"Saint—Aignan,"
  continuedtheking,"youwillhaveanyoneshotwhoshallattempttospeakprivatelywithM。Fouquet,duringthejourney。"
  "Butmyself,sire,"saidtheduke。
  "You,monsieur,youwillonlyspeaktohiminthepresenceofthemusketeers。"?Thedukebowedanddepartedtoexecutehiscommission。
  D'Artagnanwasabouttoretirelikewise;butthekingstoppedhim。
  "Monsieur,"
  saidhe,"youwillgoimmediately,andtakepossessionoftheisleandfiefofBelle—蝜e—en—Mer。"
  "Yes,sire。?Alone?"
  "Youwilltakeasufficientnumberoftroopstopreventdelay,incasetheplaceshouldbecontumacious。"
  A
  murmurofcourtlyincredulityrosefromthegroupofcourtiers。?"Thatshallbedone,"saidD'Artagnan。
  "I
  sawtheplaceinmyinfancy,"resumedtheking,"andIdonotwishtoseeitagain。?Youhaveheardme??Go,monsieur,anddonotreturnwithoutthekeys。"
  ColbertwentuptoD'Artagnan。?"A
  commissionwhich,ifyoucarryitoutwell,"saidhe,"willbeworthamar閏hal'sbatontoyou。"
  "Whydoyouemploythewords,'ifyoucarryitoutwell'?"
  "Becauseitisdifficult。"
  "Ah!
  inwhatrespect?"
  "YouhavefriendsinBelle—Isle,Monsieurd'Artagnan;anditisnotaneasythingformenlikeyoutomarchoverthebodiesoftheirfriendstoobtainsuccess。"
  D'Artagnanhunghisheadindeepestthought,whilstColbertreturnedtotheking。?Aquarterofanhourafter,thecaptainreceivedthewrittenorderfromtheking,toblowupthefortressofBelle—Isle,incaseofresistance,withpoweroflifeanddeathoveralltheinhabitantsorrefugees,andaninjunctionnottoallowonetoescape。
  "Colbertwasright,"thoughtD'Artagnan;"formethebatonofamar閏halofFrancewillcostthelivesofmytwofriends。?Onlytheyseemtoforgetthatmyfriendsarenotmorestupidthanthebirds,andthattheywillnotwaitforthehandofthefowlertoextendovertheirwings。?Iwillshowthemthathandsoplainly,thattheywillhavequitetimeenoughtoseeit。?PoorPorthos!?PoorAramis!?No;myfortuneshouldshallnotcostyourwingsafeather。"
  Havingthusdetermined,D'Artagnanassembledtheroyalarmy,embarkeditatPaimb渦f,andsetsail,withoutthelossofanunnecessaryminute。
  ChapterXLII:
  Belle—蝜e—en—Mer。
  Attheextremityofthemole,againstwhichthefuriousseabeatsattheeveningtide,twomen,holdingeachotherbythearm,wereconversinginananimatedandexpansivetone,withoutthepossibilityofanyotherhumanbeinghearingtheirwords,borneaway,astheywere,onebyone,bythegustsofwind,withthewhitefoamsweptfromthecrestsofthewaves。?Thesunhadjustgonedowninthevastsheetofthecrimsonedocean,likeagiganticcrucible。?Fromtimetotime,oneofthesemen,turningtowardstheeast,castananxious,inquiringlookoverthesea。?Theother,interrogatingthefeaturesofhiscompanion,seemedtoseekforinformationinhislooks。?Then,bothsilent,busiedwithdismalthoughts,theyresumedtheirwalk。?Everyonehasalreadyperceivedthatthesetwomenwereourproscribedheroes,PorthosandAramis,whohadtakenrefugeinBelle—Isle,sincetheruinoftheirhopes,sincethediscomfitureofthecolossalschemesofM。d'Herblay。
  "Ifisofnouseyoursayinganythingtothecontrary,mydearAramis,"
  repeatedPorthos,inhalingvigorouslythesaltbreezewithwhichhechargedhismassivechest,"Itisofnouse,Aramis。?Thedisappearanceofallthefishing—boatsthatwentouttwodaysagoisnotanordinarycircumstance。?Therehasbeennostormatsea;theweatherhasbeenconstantlycalm,noteventhelightestgale;andevenifwehadhadatempest,allourboatswouldnothavefoundered。?Irepeat,itisstrange。?Thiscompletedisappearanceastonishesme,Itellyou。"
  "True,"
  murmuredAramis。?"Youareright,friendPorthos;itistrue,thereissomethingstrangeinit。"
  "Andfurther,"addedPorthos,whoseideastheassentofthebishopofVannesseemedtoenlarge;"and,further,doyounotobservethatiftheboatshaveperished,notasingleplankhaswashedashore?"
