This cry, shouted with an ensemble, obtained enthusiastic
success. The populace had come to witness an execution, and
here was an opportunity offered them of performing one
themselves. It was this that must be most agreeable to the
populace: therefore, they ranged, themselves immediately on
the party of the aggressors against the archers, crying with
the minority, which had become, thanks to them, the most
compact majority: “Yes, yes: to the fire with the thieves!
Vive Colbert!”
“Mordioux!” exclaimed D’Artagnan, “this begins to look
serious.”
One of the men who remained near the chimney approached the
window, a firebrand in his hand. “Ah, ah!” said he, “it gets
warm.” Then, turning to his companion: “There is the
signal,” added he; and he immediately applied the burning
brand to the wainscoting. Now, this cabaret of the
Image-de-Notre-Dame was not a very newly-built house, and
therefore did not require much entreating to take fire. In a
second the boards began to crackle, and the flames arose
sparkling to the ceiling. A howling from without replied to
the shouts of the incendiaries. D’Artagnan, who had not seen
what passed, from being engaged at the window, felt, at the
same time, the smoke which choked him and the fire that
scorched him. “Hola!” cried he, turning round, “is the fire
here? Are you drunk or mad, my masters?”
The two men looked at each other with an air of
astonishment. “In what?” asked they of D’Artagnan; “was it
not a thing agreed upon?”
“A thing agreed upon that you should burn my house!”
vociferated D’Artagnan, snatching the brand from the hand of
the incendiary, and striking him with it across the face.
The second wanted to assist his comrade, but Raoul, seizing
him by the middle, threw him out of the window, whilst
D’Artagnan pushed his man down the stairs. Raoul, first
disengaged, tore the burning wainscoting down, and threw it
flaming into the chamber. At a glance D’Artagnan saw there
was nothing to be feared from the fire, and sprang to the
window. The disorder was at its height. The air was filled
with simultaneous cries of “To the fire!” “To the death!”
“To the halter!” “To the stake!” “Vive Colbert!” “Vive le
roi!” The group which had forced the culprits from the hands
of the archers had drawn close to the house, which appeared
to be the goal towards which they dragged them. Menneville
was at the head of this group, shouting louder than all the
others, “To the fire! to the fire! Vive Colbert!” D’Artagnan
began to comprehend what was meant. They wanted to burn the
condemned, and his house was to serve as a funeral pile.
“Halt, there!” cried he, sword in hand, and one foot upon
the window. “Menneville, what do you want to do?”
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Dumas, Alexandre – Ten Years Later
“Monsieur d’Artagnan,” cried the latter; “give way, give
way!”
“To the fire! to the fire with the thieves! Vive Colbert!”
These cries exasperated D’Artagnan. “Mordioux!” said he.
“What! burn the poor devils who are only condemned to be
hung? that is infamous!”
Before the door, however, the mass of anxious spectators,
rolled back against the walls, had become more thick, and
closed up the way. Menneville and his men, who were dragging
along the culprits, were within ten paces of the door.
Menneville made a last effort. “Passage! passage!” cried he,
pistol in hand.
“Burn them! burn them!” repeated the crowd. “The
Image-de-Notre-Dame is on fire! Burn the thieves! burn the
monopolists in the Image-de-Notre-Dame!”
There now remained no doubt, it was plainly D’Artagnan’s
house that was their object. D’Artagnan remembered the old
cry, always so effective from his mouth:
“A moi! mousquetaires!” shouted he, with the voice of a
giant, with one of those voices which dominate over cannon,
the sea, the tempest. “A moi! mousquetaires!” And suspending
himself by the arm from the balcony, he allowed himself to
drop amidst the crowd, which began to draw back from a house
that rained men. Raoul was on the ground as soon as he, both
sword in hand. All the musketeers on the Place heard that
challenging cry — all turned round at that cry, and
recognized D’Artagnan. “To the captain, to the captain!”