During the passage, Monk only spoke to D'Artagnan in cases of urgentnecessity. Thus, when the Frenchman hesitated to come and take hismeals, poor meals, composed of salt fish, biscuit, and Hollands gin,Monk called him, saying,--"To table, monsieur, to table!"
This was all. D'Artagnan, from being himself on all great occasionsextremely concise, did not draw from the general's conciseness afavorable augury of the result of his mission. Now, as D'Artagnan hadplenty of time for reflection, he battered his brains during this timein endeavoring to find out how Athos had seen King Charles, how he hadconspired his departure with him, and lastly, how he had entered Monk'scamp; and the poor lieutenant of musketeers plucked a hair from hismustache every time he reflected that the horseman who accompanied Monkon the night of the famous abduction must have been Athos.
At length, after a passage of two nights and two days, the patron Keysertouched at the point where Monk, who had given all the orders during thevoyage, had commanded they should land. It was exactly at the mouth ofthe little river, near which Athos had chosen his abode.
Daylight was waning, a splendid sun, like a red steel buckler, wasplunging the lower extremity of its disc beneath the blue line of thesea. The felucca was making fair way up the river, tolerably widein that part, but Monk, in his impatience, desired to be landed, andKeyser's boat set him and D'Artagnan upon the muddy bank, amidst thereeds. D'Artagnan, resigned to obedience, followed Monk exactly as achained bear follows his master; but the position humiliated him nota little, and he grumbled to himself that the service of kings was abitter one, and that the best of them was good for nothing. Monk walkedwith long and hasty strides; it might be thought that he did not yetfeel certain of having reached English land. They had already begun toperceive distinctly a few of the cottages of the sailors and fishermenspread over the little quay of this humble port, when, all at once,D'Artagnan cried out,--"God pardon me, there is a house on fire!"
Monk raised his eyes, and perceived there was, in fact, a house whichthe flames were beginning to devour. It had begun at a little shedbelonging to the house, the roof of which had caught. The fresh eveningbreeze agitated the fire. The two travelers quickened their steps,hearing loud cries, and seeing, as they drew nearer, soldiers with theirglittering arms pointing towards the house on fire. It was doubtlessthis menacing occupation which had made them neglect to signal thefelucca. Monk stopped short for an instant, and, for the first time,formulated his thoughts into words. "Eh! but," said he, "perhaps theyare not my soldiers, but Lambert's."
These words contained at once a sorrow, an apprehension, and a reproachperfectly intelligible to D'Artagnan. In fact, during the general'sabsence, Lambert might have given battle, conquered, and dispersed theparliament's army, and taken with his own the place of Monk's army,deprived of its strongest support. At this doubt, which passed from themind of Monk to his own, D'Artagnan reasoned in this manner: "One of twothings is going to happen; either Monk has spoken correctly, and thereare no longer any but Lambertists in the country--that is to say,enemies, who would receive me wonderfully well, since it is to me theyowe their victory; or nothing is changed, and Monk, transported with joyat finding his camp still in the same place, will not prove too severein his settlement with me." Whilst thinking thus, the two travelersadvanced, and began to mingle with a little knot of sailors, who lookedon with sorrow at the burning house, but did not dare to say anything onaccount of the threats of the soldiers.
Monk addressed one of these sailors:--"What is going on here?" asked he.
"Sir," replied the man, not recognizing Monk as an officer, underthe thick cloak which enveloped him, "that house was inhabited by aforeigner, and this foreigner became suspected by the soldiers. Theywanted to get into his house under pretense of taking him to the camp;but he, without being frightened by their number, threatened death tothe first who should cross the threshold of his door, and as there wasone who did venture, the Frenchman stretched him on the earth with apistol-shot."
"Ah! he is a Frenchman, is he?" said D'Artagnan, rubbing his hands."Good!"
"How good?" replied the fisherman.
"No, I don't mean that.--What then--my tongue slipped."
"What then, sir--why, the other men became as enraged as so many lions:they fired more than a hundred shots at the house; but the Frenchman wassheltered by the wall, and every time they tried to enter by the doorthey met with a shot from his lackey, whose aim is deadly, d'ye see?Every time they threatened the window, they met with a pistol-shot fromthe master. Look and count--there are seven men down.
"Ah! my brave countryman," cried D'Artagnan, "wait a little, wait alittle. I will be with you, and we will settle with this rabble."
"One instant, sir," said Monk, "wait."
"Long?"
"No; only the time to ask a question." Then, turning towards thesailor, "My friend," asked he with an emotion which, in spite of all hisself-command, he could not conceal, "whose soldiers are these, pray tellme?"
"Whose should they be but that madman, Monk's?"
"There has been no battle, then?"
"A battle, ah, yes! for what purpose? Lambert's army is melting awaylike snow in April. All come to Monk, officers and soldiers. In a weekLambert won't have fifty men left."
The fisherman was interrupted by a fresh discharge directed against thehouse, and by another pistol-shot which replied to the discharge andstruck down the most daring of the aggressors. The rage of the soldierswas at its height. The fire still continued to increase, and a crestof flame and smoke whirled and spread over the roof of the house.D'Artagnan could no longer contain himself. "Mordioux!" said he to Monk,glancing at him sideways: "you are a general, and allow your men to burnhouses and assassinate people, while you look on and warm your hands atthe blaze of the conflagration? Mordioux! you are not a man."
"Patience, sir, patience!" said Monk, smiling.