  "I
  haveremarkeditaswellasyourself。"
  "Anddoyounotthinkitstrangethatthetwoonlyboatswehadleftinthewholeisland,andwhichIsentinsearchoftheothers—"
  Aramishereinterruptedhiscompanionbyacry,andbysosuddenamovement,thatPorthosstoppedasifhewerestupefied。?"Whatdoyousay,Porthos??What!—Youhavesentthetwoboats—"
  "Insearchoftheothers!?Yes,tobesureI
  have,"repliedPorthos,calmly。
  "Unhappyman!?Whathaveyoudone??Thenweareindeedlost,"criedthebishop。
  "Lost!
  —whatdidyousay?"exclaimedtheterrifiedPorthos。?"Howlost,Aramis??Howarewelost?"
  Aramisbithislips。?"Nothing!
  nothing!?Yourpardon,Imeanttosay—
  "
  "What?"
  "Thatifwewereinclined—ifwetookafancytomakeanexcursionbysea,wecouldnot。"
  "Verygood!andwhyshouldthatvexyou??A
  preciouspleasure,mafoi!?Formypart,Idon'tregretitatall。?WhatIregretiscertainlynotthemoreorlessamusementwecanfindatBelle—Isle:whatIregret,Aramis,isPierrefonds;Bracieux;leVallon;beautifulFrance!?Here,wearenotinFrance,mydearfriend;weare—Iknownotwhere。?Oh!?Itellyou,infullsincerityofsoul,andyouraffectionwillexcusemyfrankness,butIdeclaretoyouIamnothappyatBelle—Isle。?No;ingoodtruth,Iamnothappy!"
  Aramisbreathedalong,butstifledsigh。?"Dearfriend,"repliedhe:"thatiswhyitissosadathingyouhavesentthetwoboatswehadleftinsearchoftheboatswhichdisappearedtwodaysago。?Ifyouhadnotsentthemaway,wewouldhavedeparted。"
  "'Departed!'?Andtheorders,Aramis?"
  "Whatorders?"
  "Parbleu!?Why,theordersyouhavebeenconstantly,inandoutofseason,repeatingtome—thatweweretoholdBelle—Isleagainsttheusurper。?Youknowverywell!"
  "Thatistrue!"murmuredAramisagain。
  "Yousee,then,plainly,myfriend,thatwecouldnotdepart;andthatthesendingawayoftheboatsinsearchoftheotherscannotproveprejudicialtousintheveryleast。"
  Aramiswassilent;andhisvagueglances,luminousasthatofanalbatross,hoveredforalongtimeoverthesea,interrogatingspace,seekingtopiercetheveryhorizon。
  "Withallthat,Aramis,"continuedPorthos,whoadheredtohisidea,andthatthemorecloselyfromthebishophavingapparentlyendorsedit,—"withallthat,yougivemenoexplanationaboutwhatcanhavehappenedtotheseunfortunateboats。?IamassailedbycriesandcomplaintswhicheverwayIgo。?Thechildrencrytoseethedesolationofthewomen,asifIcouldrestoretheabsenthusbandsandfathers。?Whatdoyousuppose,myfriend,andhowoughtItoanswerthem?"
  "Thinkallyoulike,mygoodPorthos,andsaynothing。"
  ThisreplydidnotsatisfyPorthosatall。?Heturnedawaygrumblingsomethinginill—humor。?Aramisstoppedthevaliantmusketeer。?"Doyouremember,"saidhe,inamelancholytone,kneadingthetwohandsofthegiantbetweenhisownwithaffectionatecordiality,"doyouremember,myfriend,thatinthegloriousdaysofyouth—doyouremember,Porthos,whenwewereallstrongandvaliant—
  we,andtheothertwo—ifwehadthenhadaninclinationtoreturntoFrance,doyouthinkthissheetofsaltwaterwouldhavestoppedus?"
