“How!” said Athos; “and is the gentleman who fired at us the governor of the fortress?”
“In person.”
“And why did he fire at us? What have we done to him?”
“Pardieu! You received what the prisoner threw to you?”
“That is true.”
“That plate,- the prisoner has written something underneath, has he not?”
“Yes.”
“Good heavens! I was afraid he had.”
And d’Artagnan, with all the marks of mortal alarm, seized the plate to read the inscription. When he had read it, a fearful pallor spread over his countenance. “Oh, good heavens!” repeated he. “Silence! here is the governor.”
“And what will he do to us? Is it our fault?” asked Raoul.
“It is true, then?” said Athos, in a subdued voice. “It is true?”
“Silence, I tell you, silence! If he only believes you can read, if he only suspects you have understood- I love you, my dear friends, I will be killed for you but-”
“‘But-‘” said Athos and Raoul.
“But I could not save you from perpetual imprisonment, if I saved you from death. Silence, then! silence again!”
The governor came up, having crossed the ditch upon a plank bridge. “Well,” said he to d’Artagnan, “what stops us?”
“You are Spaniards; you do not understand a word of French,” said the captain, eagerly to his friends in a low voice.
“Well!” replied he, addressing the governor, “I was right; these gentlemen are two Spanish captains with whom I was acquainted at Ypres, last year. They don’t know a word of French.”
“Ah!” said the governor, sharply. “And yet they were trying to read the inscription on the plate.”
D’Artagnan took it out of his hands, effacing the characters with the point of his sword.
“How!” cried the governor; “what are you doing? I cannot read them now!”
“It is a state secret,” replied d’Artagnan, bluntly; “and as you know that according to the King’s orders it is under the penalty of death that any one should penetrate it, I will, if you like, allow you to read it and have you shot immediately afterwards.”
During this apostrophe- half serious, half ironical- Athos and Raoul preserved the coolest, most unconcerned silence.
“But, is it possible,” said the governor, “that these gentlemen do not comprehend at least some words?”
“Suppose they do! If they do understand a few spoken words it does not follow that they should understand what is written. They cannot even read Spanish. A noble Spaniard, remember, ought never to know how to read.”
The governor was obliged to be satisfied with these explanations; but he was still tenacious. “Invite these gentlemen to come to the fortress,” said he.
“That I will willingly do. I was about to propose it to you.” The fact is, the captain had quite another idea, and would have wished his friends a hundred leagues off. But he was obliged to make the best of it. He addressed the two gentlemen in Spanish, giving them a polite invitation, which they accepted. They all turned towards the entrance of the fort, and the incident being exhausted, the eight soldiers returned to their delightful leisure, for a moment disturbed by this unexpected adventure.
Chapter LX: Captive and Jailers
WHEN they had entered the fort, and while the governor was making some preparations for the reception of his guests, “Come,” said Athos, “let us have a word of explanation while we are alone.”
“It is simply this,” replied the musketeer. “I have conducted hither a prisoner, who the King commands shall not be seen. You came here; he has thrown something to you through the lattice of his window. I was at dinner with the governor; I saw the object thrown, and I saw Raoul pick it up. It does not take long to understand this. I understood it; and I thought you in intelligence with my prisoner. And then-”
“And then- you commanded us to be shot.”
“Ma foi! I admit it; but if I was the first to seize a musket, fortunately I was the last to take aim at you.”
“If you had killed me, d’Artagnan, I should have had the good fortune to die for the royal house of France; and it would be an honor to die by your hand,- you, its noblest and most loyal defender.”