he mounts on the bench to talk to us.”
“But supposing he doesn’t mount?”
“He will; rely upon it. As soon as you see him get up,
stretch out your arm and seize him by the neck. Then,
raising him up as Tobit raised the fish by the gills, you
must pull him into the room, taking care to squeeze him so
Page 566
Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
tight that he can’t cry out.”
“Oh!” said Porthos. “Suppose I happen to strangle him?”
“To be sure there would only be a Swiss the less in the
world; but you will not do so, I hope. Lay him down here;
we’ll gag him and tie him — no matter where — somewhere.
So we shall get from him one uniform and a sword.”
“Marvelous!” exclaimed Porthos, looking at the Gascon with
the most profound admiration.
“Pooh!” replied D’Artagnan.
“Yes,” said Porthos, recollecting himself, “but one uniform
and one sword will not suffice for two.”
“Well; but there’s his comrade.”
“True,” said Porthos.
“Therefore, when I cough, stretch out your arm.”
“Good!”
The two friends then placed themselves as they had agreed,
Porthos being completely hidden in an angle of the window.
“Good-evening, comrade,” said D’Artagnan in his most
fascinating voice and manner.
“Good-evening, sir,” answered the soldier, in a strong
provincial accent.
“‘Tis not too warm to walk,” resumed D’Artagnan.
“No, sir.”
“And I think a glass of wine will not be disagreeable to
you?”
“A glass of wine will be extremely welcome.”
“The fish bites — the fish bites!” whispered the Gascon to
Porthos.
“I understand,” said Porthos.
“A bottle, perhaps?”
“A whole bottle? Yes, sir.”
“A whole bottle, if you will drink my health.”
“Willingly,” answered the soldier.
“Come, then, and take it, friend,” said the Gascon.
“With all my heart. How convenient that there’s a bench
here. Egad! one would think it had been placed here on
purpose.”
“Get on it; that’s it, friend.”
Page 567
Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
And D’Artagnan coughed.
That instant the arm of Porthos fell. His hand of iron
grasped, quick as lightning, firm as a pair of blacksmith’s
pincers, the soldier’s throat. He raised him, almost
stifling him as he drew him through the aperture, at the
risk of flaying him in the passage. He then laid him down on
the floor, where D’Artagnan, after giving him just time
enough to draw his breath, gagged him with his long scarf;
and the moment he had done so began to undress him with the
promptitude and dexterity of a man who had learned his
business on the field of battle. Then the soldier, gagged
and bound, was placed upon the hearth, the fire of which had
been previously extinguished by the two friends.
“Here’s a sword and a dress,” said Porthos.
“I take them,” said D’Artagnan, “for myself. If you want
another uniform and sword you must play the same trick over
again. Stop! I see the other soldier issue from the
guardroom and come toward us.”
“I think,” replied Porthos, “it would be imprudent to
attempt the same manoeuvre again; it is said that no man can
succeed twice in the same way, and a failure would be
ruinous. No; I will go down, seize the man unawares and
bring him to you ready gagged.”
“That is better,” said the Gascon.
“Be ready,” said Porthos, as he slipped through the opening.
He did as he said. Porthos seized his opportunity, caught
the next soldier by his neck, gagged him and pushed him like
a mummy through the bars into the room, and entered after
him. Then they undressed him as they had done the first,
laid him on their bed and bound him with the straps which
composed the bed — the bedstead being of oak. This
operation proved as great a success as the first.
“There,” said D’Artagnan, “this is capital! Now let me try
on the dress of yonder chap. Porthos, I doubt if you can
wear it; but should it be too tight, never mind, you can
wear the breastplate and the hat with the red feathers.”
It happened, however, that the second soldier was a Swiss of
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190