  "Oh!"
  saidPorthos;"butsixleagues。"
  "Ifyouhadseenmegetastrideofaplank,wouldyouhaveremainedonland,Porthos?"
  "No,pardieu!?No,Aramis。?But,nowadays,whatsortofaplankshouldwewant,myfriend!?I,inparticular。"?AndtheSeigneurdeBracieuxcastaprofoundglanceoverhiscolossalrotunditywithaloudlaugh。?"AnddoyoumeanseriouslytosayyouarenottiredofBelle—Islealittle,andthatyouwouldnotpreferthecomfortsofyourdwelling—ofyourepiscopalpalace,atVannes??Come,confess。"
  "No,"
  repliedAramis,withoutdaringtolookatPorthos。
  "Letusstaywhereweare,then,"saidhisfriend,withasigh,which,inspiteoftheeffortshemadetorestrainit,escapedhisechoingbreast。?"Letusremain!—letusremain!?Andyet,"addedhe,"andyet,ifweseriouslywished,butthatdecidedly—ifwehadafixedidea,onefirmlytaken,toreturntoFrance,andtherewerenotboats—"
  "Haveyouremarkedanotherthing,myfriend—thatis,sincethedisappearanceofourbarks,duringthelasttwodays'absenceoffishermen,notasinglesmallboathaslandedontheshoresoftheisle?"
  "Yes,certainly!youareright。?I,too,haveremarkedit,andtheobservationwasthemorenaturallymade,for,beforethelasttwofataldays,barksandshallopswereasplentifulasshrimps。"
  "I
  mustinquire,"saidAramis,suddenly,andwithgreatagitation。?"Andthen,ifwehadaraftconstructed—"
  "Buttherearesomecanoes,myfriend;shallIboardone?"
  "A
  canoe!—acanoe!?Canyouthinkofsuchathing,Porthos??Acanoetobeupsetin。?No,no,"saidthebishopofVannes;"itisnotourtradetorideuponthewaves。?Wewillwait,wewillwait。"
  AndAramiscontinuedwalkingaboutwithincreasedagitation。?Porthos,whogrewtiredoffollowingallthefeverishmovementsofhisfriend—Porthos,whoinhisfaithandcalmnessunderstoodnothingofthesortofexasperationwhichwasbetrayedbyhiscompanion'scontinualconvulsivestarts—Porthosstoppedhim。?"Letussitdownuponthisrock,"
  saidhe。?"Placeyourselfthere,closetome,Aramis,andIconjureyou,forthelasttime,toexplaintomeinamannerIcancomprehend—explaintomewhatwearedoinghere。"
  "Porthos,"
  saidAramis,muchembarrassed。
  "I
  knowthatthefalsekingwishedtodethronethetrueking。?Thatisafact,thatIunderstand。?Well—"
  "Yes?"
  saidAramis。
  "I
  knowthatthefalsekingformedtheprojectofsellingBelle—IsletotheEnglish。?Iunderstandthat,too。"
  "Yes?"
  "I
  knowthatweengineersandcaptainscameandthrewourselvesintoBelle—Isletotakedirectionoftheworks,andthecommandoftencompaniesleviedandpaidbyM。Fouquet,orratherthetencompaniesofhisson—in—law。?Allthatisplain。"
  Aramisroseinastateofgreatimpatience。?Hemightbesaidtobealionimportunedbyagnat。?Porthosheldhimbythearm。?"ButwhatIcannotunderstand,what,inspiteofalltheeffortsofmymind,andallmyreflections,Icannotcomprehend,andnevershallcomprehend,is,thatinsteadofsendingustroops,insteadofsendingusreinforcementsofmen,munitions,provisions,theyleaveuswithoutboats,theyleaveBelle—Islewithoutarrivals,withouthelp;itisthatinsteadofestablishingwithusacorrespondence,whetherbysignals,orwrittenorverbalcommunications,allrelationswiththeshoreareintercepted。?Tellme,Aramis,answerme,orrather,beforeansweringme,willyouallowmetotellyouwhatIhavethought??Willyouhearwhatmyideais,theplanI
  haveconceived?"
