Louise de la Valliere

by Alexandre Dumas

  Chapter XVII. The Encounter.

  The king signified with an imperious gesture, first to the musketeer,then to Saint-Aignan, "On your lives, not a word." D'Artagnan withdrew,like a sentinel, to a corner of the room; Saint-Aignan, in his characterof a favorite, leaned over the back of the king's chair. Manicamp, withhis right foot properly advanced, a smile upon his lips, and hiswhite and well-formed hands gracefully disposed, advanced to make hisreverence to the king, who returned the salutation by a bow. "Goodevening, M. de Manicamp," he said.

  "Your majesty did me the honor to send for me," said Manicamp.

  "Yes, in order to learn from you all the details of the unfortunateaccident which has befallen the Comte de Guiche."

  "Oh! sire, it is grievous indeed."

  "You were there?"

  "Not precisely, sire."

  "But you arrived on the scene of the accident, a few minutes after ittook place?"

  "Sire, about half an hour afterwards."

  "And where did the accident happen?"

  "I believe, sire, the place is called the Rond-point du Bois-Rochin."

  "Oh! the rendezvous of the hunt."

  "The very spot, sire."

  "Good; give me all the details you are acquainted with, respecting thisunhappy affair, Monsieur de Manicamp."

  "Perhaps your majesty has already been informed of them, and I fear tofatigue you with useless repetition."

  "No, do not be afraid of that."

  Manicamp looked round him; he saw only D'Artagnan leaning with hisback against the wainscot--D'Artagnan, calm, kind, and good-natured asusual--and Saint-Aignan whom he had accompanied, and who still leanedover the king's armchair with an expression of countenance equally fullof good feeling. He determined, therefore, to speak out. "Your majestyis perfectly aware," he said, "that accidents are very frequent inhunting."

  "In hunting, do you say?"

  "I mean, sire, when an animal is brought to bay."

  "Ah, ah!" said the king, "it was when the animal was brought to bay,then, that the accident happened?"

  "Alas! sire, unhappily it was."

  The king paused for a moment before he said: "What animal was beinghunted?"

  "A wild boar, sire."

  "And what could possibly have possessed De Guiche to go to a wildboar-hunt by himself; that is but a clownish idea of sport, only fit forthat class of people who, unlike the Marechal de Gramont, have no dogsand huntsmen, to hunt as gentlemen should do."

  Manicamp shrugged his shoulders. "Youth is very rash," he said,sententiously.

  "Well, go on," said the king.

  "At all events," continued Manicamp, not venturing to be too precipitateand hasty, and letting his words fall very slowly one by one, "at allevents, sire, poor De Guiche went hunting--all alone."

  "Quite alone? indeed?--What a sportsman! And is not M. de Guiche awarethat the wild boar always stands at bay?"

  "That is the very thing that really happened, sire."

  "He had some idea, then, of the beast being there?"

  "Yes, sire, some peasants had seen it among their potatoes." [2]

  "And what kind of animal was it?"

  "A short, thick beast."

  "You may as well tell me, monsieur, that De Guiche had some idea ofcommitting suicide; for I have seen him hunt, and he is an active andvigorous hunter. Whenever he fires at an animal brought to bay and heldin check by the dogs, he takes every possible precaution, and yet hefires with a carbine, and on this occasion he seems to have faced theboar with pistols only."

  Manicamp started.

  "A costly pair of pistols, excellent weapons to fight a duel with a manand not a wild boar. What an absurdity!"

  "There are some things, sire, which are difficult of explanation."

  "You are quite right, and the event which we are now discussing iscertainly one of them. Go on."

  During the recital, Saint-Aignan, who probably would have made a sign toManicamp to be careful what he was about, found that the king's glancewas constantly fixed upon himself, so that it was utterly impossible tocommunicate with Manicamp in any way. As for D'Artagnan, the statue ofSilence at Athens was far more noisy and far more expressive than he.Manicamp, therefore, was obliged to continue in the same way hehad begun, and so contrived to get more and more entangled in hisexplanation. "Sire," he said, "this is probably how the affair happened.Guiche was waiting to receive the boar as it rushed towards him."

