but the platforms had their gites and their madriers all
prepared; the earth, beaten carefully, was consolidated; and
supposing the artillery to be on the island, in less than
two or three days the port might be completely armed. That
which astonished D’Artagnan, when he turned his eyes from
the coast batteries to the fortifications of the city, was
to see that Belle-Isle was defended by an entirely new
system, of which he had often heard the Comte de la Fere
speak as a wonderful advance, but of which he had as yet
never seen the application. These fortifications belonged
neither to the Dutch method of Marollais, nor to the French
method of the Chevalier Antoine de Ville, but to the system
of Manesson Mallet, a skillful engineer, who about six or
eight years previously had quitted the service of Portugal
to enter that of France. The works had this peculiarity,
that instead of rising above the earth, as did the ancient
ramparts destined to defend a city from escalades, they, on
the contrary, sank into it; and what created the height of
the walls was the depth of the ditches. It did not take long
to make D’Artagnan perceive the superiority of such a
system, which gives no advantage to cannon. Besides, as the
fosses were lower than, or on a level with the sea, these
fosses could be instantly inundated by means of subterranean
sluices. Otherwise, the works were almost complete, and a
group of workmen, receiving orders from a man who appeared
to be conductor of the works, were occupied in placing the
last stones. A bridge of planks thrown over the fosses for
the greater convenience of the maneuvers connected with the
barrows, joined the interior to the exterior. With an air of
simple curiosity D’Artagnan asked if he might be permitted
to cross the bridge, and he was told that no order prevented
it. Consequently he crossed the bridge, and advanced towards
the group.
This group was superintended by the man whom D’Artagnan had
already remarked, and who appeared to be the
engineer-in-chief. A plan was lying open before him upon a
large stone forming a table, and at some paces from him a
crane was in action. This engineer, who by his evident
importance first attracted the attention of D’Artagnan, wore
a justaucorps, which, from its sumptuousness was scarcely in
harmony with the work he was employed in, that rather
necessitated the costume of a master-mason than of a noble.
He was a man of immense stature and great square shoulders,
and wore a hat covered with feathers. He gesticulated in the
most majestic manner, and appeared, for D’Artagnan only saw
his back, to be scolding the workmen for their idleness and
want of strength.
D’Artagnan continued to draw nearer. At that moment the man
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with the feathers ceased to gesticulate, and, with his hands
placed upon his knees, was following, half-bent, the effort
of six workmen to raise a block of hewn stone to the top of
a piece of timber destined to support that stone, so that
the cord of the crane might be passed under it. The six men,
all on one side of the stone, united their efforts to raise
it to eight or ten inches from the ground, sweating and
blowing, whilst a seventh got ready against there should be
daylight enough beneath it to slide in the roller that was
to support it. But the stone had already twice escaped from
their hands before gaining a sufficient height for the
roller to be introduced. There can be no doubt that every
time the stone escaped them, they bounded quickly backwards,
to keep their feet from being crushed by the refalling
stone. Every time, the stone, abandoned by them, sunk deeper
into the damp earth, which rendered the operation more and
more difficult. A third effort was followed by no better
success, but with progressive discouragement. And yet, when
the six men were bent towards the stone, the man with the
feathers had himself, with a powerful voice, given the word
of command, “Ferme!” which regulates maneuvers of strength.
Then he drew himself up.