  Thebishopraisedhishead。?"Well!?Aramis,"
  continuedPorthos,"Ihavedreamed,IhaveimaginedthataneventhastakenplaceinFrance。?IdreamtofM。
  Fouquetallthenight,oflifelessfish,ofbrokeneggs,ofchambersbadlyfurnished,meanlykept。?Villainousdreams,mydearD'Herblay;veryunlucky,suchdreams!"
  "Porthos,whatisthatyonder?"interruptedAramis,risingsuddenly,andpointingouttohisfriendablackspotupontheempurpledlineofthewater。
  "A
  bark!"saidPorthos;"yes,itisabark!?Ah!weshallhavesomenewsatlast。"
  "Therearetwo!"criedthebishop,ondiscoveringanothermast;"two!three!
  four!"
  "Five!"
  saidPorthos,inhisturn。?"Six!
  seven!?Ah!monDieu!monDieu!itisafleet!"
  "Ourboatsreturning,probably,"saidAramis,veryuneasily,inspiteoftheassuranceheaffected。
  "Theyareverylargeforfishing—boats,"observedPorthos,"anddoyounotremark,myfriend,thattheycomefromtheLoire?"
  "TheycomefromtheLoire—yes—"
  "Andlook!everybodyhereseesthemaswellasourselves;look,womenandchildrenarebeginningtocrowdthejetty。"
  Anoldfishermanpassed。?"Arethoseourbarks,yonder?"askedAramis。
  Theoldmanlookedsteadilyintotheeyeofthehorizon。
  "No,monseigneur,"repliedhe,"theyarelighterboars,boatsintheking'sservice。"
  "Boatsintheroyalservice?"repliedAramis,starting。?"Howdoyouknowthat?"saidhe。
  "Bytheflag。"
  "But,"
  saidPorthos,"theboatisscarcelyvisible;howthedevil,myfriend,canyoudistinguishtheflag?"
  "I
  seethereisone,"repliedtheoldman;"ourboats,tradelighters,donotcarryany。?Thatsortofcraftisgenerallyusedfortransportoftroops。"
  "Ah!"
  groanedAramis。
  "Vivat!"criedPorthos,"theyaresendingusreinforcements,don'tyouthinktheyare,Aramis?"
  "Probably。"
  "UnlessitistheEnglishcoming。"
  "BytheLoire??Thatwouldhaveanevillook,Porthos;fortheymusthavecomethroughParis!"
  "Youareright;theyarereinforcements,decidedly,orprovisions。"
  Aramisleanedhisheaduponhishands,andmadenoreply。?Then,allatonce,—"Porthos,"saidhe,"havethealarmsounded。"
  "Thealarm!doyouimaginesuchathing?"
  "Yes,andletthecannoniersmounttheirbatteries,theartillerymenbeattheirpieces,andbeparticularlywatchfulofthecoastbatteries。"
  Porthosopenedhiseyestotheirwidestextent。?Helookedattentivelyathisfriend,toconvincehimselfhewasinhispropersenses。
  "Iwilldoit,mydearPorthos,"
  continuedAramis,inhisblandesttone;"Iwillgoandhavetheseordersexecutedmyself,ifyoudonotgo,myfriend。"
  "Well!?Iwill—instantly!"saidPorthos,whowenttoexecutetheorders,castingallthewhilelooksbehindhim,toseeifthebishopofVanneswerenotdeceived;andif,onrecoveringmorerationalideas,hewouldnotrecallhim。?Thealarmwassounded,trumpetsbrayed,drumsrolled;thegreatbronzebellswunginhorrorfromitsloftybelfry。?Thedikesandmoleswerequicklyfilledwiththecuriousandsoldiers;matchessparkledinthehandsoftheartillerymen,placedbehindthelargecannonbeddedintheirstonecarriages。?Wheneverymanwasathispost,whenallthepreparationsfordefenseweremade:
  "Permitme,Aramis,totrytocomprehend,"whisperedPorthos,timidly,inAramis'sear。
  "Mydearfriend,youwillcomprehendbuttoosoon,"murmuredM。d'Herblay,inreplytothisquestionofhislieutenant。
  "Thefleetwhichiscomingyonder,withsailsunfurled,straighttowardstheportofBelle—Isle,isaroyalfleet,isitnot?"