  "On foot or on horseback?" inquired the king.

  "On horseback. He fired upon the brute and missed his aim, and then itdashed upon him."

  "And the horse was killed."

  "Ah! your majesty knows that, then."

  "I have been told that a horse has been found lying dead in thecross-roads of the Bois-Rochin, and I presume it was De Guiche's horse."

  "Perfectly true, sire, it was his."

  "Well, so much for the horse, and now for De Guiche?"

  "De Guiche, once down, was attacked and worried by the wild boar, andwounded in the hand and in the chest."

  "It is a horrible accident, but it must be admitted it was De Guiche'sown fault. How could he possibly have gone to hunt such an animal merelyarmed with pistols; he must have forgotten the fable of Adonis?"

  Manicamp rubbed his ear in seeming perplexity. "Very true," he said, "itwas very imprudent."

  "Can you explain it, Monsieur Manicamp?"

  "Sire, what is written is written!"

  "Ah! you are a fatalist."

  Manicamp looked very uncomfortable and ill at ease.

  "I am angry with you, Monsieur Manicamp," continued the king.

  "With me, sire?"

  "Yes. How was it that you, who are De Guiche's intimate friend, andwho know that he is subject to such acts of folly, did not stop him intime?"

  Manicamp no longer knew what to do; the tone in which the king spokewas anything but that of a credulous man. On the other hand, it didnot indicate any particular severity, nor did he seem to care verymuch about the cross-examination. There was more of raillery in it thanmenace. "And you say, then," continued the king, "that it was positivelyDe Guiche's horse that was found dead?"

  "Quite positive, sire."

  "Did that astonish you?"

  "No, sire; for your majesty will remember that, at the last hunt, M. deSaint-Maure had a horse killed under him, and in the same way."

  "Yes, but that one was ripped open."

  "Of course, sire."

  "Had Guiche's horse been ripped open like M. de Saint-Maure's horse, Ishould not have been astonished."

  Manicamp opened his eyes very wide.

  "Am I mistaken," resumed the king, "was it not in the frontal bone thatDe Guiche's horse was struck? You must admit, Monsieur de Manicamp, thatthat is a very singular place for a wild boar to attack."

  "You are aware, sire, that the horse is a very intelligent animal, andhe doubtless endeavoured to defend himself."

  "But a horse defends himself with his heels and not with his head."

  "In that case, the terrified horse may have slipped or fallen down,"said Manicamp, "and the boar, you understand sire, the boar--"

  "Oh! I understand that perfectly, as far as the horse is concerned; buthow about his rider?"

  "Well! that, too, is simple enough; the boar left the horse and attackedthe rider; and, as I have already had the honor of informing yourmajesty, shattered De Guiche's hand at the very moment he was about todischarge his second pistol at him, and then, with a gouge of his tusk,made that terrible hole in his chest."

  "Nothing is more likely; really, Monsieur de Manicamp, you are wrong inplacing so little confidence in your own eloquence, and you can tell astory most admirably."

  "Your majesty is exceedingly kind," said Manicamp, saluting him in themost embarrassed manner.

  "From this day henceforth, I will prohibit any gentleman attached to mycourt going out to a similar encounter. Really, one might just as wellpermit duelling."

  Manicamp started, and moved a
s if he were about to withdraw. "Is yourmajesty satisfied?"

  "Delighted; but do not withdraw yet, Monsieur de Manicamp," said Louis,"I have something to say to you."

  "Well, well!" thought D'Artagnan, "there is another who is not up to themark;" and he uttered a sigh which might signify, "Oh! the men of _our_stamp, where are they _now?_"

  At this moment an usher lifted up the curtain before the door, andannounced the king's physician.

  "Ah!" exclaimed Louis, "here comes Monsieur Valot, who has just been tosee M. de Guiche. We shall now hear news of the man maltreated by theboar."

  Manicamp felt more uncomfortable than ever.

  "In this way, at least," added the king, "our conscience will be quiteclear." And he looked at D'Artagnan, who did not seem in the slightestdegree discomposed.