gun in hand.
“Ah!” he exclaimed, “it is thou who wouldst have him
assassinated? Wait an instant.” And he pointed his gun at
D’Artagnan, who was riding toward him at full speed.
D’Artagnan bent down to his horse’s neck the young man
fired, and the ball severed the feathers from the hat. The
horse started, brushed against the imprudent man, who
thought by his strength alone to stay the tempest, and he
fell against the wall. D’Artagnan pulled up his horse, and
whilst his musketeers continued to charge, he returned and
bent with drawn sword over the man he had knocked down.
Page 301
Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
“Oh, sir!” exclaimed Raoul, recognizing the young man as
having seen him in the Rue Cocatrix, “spare him! it is his
son!”
D’Artagnan’s arm dropped to his side. “Ah, you are his son!”
he said; “that is a different thing.”
“Sir, I surrender,” said Louvieres, presenting his unloaded
musket to the officer.
“Eh, no! do not surrender, egad! On the contrary, be off,
and quickly. If I take you, you will be hung!”
The young man did not wait to be told twice, but passing
under the horse’s head disappeared at the corner of the Rue
Guenegaud.
“I’faith!” said D’Artagnan to Raoul, “you were just in time
to stay my hand. He was a dead man; and on my honor, if I
had discovered that it was his son, I should have regretted
having killed him.”
“Ah! sir!” said Raoul, “allow me, after thanking you for
that poor fellow’s life, to thank you on my own account. I
too, sir, was almost dead when you arrived.”
“Wait, wait, young man; do not fatigue yourself with
speaking. We can talk of it afterward.”
Then seeing that the musketeers had cleared the Quai from
the Pont Neuf to the Quai Saint Michael, he raised his sword
for them to double their speed. The musketeers trotted up,
and at the same time the ten men whom D’Artagnan had given
to Comminges appeared.
“Halloo!” cried D’Artagnan; “has something fresh happened?”
“Eh, sir!” replied the sergeant, “their vehicle has broken
down a second time; it really must be doomed.”
“They are bad managers,” said D’Artagnan, shrugging his
shoulders. “When a carriage is chosen, it ought to be
strong. The carriage in which a Broussel is to be arrested
ought to be able to bear ten thousand men.”
“What are your commands, lieutenant?”
“Take the detachment and conduct him to his place.”
“But you will be left alone?”
“Certainly. So you suppose I have need of an escort? Go.”
The musketeers set off and D’Artagnan was left alone with
Raoul.
“Now,” he said, “are you in pain?”
“Yes; my head is not only swimming but burning.”
“What’s the matter with this head?” said D’Artagnan, raising
the battered hat. “Ah! ah! a bruise.”
“Yes, I think I received a flower-pot upon my head.”
Page 302
Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
“Brutes!” said D’Artagnan. “But were you not on horseback?
you have spurs.”
“Yes, but I got down to defend Monsieur de Comminges and my
horse was taken away. Here it is, I see.”
At this very moment Friquet passed, mounted on Raoul’s
horse, waving his parti-colored cap and crying, “Broussel!
Broussel!”
“Halloo! stop, rascal!” cried D’Artagnan. “Bring hither that
horse.”
Friquet heard perfectly, but he pretended not to do so and
tried to continue his road. D’Artagnan felt inclined for an
instant to pursue Master Friquet, but not wishing to leave
Raoul alone he contented himself with taking a pistol from
the holster and cocking it.
Friquet had a quick eye and a fine ear. He saw D’Artagnan’s
movement, heard the sound of the click, and stopped at once.
“Ah! it is you, your honor,” he said, advancing toward
D’Artagnan; “and I am truly pleased to meet you.”
D’Artagnan looked attentively at Friquet and recognized the
little chorister of the Rue de la Calandre.
“Ah! ’tis thou, rascal!” said he, “come here: so thou hast
changed thy trade; thou art no longer a choir boy nor a
tavern boy; thou hast become a horse stealer?”
“Ah, your honor, how can you say so?” exclaimed Friquet. “I
was seeking the gentleman to whom this horse belongs — an