Colbert, turning round at this moment, saw d’Artagnan, who was seeking an interlocutor, during the “aside” of the King and Monsieur. He called him, at the same time saying in a low voice to Aramis, “We may talk with M. d’Artagnan, I suppose?”
“Oh, certainly,” replied the ambassador.
“We were saying, M. d’Alameda and I,” said Colbert, “that war with the United Provinces would be a maritime war.”
“That’s evident enough,” replied the musketeer.
“And what do you think of it, M. d’Artagnan?”
“I think that to carry on that maritime war you must have a very large land army.”
“What did you say?” said Colbert, thinking he had misunderstood him.
“Why a land army?” said Aramis.
“Because the King will be beaten by sea if he has not the English with him; and when beaten by sea, he will be soon invaded, either by the Dutch in his ports, or by the Spaniards by land.”
“And Spain neutral?” asked Aramis. “Neutral as long as the King shall be the stronger,” rejoined d’Artagnan.
Colbert admired that sagacity which never touched a question without illuminating it thoroughly. Aramis smiled; he had long known that in diplomacy d’Artagnan acknowledged no master. Colbert, who like all proud men dwelt upon his fantasy with a certainty of success, resumed the subject, “Who told you, M. d’Artagnan, that the King had no navy?”
“Oh! I have taken no heed of these details,” replied the captain. “I am but a middling sailor. Like all nervous people, I hate the sea; and yet I have an idea that with ships, France being a seaport with two hundred heads, we should have sailors.”
Colbert drew from his pocket a little oblong book divided into two columns. On the first were the names of vessels, on the other the figures recapitulating the number of cannon and men requisite to equip these ships. “I have had the same idea as you,” said he to d’Artagnan; “and I have had an account drawn up of the vessels we have altogether,- thirty-five vessels.”
“Thirty-five vessels! that is impossible!” cried d’Artagnan.
“Something like two thousand pieces of cannon,” said Colbert. “That is what the King possesses at this moment. With thirty-five vessels we can make three squadrons, but I must have five.”
“Five!” cried Aramis.
“They will be afloat before the end of the year, gentlemen; the King will have fifty ships of the line. With those we may venture on a contest, may we not?”
“To build vessels,” said d’Artagnan, “is difficult, but possible. As to arming them, how is that to be done? In France there are neither foundries nor military docks.”
“Bah!” replied Colbert, with a gay tone, “I have instituted all that this year and a half past, did you not know it? Don’t you know M. d’Infreville?”
“D’Infreville?” replied d’Artagnan; “no.”
“He is a man I have discovered; he has a specialty,- he knows how to set men to work. It is he who at Toulon has had the cannon made, and has cut the woods of Bourgogne. And then, Monsieur the Ambassador, you may not believe what I am going to tell you, but I have a further idea.”
“Oh, Monsieur!’ said Aramis, civilly, “I always believe you.”
“Figure to yourself that, calculating upon the character of the Dutch, our allies, I said to myself, ‘They are merchants, they are friends with the King; they will be happy to sell to the King what they fabricate for themselves. Then the more we buy-‘ Ah! I must add this: I have Forant,- do you know Forant, d’Artagnan?”
Colbert, in his warmth, forgot himself; he called the captain simply “D’Artagnan,” as the King did. But the captain only smiled at it. “No,” replied he, “I don’t know him.”
“That is another man I have discovered with a genius for buying. This Forant has purchased for me three hundred and fifty thousand pounds of iron in balls, two hundred thousand pounds of powder, twelve cargoes of Northern timber, matches, grenades, pitch, tar,- I know not what!- with a saving of seven per cent upon what all those articles would cost me made in France.”
“That is a good idea,” replied d’Artagnan,- “to have Dutch balls cast which will return to the Dutch.”