43 THE SIGN OF THE RED DOVECOT
Meanwhile the king, who, with more reason than the cardinal, showed hishatred for Buckingham, although scarcely arrived was in such a haste tomeet the enemy that he commanded every disposition to be made to drivethe English from the Isle of Re, and afterward to press the siege of LaRochelle; but notwithstanding his earnest wish, he was delayed by thedissensions which broke out between MM Bassompierre and Schomberg,against the Duc d'Angouleme.
MM Bassompierre and Schomberg were marshals of France, and claimed theirright of commanding the army under the orders of the king; but thecardinal, who feared that Bassompierre, a Huguenot at heart, might pressbut feebly the English and Rochellais, his brothers in religion,supported the Duc d'Angouleme, whom the king, at his instigation, hadnamed lieutenant general. The result was that to prevent MM Bassompierreand Schomberg from deserting the army, a separate command had to begiven to each. Bassompierre took up his quarters on the north of thecity, between Leu and Dompierre; the Duc d'Angouleme on the east, fromDompierre to Perigny; and M. de Schomberg on the south, from Perigny toAngoutin.
The quarters of Monsieur were at Dompierre; the quarters of the kingwere sometimes at Estree, sometimes at Jarrie; the cardinal's quarterswere upon the downs, at the bridge of La Pierre, in a simple housewithout any entrenchment. So that Monsieur watched Bassompierre; theking, the Duc d'Angouleme; and the cardinal, M. de Schomberg.
As soon as this organization was established, they set about driving theEnglish from the Isle.
The juncture was favorable. The English, who require, above everything,good living in order to be good soldiers, only eating salt meat and badbiscuit, had many invalids in their camp. Still further, the sea, veryrough at this period of the year all along the sea coast, destroyedevery day some little vessel; and the shore, from the point ofl'Aiguillon to the trenches, was at every tide literally covered withthe wrecks of pinnacles, roberges, and feluccas. The result was thateven if the king's troops remained quietly in their camp, it was evidentthat some day or other, Buckingham, who only continued in the Isle fromobstinacy, would be obliged to raise the siege.
But as M. de Toiras gave information that everything was preparing inthe enemy's camp for a fresh assault, the king judged that it would bebest to put an end to the affair, and gave the necessary orders for adecisive action.
As it is not our intention to give a journal of the siege, but on thecontrary only to describe such of the events of it as are connected withthe story we are relating, we will content ourselves with saying in twowords that the expedition succeeded, to the great astonishment of theking and the great glory of the cardinal. The English, repulsed foot byfoot, beaten in all encounters, and defeated in the passage of the Isleof Loie, were obliged to re-embark, leaving on the field of battle twothousand men, among whom were five colonels, three lieutenant colonels,two hundred and fifty captains, twenty gentlemen of rank, four pieces ofcannon, and sixty flags, which were taken to Paris by Claude de St.Simon, and suspended with great pomp in the arches of Notre Dame.
Te Deums were chanted in camp, and afterward throughout France.
The cardinal was left free to carry on the siege, without having, atleast at the present, anything to fear on the part of the English.
But it must be acknowledged, this response was but momentary. An envoyof the Duke of Buckingham, named Montague, was taken, and proof wasobtained of a league between the German Empire, Spain, England, andLorraine. This league was directed against France.
Still further, in Buckingham's lodging, which he had been forced toabandon more precipitately than he expected, papers were found whichconfirmed this alliance and which, as the cardinal asserts in hismemoirs, strongly compromised Mme. de Chevreuse and consequently thequeen.
It was upon the cardinal that all the responsibility fell, for one isnot a despotic minister without responsibility. All, therefore, of thevast resources of his genius were at work night and day, engaged inlistening to the least report heard in any of the great kingdoms ofEurope.
The cardinal was acquainted with the activity, and more particularly thehatred, of Buckingham. If the league which threatened France triumphed,all his influence would be lost. Spanish policy and Austrian policywould have their representatives in the cabinet of the Louvre, wherethey had as yet but partisans; and he, Richelieu--the French minister,the national minister--would be ruined. The king, even while obeying himlike a child, hated him as a child hates his master, and would abandonhim to the personal vengeance of Monsieur and the queen. He would thenbe lost, and France, perhaps, with him. All this must be preparedagainst.
Courtiers, becoming every instant more numerous, succeeded one another,day and night, in the little house of the bridge of La Pierre, in whichthe cardinal had established his residence.
There were monks who wore the frock with such an ill grace that it waseasy to perceive they belonged to the church militant; women a littleinconvenienced by their costume as pages and whose large trousers couldnot entirely conceal their rounded forms; and peasants with blackenedhands but with fine limbs, savoring of the man of quality a league off.
