Eh! captain," replied the latter, "I do not tell you that they have notwith them two or three men, as the musketeers of the bastionSaint-Gervais had two or three lackeys; but, believe me, captain, I haveseen these men, I have been taken prisoner by them--I know theythemselves alone could suffice to destroy 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 alonerisked a last attempt. "Monsieur," said he, in a low voice, "believe me;let us pass on our way. Those two men, those two lions you are going toattack, will defend themselves to the death. They have already killedten of our men; they will kill double the number, and end by killingthemselves rather than surrender. What shall we gain by fighting them?"
"We shall gain the consciousness, monsieur, of not having made eighty ofthe king's guards retire before two rebels. If I listened to youradvice, monsieur, I should be a dishonored man; and by dishonoringmyself I should dishonor the army. Forward, men!"
And he marched first as far as the opening of the grotto. There hehalted. The object of this halt was to give to Biscarrat and hiscompanions time to describe to him the interior of the grotto. Then,when he believed he had a sufficient acquaintance with the places, hedivided his company into three bodies, which were to enter successively,keeping up a sustained fire in all directions. No doubt, in this attackthey should lose five more men, perhaps ten; but, certainly, they mustend by taking the rebels, since there was no issue; and, at any rate,two men could not kill eighty.
"Captain," said Biscarrat, "I beg to be allowed to march at the head ofthe first platoon."
"So be it," replied the captain; "you have all the honor of it. That isa present I make you."
"Thanks!" replied the young man, with all the firmness 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 placing himself at the head of the first platoon, with his headuncovered and his arms crossed--"March, gentlemen!" said he.