  "ButastherearetwokingsinFrance,Porthos,towhichofthesetwokingsdoesthisfleetbelong?"
  "Oh!
  youopenmyeyes,"repliedthegiant,stunnedbytheinsinuation。
  AndPorthos,whoseeyesthisreplyofhisfriend'shadatlastopened,orratherthickenedthebandagewhichcoveredhissight,wentwithhisbestspeedtothebatteriestooverlookhispeople,andexhorteveryonetodohisduty。?Inthemeantime,Aramis,withhiseyefixedonthehorizon,sawtheshipscontinuallydrawingnearer。?Thepeopleandthesoldiers,perchedonthesummitsoftherocks,coulddistinguishthemasts,thenthelowersails,andatlastthehullsofthelighters,bearingatthemastheadtheroyalflagofFrance。?Itwasnightwhenoneofthesevessels,whichhadcreatedsuchasensationamongtheinhabitantsofBelle—Isle,droppedanchorwithincannonshotoftheplace。?Itwassoonseen,notwithstandingthedarkness,thatsomesortofagitationreignedonboardthevessel,fromthesideofwhichaskiffwaslowered,ofwhichthethreerowers,bendingtotheiroars,tookthedirectionoftheport,andinafewinstantsstrucklandatthefootofthefort。?Thecommanderjumpedashore。?Hehadaletterinhishand,whichhewavedintheair,andseemedtowishtocommunicatewithsomebody。?Thismanwassoonrecognizedbyseveralsoldiersasoneofthepilotsoftheisland。?HewasthecaptainofoneofthetwobarksretainedbyAramis,butwhichPorthos,inhisanxietywithregardtothefateofthefishermenwhohaddisappeared,hadsentinsearchofthemissingboats。?HeaskedtobeconductedtoM。d'Herblay。?Twosoldiers,atasignalfromasergeant,marchedhimbetweenthem,andescortedhim。?Aramiswasuponthequay。?TheenvoypresentedhimselfbeforethebishopofVannes。?Thedarknesswasalmostabsolute,notwithstandingtheflambeauxborneatasmalldistancebythesoldierswhowerefollowingAramisinhisrounds。
  "Well,Jonathan,fromwhomdoyoucome?"
  "Monseigneur,fromthosewhocapturedme。"
  "Whocapturedyou?"
  "Youknow,monseigneur,wesetoutinsearchofourcomrades?"
  "Yes;
  andafterwards?"
  "Well!
  monseigneur,withinashortleaguewewerecapturedbyachassemar閑belongingtotheking。"
  "Ah!"
  saidAramis。
  "Ofwhichking?"criedPorthos。
  Jonathanstarted。
  "Speak!"
  continuedthebishop。
  "Wewerecaptured,monseigneur,andjoinedtothosewhohadbeentakenyesterdaymorning。"
  "Whatwasthecauseofthemaniaforcapturingyouall?"saidPorthos。
  "Monsieur,topreventusfromtellingyou,"repliedJonathan。
  Porthoswasagainatalosstocomprehend。?"Andtheyhavereleasedyouto—day?"askedhe。
  "ThatImighttellyoutheyhavecapturedus,monsieur。"
  "Troubleupontrouble,"thoughthonestPorthos。
  DuringthistimeAramiswasreflecting。
  "Humph!"
  saidhe,"thenIsupposeitisaroyalfleetblockadingthecoasts?"
  "Yes,monseigneur。"
  "Whocommandsit?"
  "Thecaptainoftheking'smusketeers。"
  "D'Artagnan?"
  "D'Artagnan!"
  exclaimedPorthos。
  "I
  believethatisthename。"
  "Anddidhegiveyouthisletter?"
  "Yes,monseigneur。"
  "Bringthetorchesnearer。"
  "Itishiswriting,"saidPorthos。
  Aramiseagerlyreadthefollowinglines:
  "OrderofthekingtotakeBelle—Isle;ortoputthegarrisontothesword,iftheyresist;ordertomakeprisonersofallthemenofthegarrison;signed,D'ARTAGNAN,who,thedaybeforeyesterday,arrestedM。Fouquet,forthepurposeofhisbeingsenttotheBastile。"
  Aramisturnedpale,andcrushedthepaperinhishands。
  "Whatisit?"askedPorthos。
  "Nothing,myfriend,nothing。"
  "Tellme,Jonathan?"
