The Vicomte de Bragelonne

by Alexandre Dumas

  CHAPTER XXIV.

  THE ENCOUNTER.

  The king with his hand made, first to the musketeer, and then toSaint-Aignan, an imperious and significant gesture, as much as to say,"On your lives, not a word." D'Artagnan withdrew, like a soldier, into acorner of the room; Saint-Aignan, in his character of favorite, leanedover the back of the king's chair. Manicamp, with his right footproperly advanced, a smile upon his lips, and his white and well-formedhands gracefully disposed, advanced to make his reverence to the king,who returned the salutation by a bow. "Good evening, M. de Manicamp," hesaid.

  "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 very grievous indeed."

  "You were there?"

  "Not precisely so, sire."

  "But you arrived on the scene where the accident occurred a few minutesafter it took place?"

  "I did so, sire, about half an hour afterward."

  "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."

  "Very good; tell me what details you are acquainted with, respectingthis unhappy affair, Monsieur de Manicamp."

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

  "No, do not be afraid of that."

  Manicamp looked all around him; he only saw 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 so."

  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 wild-boarhunt by himself; that is but a clownish idea of sport, and only fit forthat class of people who, unlike the Marechal de Grammont, have no dogsand huntsmen to hunt as gentlemen should do."

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

  "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--quite 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."

  "And what kind of animal was it?"

  "A short, thick beast."

  "You may as well tell me, monsieur, that 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 with a wild boar. What absurdity."

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

  "You are quite right, and the event which we are now discussing is oneof those things. Go on."

  During the recital, Saint-Aignan, who had probably 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 he hadbegun, 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 toward 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, now for De Guiche?"

  "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 withyou, Monsieur Manicamp," continued the king.

  "With me, sire?"

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

  Manicamp hardly knew what to do; the tone in which the king spoke wasnot exactly that of a credulous man. On the other hand, the tone did notindicate any particular severity, nor did he seem to care very muchabout the cross-examination. There was more of raillery in it than ofmenace. "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,that would not have astonished me, indeed."

  Manicamp opened his eyes very wide. "Am I mistaken," resumed the king,"was it not in the temple that De Guiche's horse was struck? You mustadmit, Monsieur de Manicamp, that that is a very singular wound."

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

  "But a horse defends himself with his hind feet, and not with his head."

  "In that case the terrified horse might 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 blow of his tusk,made that terrible hole in his chest."

  "Nothing can possibly be more likely; really, Monsieur de Manicamp, youare wrong in placing so little confidence in your own eloquence, and youcan tell a story 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 to a similar encounter. Really, one might just as wellpermit dueling."

  M
anicamp started, and moved as if he were about to withdraw. "Is yourmajesty satisfied?" he inquired.

  "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 ourmark;" and he uttered a sigh which might signify, "oh! the men of ourstamp, 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 wounded man."

  Manicamp felt more uncomfortable than ever. "In this way, at least,"added the king, "our conscience will be quite clear." And he looked atD'Artagnan, who did not seem in the slightest degree discomposed.