There were also less agreeable visits--for two or three times reportswere spread that the cardinal had nearly been assassinated.
It is true that the enemies of the cardinal said that it was he himselfwho set these bungling assassins to work, in order to have, if wanted,the right of using reprisals; but we must not believe everythingministers say, nor everything their enemies say.
These attempts did not prevent the cardinal, to whom his most inveteratedetractors have never denied personal bravery, from making nocturnalexcursions, sometimes to communicate to the Duc d'Angouleme importantorders, sometimes to confer with the king, and sometimes to have aninterview with a messenger whom he did not wish to see at home.
On their part the Musketeers, who had not much to do with the siege,were not under very strict orders and led a joyous life. This was themore easy for our three companions in particular; for being friends ofM. de Treville, they obtained from him special permission to be absentafter the closing of the camp.
Now, one evening when d'Artagnan, who was in the trenches, was not ableto accompany them, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, mounted on their battlesteeds, enveloped in their war cloaks, with their hands upon theirpistol butts, were returning from a drinking place called the RedDovecot, which Athos had discovered two days before upon the route toJarrie, following the road which led to the camp and quite on theirguard, as we have stated, for fear of an ambuscade, when, about aquarter of a league from the village of Boisnau, they fancied they heardthe sound of horses approaching them. They immediately all three halted,closed in, and waited, occupying the middle of the road. In an instant,and as the moon broke from behind a cloud, they saw at a turning of theroad two horsemen who, on perceiving them, stopped in their turn,appearing to deliberate whether they should continue their route or goback. The hesitation created some suspicion in the three friends, andAthos, advancing a few paces in front of the others, cried in a firmvoice, "Who goes there?"
"Who goes there, yourselves?" replied one of the horsemen.
"That is not an answer," replied Athos. "Who goes there? Answer, or wecharge."
"Beware of what you are about, gentlemen!" said a clear voice whichseemed accustomed to command.
"It is some superior officer making his night rounds," said Athos. "Whatdo you wish, gentlemen?"
"Who are you?" said the same voice, in the same commanding tone. "Answerin your turn, or you may repent of your disobedience."
"King's Musketeers," said Athos, more and more convinced that he whointerrogated them had the right to do so.
"What company?"
"Company of Treville."
"Advance, and give an account of what you are doing here at this hour."
The three companions advanced rather humbly--for all were now convincedthat they had to do with someone more powerful than themselves--leavingAthos the post of speaker.
One
of the two riders, he who had spoken second, was ten paces in frontof his companion. Athos made a sign to Porthos and Aramis also to remainin the rear, and advanced alone.
"Your pardon, my officer," said Athos; "but we were ignorant with whomwe had to do, and you may see that we were keeping good guard."
"Your name?" said the officer, who covered a part of his face with hiscloak.
"But yourself, monsieur," said Athos, who began to be annoyed by thisinquisition, "give me, I beg you, the proof that you have the right toquestion me."
"Your name?" repeated the cavalier a second time, letting his cloakfall, and leaving his face uncovered.
"Monsieur the Cardinal!" cried the stupefied Musketeer.
"Your name?" cried his Eminence, for the third time.
"Athos," said the Musketeer.
The cardinal made a sign to his attendant, who drew near. "These threeMusketeers shall follow us," said he, in an undertone. "I am not willingit should be known I have left the camp; and if they follow us we shallbe certain they will tell nobody."
"We are gentlemen, monseigneur," said Athos; "require our parole, andgive yourself no uneasiness. Thank God, we can keep a secret."
The cardinal fixed his piercing eyes on this courageous speaker.
"You have a quick ear, Monsieur Athos," said the cardinal; "but nowlisten to this. It is not from mistrust that I request you to follow me,but for my security. Your companions are no doubt Messieurs Porthos andAramis."
"Yes, your Eminence," said Athos, while the two Musketeers who hadremained behind advanced hat in hand.
"I know you, gentlemen," said the cardinal, "I know you. I know you arenot quite my friends, and I am sorry you are not so; but I know you arebrave and loyal gentlemen, and that confidence may be placed in you.Monsieur Athos, do me, then, the honor to accompany me; you and your twofriends, and then I shall have an escort to excite envy in his Majesty,if we should meet him."
The three Musketeers bowed to the necks of their horses.
"Well, upon my honor," said Athos, "your Eminence is right in taking uswith you; we have seen several ill-looking faces on the road, and wehave even had a quarrel at the Red Dovecot with four of those faces."
"A quarrel, and what for, gentlemen?" said the cardinal; "you know Idon't like quarrelers."