"Patience! yes, until that brave gentleman is roasted--is that what youmean?" And D'Artagnan rushed forward.
"Remain where you are, sir," said Monk, in a tone of command. And headvanced towards the house, just as an officer had approached it, sayingto the besieged: "The house is burning, you will be roasted within anhour! There is still time--come, tell us what you know of General Monk,and we will spare your life. Reply, or by Saint Patrick----"
The besieged made no answer; he was no doubt reloading his pistol.
"A reinforcement is expected," continued the officer; "in a quarter ofan hour there will be a hundred men around your house."
"I reply to you," said the Frenchman. "Let your men be sent away; I willcome out freely and repair to the camp alone, or else I will be killedhere!"
"Mille tonnerres!" shouted D'Artagnan; "why that's the voice of Athos!Ah, canailles!" and the sword of D'Artagnan flashed from its sheath.Monk stopped him and advanced himself, exclaiming, in a sonorous voice:"Hola! what is going on here? Digby, whence this fire? why these cries?"
"The general!" cried Digby, letting the point of his sword fall.
"The general!" repeated the soldiers.
"Well, what is there so astonishing in that?" said Monk, in a calm tone.Then, silence being re-established--"Now," said he, "who lit this fire?"
The soldiers hung their heads.
"What! do I ask a question, and nobody answers me?" said Monk. "What!do I find a fault, and nobody repairs it? The fire is still burning, Ibelieve."
Immediately the twenty men rushed forward, seizing pails, buckets, jars,barrels, and extinguishing the fire with as much ardor as they had, aninstant before employed in promoting it. But already, and before all therest, D'Artagnan had applied a ladder to the house crying, "Athos! itis I, D'Artagnan! Do not kill me my dearest friend!" And in a moment thecount was clasped in his arms.
In the meantime, Grimaud, preserving his calmness, dismantled thefortification of the ground-floor, and after having opened the door,stood with his arms folded quietly on the sill. Only, on hearing thevoice of D'Artagnan, he uttered an exclamation of surpr
ise. The firebeing extinguished, the soldiers presented themselves, Digby at theirhead.
"General," said he, "excuse us; what we have done was for love of yourhonor, whom we thought lost."
"You are mad, gentlemen. Lost! Is a man like me to be lost? Am I notpermitted to be absent, according to my pleasure, without giving formalnotice? Do you, by chance, take me for a citizen from the city? Isa gentleman, my friend, my guest, to be besieged, entrapped, andthreatened with death, because he is suspected? What signifies thatword, suspected? Curse me if I don't have every one of you shot likedogs that the brave gentleman has left alive!"
"General," said Digby, piteously, "there were twenty-eight of us, andsee, there are eight on the ground."
"I authorize M. le Comte de la Fere to send the twenty to join theeight," said Monk, stretching out his hand to Athos. "Let them return tocamp. Mr. Digby, you will consider yourself under arrest for a month."
"General----"
"That is to teach you, sir, not to act, another time, without orders."
"I had those of the lieutenant, general."
"The lieutenant has no such orders to give you, and he shall be placedunder arrest, instead of you, if he has really commanded you to burnthis gentleman."
"He did not command that, general; he commanded us to bring him to thecamp; but the count was not willing to follow us."
"I was not willing that they should enter and plunder my house," saidAthos to Monk, with a significant look.
"And you were quite right. To the camp, I say." The soldiers departedwith dejected looks. "Now we are alone," said Monk to Athos, "have thegoodness to tell me, monsieur, why you persisted in remaining here,whilst you had your felucca----"
"I waited for you, general," said Athos. "Had not your honor appointedto meet me in a week?"
An eloquent look from D'Artagnan made it clear to Monk that these twomen, so brave and so loyal, had not acted in concert for his abduction.He knew already it could not be so.
"Monsieur," said he to D'Artagnan, "you were perfectly right. Have thekindness to allow me a moment's conversation with M. le Comte de laFere?"
D'Artagnan took advantage of this to go and ask Grimaud how he was. Monkrequested Athos to conduct him to the chamber he lived in.
This chamber was still full of smoke and rubbish. More than fifty ballshad passed through the windows and mutilated the walls. They found atable, inkstand, and materials for writing. Monk took up a pen, wrotea single line, signed it, folded the paper, sealed the letter withthe seal of his ring, and handed over the missive to Athos, saying,"Monsieur, carry, if you please, this letter to King Charles II., andset out immediately, if nothing detains you here any longer."
"And the casks?" said Athos.
"The fisherman who brought me hither will assist you in transportingthem on board. Depart, if possible, within an hour."
"Yes, general," said Athos.
"Monsieur d'Artagnan!" cried Monk, from the window. D'Artagnan ran upprecipitately.
"Embrace your friend and bid him adieu, sir; he is returning toHolland."
"To Holland!" cried D'Artagnan; "and I?"
"You are at liberty to follow him, monsieur, but I request you toremain," said Monk. "Will you refuse me?"
"Oh, no, general; I am at your orders."
D'Artagnan embraced Athos, and only had time to bid him adieu. Monkwatched them both. Then he took upon himself the preparations for thedeparture, the transportation of the casks on board, and the embarkingof Athos; then, taking D'Artagnan by the arm, who was quite amazed andagitated, he led him towards Newcastle. Whilst going along, thegeneral leaning on his arm, D'Artagnan could not help murmuring tohimself,--"Come, come, it seems to me that the shares of the firm ofPlanchet and Company are rising."
CHAPTER 31. Monk reveals himself