Les Quarante-cinq. English

by Alexandre Dumas

  CHAPTER LIII.

  HOW HENRI OF NAVARRE BEHAVED IN BATTLE.

  The little army advanced near the town, then they breakfasted. Therepast over, two hours were given for the officers and men to rest.Henri was very pale, and his hands trembled visibly, when at threeo'clock in the afternoon the officers appeared under his tent.

  "Gentlemen," said he, "we are here to take Cahors; therefore we musttake it--by force. Do you understand? M. de Biron, who has sworn tohang every Huguenot, is only forty-five leagues from here, and doubtlessa messenger is already dispatched to him by M. de Vezin. In four or fivedays he will be on us, and as he has 10,000 men with him, we should betaken between the city and him. Let us, then, take Cahors before hecomes, that we may receive him well. Come, gentlemen, I will put myselfat your head, and let the blows fall as thick as hail."

  The men replied to this speech by enthusiastic cries.

  "Well said," said Chicot to himself. "It was lucky he had not to speakwith his hands, though, or he would have stammered finely. Let us seehim at the work."

  As they were setting off, the king said to Chicot:

  "Pardon me, friend Chicot, I deceived you by talking of wolves, hunting,and such things, but you see Henri will not pay me his sister's dowry,and Margot cries out for her dear Cahors. One must do what one's wifewants, for peace' sake; therefore I am going to try and take Cahors."

  "Why did she not ask you for the moon, sire, as you are such acomplaisant husband?"

  "I would have tried for it, Chicot, I love my dear Margot so much!"

  "You will have quite enough to do with Cahors, and we shall see how youwill get out of it."

  "Ah! yes, the moment is critical and very disagreeable. Ah! I am notbrave, and my nature revolts at every cannonade. Chicot, my friend, donot laugh too much at the poor Bearnais, your compatriot and friend. IfI am afraid and you find it out, tell no one."

  "If you are afraid?"

  "Yes."

  "Are you, then, afraid of being afraid?"

  "I am."

  "But then, ventre de biche, why the devil do you undertake such athing?"

  "I must."

  "M. de Vezin is a terrible person."

  "I know it well."

  "Who gives quarter to no one."

  "You think so, Chicot?"

  "I am sure of it; red plume or white, he will not care, but cry, Fire!"

  "You say that for my white feather, Chicot."

  "Yes, sire, and as you are the only one who wears that color--"

  "Well!"

  "I would take it off."

  "But I put it on that I might be recognized."

  "Then you will keep it?"

  "Yes, decidedly." And Henri trembled again as he said it.

  "Come, sire," said Chicot, who did not understand this differencebetween words and gestures, "there is still time; do not commit a folly;you cannot mount on horseback in that state."

  "Am I, then, very pale, Chicot?"

  "As pale as death, sire."

  "Good."

  "How good?"

  At this moment the noise of cannon and a furious fire of musketry washeard; it was M. de Vezin's reply to the summons to surrender given byMornay.

  "Hem!" said Chicot, "what do you think of this music, sire?"

  "It makes me cold in the marrow of my bones," replied Henri. "Here, myhorse! my horse!" cried he.

  Chicot looked and listened, unable to understand him. Henry mounted, andthen said--

  "Come, Chicot, get on horseback too; you are not a warrior, either, areyou?"

  "No, sire."

  "Well, come, we will be afraid together; come and see, my friend. A goodhorse here, for M. Chicot."

  Henri set off at full gallop, and Chicot followed him. On arriving infront of his little army, Henri raised his visor, and cried:

  "Out with the banner! out with the new banner!"

  They drew forth the banner, which had the double scutcheon of Navarreand Bourbon; it was white, and had chains of gold on one side, andfleur-de-lis on the other.

  Again the cannon from Cahors were fired, and the balls tore through afile of infantry near the king.

  "Ventre St. Gris! did you see, Chicot?" said the king, whose teethchattered.

  "He will be ill," thought Chicot.

  "Cursed body," murmured Henri, "ah! you fear, you tremble; wait till youhave something to tremble for." And striking his spurs into his horse,he rushed onward before cavalry, infantry, and artillery, and arrived ata hundred feet from the place, red with the fire of the batteries whichthundered from above. There, he kept his horse immovable for tenminutes, his face turned toward the gate of the city, and crying, "Thefascines! ventre St. Gris! the fascines!"

  Mornay had followed him, sword in hand, and then came Chicot; behindthem the young Huguenot gentlemen, crying, "Vive Navarre!" and each witha fascine, which he threw in, and the fosse was soon filled. Then camethe artillery, and with the loss of thirty men succeeded in placingtheir petards under the gate. The shot whistled like a whirlwind of ironround Henri's head, and twenty men fell in an instant before his eyes."Forward!" cried he, and rushed on through the midst of the fire, andarrived just as the soldiers had fired the first petard. The gate wasbroken in two places; the second petard was lighted, and a new openingwas made in the wood; but twenty arquebuses immediately passed through,vomiting balls on the soldiers and officers, and the men fell like mowedgrass.

