they heard Keyser’s eldest son, signaling from the shore
with the blast of a bull’s horn.
“Now, gentlemen,” said the king, “depart.”
“Sire,” said D’Artagnan, “will it please your majesty to
grant me a few minutes? I have engaged men, and I am going
without them; I must give them notice.”
“Whistle to them,” said Charles, smiling.
D’Artagnan, accordingly, whistled, whilst the patron Keyser
replied to his son; and four men, led by Menneville,
attended the first summons.
“Here is some money in account,” said D’Artagnan, putting
into their hands a purse containing two thousand five
hundred livres in gold. “Go and wait for me at Calais, you
know where.” And D’Artagnan heaved a profound sigh, as he
let the purse fall into the hands of Menneville.
“What, are you leaving us?” cried the men.
“For a short time,” said D’Artagnan, “or for a long time,
who knows? But with 2,500 livres, and the 2,500 you have
already received, you are paid according to our agreement.
We are quits, then, my friend.”
“But the boat?”
“Do not trouble yourself about that.”
“Our things are on board the felucca.”
“Go and seek them, and then set off immediately.”
“Yes, captain.”
D’Artagnan returned to Monk, saying, — “Monsieur, I await
your orders, for I understand we are to go together, unless
my company be disagreeable to you.”
“On the contrary, monsieur,” said Monk.
“Come, gentlemen, on board,” cried Keyser’s son.
Charles bowed to the general with grace and dignity, saying,
— “You will pardon me this unfortunate accident, and the
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Dumas, Alexandre – Ten Years Later
violence to which you have been subjected, when you are
convinced that I was not the cause of them.”
Monk bowed profoundly without replying. On his side, Charles
affected not to say a word to D’Artagnan in private, but
aloud, — “Once more, thanks, monsieur le chevalier,” said
he, “thanks for your services. They will be repaid you by
the Lord God, who, I hope, reserves trials and troubles for
me alone.”
Monk followed Keyser, and his son embarked with them.
D’Artagnan came after, muttering to himself, — “Poor
Planchet! poor Planchet! I am very much afraid we have made
a bad speculation.”
CHAPTER 30
The Shares of Planchet and Company rise again to Par
During the passage, Monk only spoke to D’Artagnan in cases
of urgent necessity. Thus, when the Frenchman hesitated to
come and take his meals, 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
occasions extremely concise, did not draw from the general’s
conciseness a favorable augury of the result of his mission.
Now, as D’Artagnan had plenty of time for reflection, he
battered his brains during this time in endeavoring to find
out how Athos had seen King Charles, how he had conspired
his departure with him, and lastly, how he had entered
Monk’s camp; and the poor lieutenant of musketeers plucked a
hair from his mustache every time he reflected that the
horseman who accompanied Monk on the night of the famous
abduction must have been Athos.
At length, after a passage of two nights and two days, the
patron Keyser touched at the point where Monk, who had given
all the orders during the voyage, had commanded they should
land. It was exactly at the mouth of the little river, near
which Athos had chosen his abode.
Daylight was waning, a splendid sun, like a red steel
buckler, was plunging the lower extremity of its disc
beneath the blue line of the sea. The felucca was making
fair way up the river, tolerably wide in that part, but
Monk, in his impatience, desired to be landed, and Keyser’s
boat set him and D’Artagnan upon the muddy bank, amidst the
reeds. D’Artagnan, resigned to obedience, followed Monk
exactly as a chained bear follows his master; but the
position humiliated him not a little, and he grumbled to
himself that the service of kings was a bitter one, and that
the best of them was good for nothing. Monk walked with long
and hasty strides; it might be thought that he did not yet