“Eh! come, come, gentlemen,” said he, “let us not devour
each other; you are made to live together, to understand
each other in all respects, and not to devour one another.”
Instantly all hesitation ceased; the men breathed as if they
had been taken out of a coffin, and examined each other
complacently. After this examination they turned their eyes
towards their leader, who had long been acquainted with the
art of speaking to men of that class, and who improvised the
following little speech, pronounced with an energy truly
Gascon:
“Gentlemen, you all know who I am. I have engaged you from
knowing you to be brave, and willing to associate you with
me in a glorious enterprise. Imagine that in laboring for me
you labor for the king. I only warn you that if you allow
anything of this supposition to appear, I shall be forced to
crack your skulls immediately, in the manner most convenient
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to me. You are not ignorant, gentlemen, that state secrets
are like a mortal poison: as long as that poison is in its
box and the box is closed, it is not injurious; out of the
box, it kills. Now draw near and you shall know as much of
this secret as I am able to tell you.” All drew close to him
with an expression of curiosity. “Approach,” continued
D’Artagnan, “and let not the bird which passes over our
heads, the rabbit which sports on the downs, the fish which
bounds from the waters, hear us. Our business is to learn
and to report to monsieur le surintendant of the finances to
what extent English smuggling is injurious to the French
merchants. I shall enter every place, and see everything. We
are poor Picard fishermen, thrown upon the coast by a storm.
It is certain that we must sell fish, neither more nor less,
like true fishermen. Only people might guess who we are, and
might molest us; it is therefore necessary that we should be
in a condition to defend ourselves. And this is why I have
selected men of spirit and courage. We shall lead a steady
life, and not incur much danger; seeing that we have behind
us a powerful protector, thanks to whom no embarrassment is
possible. One thing alone puzzles me; but I hope that after
a short explanation, you will relieve me from that
difficulty. The thing which puzzles me is taking with me a
crew of stupid fishermen, which crew will annoy me
immensely, whilst if, by chance, there were among you any
who have seen the sea —- ”
“Oh! don’t let that trouble you,” said one of the recruits;
“I was a prisoner among the pirates of Tunis three years,
and can maneuver a boat like an admiral.”
“See,” said D’Artagnan, “what an admirable thing chance is!”
D’Artagnan pronounced these words with an indefinable tone
of feigned bonhomie, for he knew very well that the victim
of pirates was an old corsair, and had engaged him in
consequence of that knowledge. But D’Artagnan never said
more than there was need to say, in order to leave people in
doubt. He paid himself with the explanation, and welcomed
the effect, without appearing to be preoccupied with the
cause.
“And I,” said a second, “I, by chance, had an uncle who
directed the works of the port of La Rochelle. When quite a
child, I played about the boats, and I know how to handle an
oar or a sail as well as the best Ponantais sailor.” The
latter did not lie much more than the first, for he had
rowed on board his majesty’s galleys six years, at Ciotat.
Two others were more frank: they confessed honestly that
they had served on board a vessel as soldiers on punishment,
and did not blush for it. D’Artagnan found himself, then,
the leader of ten men of war and four sailors, having at
once a land army and a sea force, which would have earned
the pride of Planchet to its height, if Planchet had known
the details.
Nothing was now left but arranging the general orders, and