  "Sire," cried Chicot, "in Heaven's name retire!"

  Mornay said nothing; he was proud of his pupil, but from time to time hetried to place himself before him. Once Henri felt the damp on his brow,and a cloud pass over his eyes.

  "Ah, cursed nature," cried he, "you shall not conquer me!" Then, jumpingoff his horse, "An ax!" cried he, and with a vigorous arm he struck downwood and iron. At last a beam gave way, and a part of the gate and aportion of the wall fell, and one hundred men rushed to the breach,crying, "Navarre! Navarre! Cahors is ours!"

  "AN AX!" CRIED HENRI, AND WITH A VIGOROUS ARM HE STRUCKDOWN WOOD AND IRON.]

  Chicot had not quitted the king; he was with him under the gate when heentered, one of the first, but at each discharge he saw him shudder andlower his head.

  "Ventre St. Gris! did you ever see such a coward, Chicot?" said he.

  "No, sire, I have never seen a coward like you."

  The soldiers of M. de Vezin now tried to dislodge Henri and his advancedguards, who received them sword in hand; but the besieged were thestrongest, and succeeded in forcing Henri and his troops back beyond thefosse.

  "Ventre St. Gris!" cried the king, "I believe my flag retreats; I mustcarry it myself." And snatching it from the hands of those who held it,he was the first to rush forward again, half enveloped in its folds. Theballs whistled round him, and pierced the flag with a hollow sound. Along hand-to-hand fight ensued, above all the uproar of which M. deVezin's voice was heard crying, "Barricade the streets! let trenches bedug! and the houses garrisoned!"

  "Oh!" cried M. de Turenne, "the siege of the city is over, Vezin." Andas he spoke he fired at him and wounded him in the arm.

  "You are wrong, Turenne," cried M. de Vezin, "there are twenty sieges inCahors; so if one is over, there are nineteen to come."

  M. de Vezin defended himself during five days and nights from street tostreet and from house to house. Luckily for the rising fortunes of Henriof Navarre, he had counted too much on the walls and garrison of Cahors,and had neglected to send to M. de Biron.

  During these five days and nights, Henri commanded like a captain andfought like a soldier, slept with his head on a stone, and awoke swordin hand. Each day they conquered a street or a square, which each nightthe garrison tried to retake. On the fourth night the enemy seemedwilling to give some rest to the Protestant army. Then it was Henri whoattacked in his turn. He forced an intrenched position, but it cost himseven hundred men. M. de Turenne and nearly all the officers werewounded, but the king remained untouched. To the fear that he had feltat first, and which he ha
d so heroically vanquished, succeeded afeverish restlessness, a rash audacity. All the fastenings of his armorwere broken, as much by his own efforts as by the blows of the enemy. Hestruck so vigorously that he always killed his man. When this last postwas forced, the king entered into the inclosure, followed by the eternalChicot, who, silent and sad, had for five days seen growing at his sidesthe phantom of a monarchy destined to destroy that of the Valois.

  "Well, Chicot, of what are you thinking?" said Henri to him.

  "Sire, that you are a real king."

  "And I, sire, that you are too imprudent," said Mornay, "to put up yourvizor when they are firing at you from all sides."

  As he spoke a dozen arquebuses were fired at them; one ball struck off aplume from Henri's helmet, his horse was killed by another, and Mornay'shad his leg broken. The king fell, and there might have finished hiscareer; but Chicot, whirling his sword round to keep off the nearest,helped Henri up and gave him his own horse, saying, "Sire, you willtestify to the king of France that, if I drew the sword against him, Ikilled no one."--"Ventre St. Gris! you must be mine, Chicot!" criedHenri. "You shall live and die with me."

  "Sire, I have but one service to follow--that of my king. His stardiminishes, but I shall be faithful to his adverse fortunes. Let meserve and love him as long as I live, sire. I shall soon be alone withhim; do not envy him his last servant."

  "Chicot, you will be always dear to me, and, after Henri of France, youwill have Henri of Navarre for a friend."

  "Yes, sire," said Chicot simple, kissing his hand.

  The siege was soon over after this. M. de Vezin was taken, and thegarrison surrendered.

  Then Henri dictated to Mornay a letter, which Chicot was to carry tothe king of France. It was written in bad Latin, and finished with thesewords:

  "Quod mihi dixisti profuit multum. Cognosco meos devotos; nosce tuos.Chicotos caetera expedit."

  Which means, "What you told me was very useful. I know my faithfulfollowers; know yours. Chicot will tell you the rest."

  "And now, friend Chicot," said Henri, "embrace me; but take care not tosoil yourself, for, mordieu, I am as bloody as a butcher. Take my ring,and adieu, Chicot; I keep you no longer, gallop to France, and tell allyou have seen."