"And that is the reason why I have the honor to inform your Eminence ofwhat has happened; for you might learn it from others, and upon a falseaccount believe us to be in fault."
"What have been the results of your quarrel?" said the cardinal,knitting his brow.
"My friend, Aramis, here, has received a slight sword wound in the arm,but not enough to prevent him, as your Eminence may see, from mountingto the assault tomorrow, if your Eminence orders an escalade."
"But you are not the men to allow sword wounds to be inflicted upon youthus," said the cardinal. "Come, be frank, gentlemen, you have settledaccounts with somebody! Confess; you know I have the right of givingabsolution."
"I, monseigneur?" said Athos. "I did not even draw my sword, but I tookhim who offended me round the body, and threw him out of the window. Itappears that in falling," continued Athos, with some hesitation, "hebroke his thigh."
"Ah, ah!" said the cardinal; "and you, Monsieur Porthos?"
"I, monseigneur, knowing that dueling is prohibited--I seized a bench,and gave one of those brigands such a blow that I believe his shoulderis broken."
"Very well," said the cardinal; "and you, Monsieur Aramis?"
"Monseigneur, being of a very mild disposition, and being, likewise, ofwhich Monseigneur perhaps is not aware, about to enter into orders, Iendeavored to appease my comrades, when one of these wretches gave me awound with a sword, treacherously, across my left arm. Then I admit mypatience failed me; I drew my sword in my turn, and as he came back tothe charge, I fancied I felt that in throwing himself upon me, he let itpass through his body. I only know for a certainty that he fell; and itseemed to me that he was borne away with his two companions."
"The devil, gentlemen!" said the cardinal, "three men placed hors decombat in a cabaret squabble! You don't do your work by halves. And praywhat was this quarrel about?"
"These fellows were drunk," said Athos, "and knowing there was a ladywho had arrived at the cabaret this evening, they wanted to force herdoor."
"Force her door!" said the cardinal, "and for what purpose?"
"To do her violence, without doubt," said Athos. "I have had the honorof informing your Eminence that these men were drunk."
"And was this lady young and handsome?" asked the cardinal, with acertain degree of anxiety.
"We did not see her, monseigneur," said Athos.
"You did not see her? Ah, very well," replied the cardinal, quickly."You did well to defend the honor of a woman; and as I am going to theRed Dovecot myself, I shall know if you have told me the truth."
"Monseigneur," said Athos, haughtily, "we are gentlemen, and to save ourheads we would not be guilty of a falsehood."
"Therefore I do not doubt what you say, Monsieur Athos, I do not doubtit for a single instant; but," added he, "to change the conversation,was this lady alone?"
"The lady had a cavalier shut up with her," said Athos, "but asnotwithstanding the noise, this cavalier did not show himself, it is tobe presumed that he is a coward."
"'Judge not rashly', says the Gospel," replied the cardinal.
Athos bowed.
"And now, gentlemen, that's well," continued the cardinal. "I know whatI wish to know; follow me."
The three Musketeers passed behind his Eminence, who again enveloped hisface in his cloak, and put his horse in motion, keeping from eight toten paces in advance of his four companions.
They soon arrived at the silent, solitary inn. No doubt the host knewwhat illustrious visitor was expected, and had consequently sentintruders out of the way.
Ten paces from the door the cardinal made a sign to his esquire and thethree Musketeers to halt. A saddled horse was fastened to the windowshutter. The cardinal knocked three times, and in a peculiar manner.
A man, enveloped in a cloak, came out immediately, and exchanged somerapid words with the cardinal; after which he mounted his horse, and setoff in the direction of Surgeres, which was likewise the way to Paris.
"Advance, gentlemen," said the cardinal.
"You have told me the truth, my gentlemen," said he, addressing theMusketeers, "and it will not be my fault if our encounter this eveningbe not advantageous to you. In the meantime, follow me."
The cardinal alighted; the three Musketeers did likewise. The cardinalthrew the bridle of his horse to his esquire; the three Musketeersfastened the horses to the shutters.
The host stood at the door. For him, the cardinal was only an officercoming to visit a lady.
"Have you any chamber on the ground floor where these gentlemen can waitnear a good fire?" said the cardinal.
The host opened the door of a large room, in which an old stove had justbeen replaced by a large and excellent chimney.
"I have this," said he.
"That will do," replied the cardinal. "Enter, gentlemen, and be kindenough to wait for me; I shall not be more than half an hour."
And while the three Musketeers entered the ground floor room, thecardinal, without asking further information, ascended the staircaselike a man who has no need of having his road pointed out to him.
Les trois mousquetaires. English Page 44