  "Monseigneur?"
  "DidyouspeaktoM。d'Artagnan?"
  "Yes,monseigneur。"
  "Whatdidhesaytoyou?"
  "Thatforamplerinformation,hewouldspeakwithmonseigneur。"
  "Where?"
  "Onboardhisownvessel。"
  "Onboardhisvessel!"andPorthosrepeated,"Onboardhisvessel!"
  "M。
  lemousquetaire,"continuedJonathan,"toldmetotakeyoubothonboardmycanoe,andbringyoutohim。"
  "Letusgoatonce,"exclaimedPorthos。?"DearD'Artagnan!"
  ButAramisstoppedhim。?"Areyoumad?"criedhe。?"Whoknowsthatitisnotasnare?"
  "Oftheotherking's?"saidPorthos,mysteriously。
  "A
  snare,infact!?That'swhatitis,myfriend。"
  "Verypossibly;whatistobedone,then??IfD'Artagnansendsforus—"
  "WhoassuresyouthatD'Artagnansendsforus?"
  "Well,but—buthiswriting—"
  "Writingiseasilycounterfeited。?Thislookscounterfeited—unsteady—"
  "Youarealwaysright;but,inthemeantime,weknownothing。"
  Aramiswassilent。
  "Itistrue,"saidthegoodPorthos,"wedonotwanttoknowanything。"
  "WhatshallIdo?"askedJonathan。
  "Youwillreturnonboardthiscaptain'svessel。"
  "Yes,monseigneur。"
  "Andwilltellhimthatwebeghewillhimselfcomeintotheisland。"
  "Ah!?Icomprehend!"saidPorthos。
  "Yes,monseigneur,"repliedJonathan;"butifthecaptainshouldrefusetocometoBelle—Isle?"
  "Ifherefuses,aswehavecannon,wewillmakeuseofthem。"
  "What!
  againstD'Artagnan?"
  "IfitisD'Artagnan,Porthos,hewillcome。?Go,Jonathan,go!"
  "Mafoi!?Inolongercomprehendanything,"murmuredPorthos。
  "I
  willmakeyoucomprehenditall,mydearfriend;thetimeforithascome;sitdownuponthisgun—carriage,openyourears,andlistenwelltome。"
  "Oh!pardieu!?Iwilllisten,nofearofthat。"
  "MayIdepart,monseigneur?"criedJonathan。
  "Yes,begone,andbringbackananswer。?Allowthecanoetopass,youmenthere!"?Andthecanoepushedofftoregainthefleet。
  AramistookPorthosbythehand,andcommencedhisexplanations。
  ChapterXLIII:
  ExplanationsbyAramis。
  "WhatIhavetosaytoyou,friendPorthos,willprobablysurpriseyou,butitmayproveinstructive。"
  "I
  liketobesurprised,"saidPorthos,inakindlytone;"donotspareme,therefore,Ibeg。?Iamhardenedagainstemotions;don'tfear,speakout。"
  "Itisdifficult,Porthos—difficult;for,intruth,Iwarnyouasecondtime,I
  haveverystrangethings,veryextraordinarythings,totellyou。"
  "Oh!
  youspeaksowell,myfriend,thatIcouldlistentoyoufordaystogether。?Speak,then,Ibeg—and—
  stop,Ihaveanidea:Iwill,tomakeyourtaskmoreeasy,Iwill,toassistyouintellingmesuchthings,questionyou。"
  "I
  shallbepleasedatyourdoingso。"
  "Whatarewegoingtofightfor,Aramis?"
  "Ifyouaskmemanysuchquestionsasthat—ifyouwouldrendermytasktheeasierbyinterruptingmyrevelationsthus,Porthos,youwillnothelpmeatall。?Sofar,onthecontrary,thatistheveryGordianknot。?But,myfriend,withamanlikeyou,good,generous,anddevoted,theconfessionmustbebravelymade。?Ihavedeceivedyou,myworthyfriend。"
  "Youhavedeceivedme!"
  "GoodHeavens!yes。"
  "Wasitformygood,Aramis?"
  "I
  thoughtso,Porthos;Ithoughtsosincerely,myfriend。"