The Man in the Iron Mask

by Alexandre Dumas

  Chapter XXXI. The Silver Dish.

  The journey passed off pretty well. Athos and his son traversed Franceat the rate of fifteen leagues per day; sometimes more, sometimes less,according to the intensity of Raoul's grief. It took them a fortnightto reach Toulon, and they lost all traces of D'Artagnan at Antibes. Theywere forced to believe that the captain of the musketeers was desirousof preserving an incognito on his route, for Athos derived fromhis inquiries an assurance that such a cavalier as he described hadexchanged his horse for a well-closed carriage on quitting Avignon.Raoul was much affected at not meeting with D'Artagnan. His affectionateheart longed to take a farewell and received consolation from that heartof steel. Athos knew from experience that D'Artagnan became impenetrablewhen engaged in any serious affair, whether on his own account or on theservice of the king. He even feared to offend his friend, or thwart himby too pressing inquiries. And yet when Raoul commenced his labor ofclassing the flotilla, and got together the _chalands_ and lighters tosend them to Toulon, one of the fishermen told the comte that his boathad been laid up to refit since a trip he had made on account of agentleman who was in great haste to embark. Athos, believing that thisman was telling a falsehood in order to be left at liberty to fish,and so gain more money when all his companions were gone, insisted uponhaving the details. The fisherman informed him that six days previously,a man had come in the night to hire his boat, for the purpose ofvisiting the island of St. Honnorat. The price was agreed upon, but thegentleman had arrived with an immense carriage case, which he insistedupon embarking, in spite of the many difficulties that opposed theoperation. The fisherman wished to retract. He had even threatened,but his threats had procured him nothing but a shower of blows from thegentleman's cane, which fell upon his shoulders sharp and long. Swearingand grumbling, he had recourse to the syndic of his brotherhood atAntibes, who administer justice among themselves and protect each other;but the gentleman had exhibited a certain paper, at sight of whichthe syndic, bowing to the very ground, enjoined obedience from thefisherman, and abused him for having been refractory. They then departedwith the freight.

  "But all this does not tell us," said Athos, "how you injured yourboat."

  "This is the way. I was steering towards St. Honnorat as the gentlemandesired me; but he changed his mind, and pretended that I could not passto the south of the abbey."

  "And why not?"

  "Because, monsieur, there is in front of the square tower of theBenedictines, towards the southern point, the bank of the _Moines_."

  "A rock?" asked Athos.

  "Level with the water, but below water; a dangerous passage, yet one Ihave cleared a thousand times; the gentleman required me to land him atSainte-Marguerite's."

  "Well?"

  "Well, monsieur!" cried the fisherman, with his _Provencal_ accent, "aman is a sailor, or he is not; he knows his course, or he is nothing buta fresh-water lubber. I was obstinate, and wished to try the channel.The gentleman took me by the collar, and told me quietly he wouldstrangle me. My mate armed himself with a hatchet, and so did I. We hadthe affront of the night before to pay him out for. But the gentlemandrew his sword, and used it in such an astonishingly rapid manner, thatwe neither of us could get near him. I was about to hurl my hatchet athis head, and I had a right to do so, hadn't I, monsieur? for a sailoraboard is master, as a citizen is in his chamber; I was going, then, inself-defense, to cut the gentleman in two, when, all at once--believe meor not, monsieur--the great carriage case opened of itself, I don't knowhow, and there came out of it a sort of a phantom, his head covered witha black helmet and a black mask, something terrible to look upon, whichcame towards me threatening with its fist."

  "And that was--" said Athos.

  "That was the devil, monsieur; for the gentleman, with great glee, criedout, on seeing him: 'Ah! thank you, monseigneur!'"

  "A most strange story!" murmured the comte, looking at Raoul.

  "And what did you do?" asked the latter of the fisherman.

  "You must know, monsieur, that two poor men, such as we are, could beno match for two gentlemen; but when one of them turned out to be thedevil, we had no earthly chance! My companion and I did not stop toconsult one another; we made but one jump into the sea, for we werewithin seven or eight hundred feet of the shore."

  "Well, and then?"

  "Why, and then, monseigneur, as there was a little wind from thesouthwest, the boat drifted into the sands of Sainte-Marguerite's."

  "Oh!--but the travelers?"

  "Bah! you need not be uneasy about them! It was pretty plain that onewas the devil, and protected the other; for when we recovered the boat,after she got afloat again, instead of finding these two creaturesinjured by the shock, we found nothing, not even the carriage or thecase."

  "Very strange! very strange!" repeated the comte. "But after that, whatdid you do, my friend?"

  "I made my complaint to the governor of Sainte-Marguerite's, who broughtmy finger under my nose by telling me if I plagued him with such sillystories he would have me flogged."

  "What! did the governor himself say so?"

  "Yes, monsieur; and yet my boat was injured, seriously injured, for theprow is left upon the point of Sainte-Marguerite's, and the carpenterasks a hundred and twenty livres to repair it."

  "Very well," replied Raoul; "you will be exempted from the service. Go."

  "We will go to Sainte-Marguerite's, shall we?" said the comte toBragelonne, as the man walked away.

  "Yes, monsieur, for there is something to be cleared up; that man doesnot seem to me to have told the truth."

  "Nor to me either, Raoul. The story of the masked man and the carriagehaving disappeared, may be told to conceal some violence these fellowshave committed upon their passengers in the open sea, to punish him forhis persistence in embarking."

  "I formed the same suspicion; the carriage was more likely to containproperty than a man."

  "We shall see to that, Raoul. The gentleman very much resemblesD'Artagnan; I recognize his methods of proceeding. Alas! we are nolonger the young invincibles of former days. Who knows whether thehatchet or the iron bar of this miserable coaster has not succeeded indoing that which the best blades of Europe, balls, and bullets have notbeen able to do in forty years?"

  That same day they set out for Sainte-Marguerite's, on board a_chasse-maree_ come from Toulon under orders. The impression theyexperienced on landing was a singularly pleasing one. The island seemedloaded with flowers and fruits. In its cultivated part it served as agarden for the governor. Orange, pomegranate, and fig trees bent beneaththe weight of their golden or purple fruits. All round this garden, inthe uncultivated parts, red partridges ran about in conveys among thebrambles and tufts of junipers, and at every step of the comte and Raoula terrified rabbit quitted his thyme and heath to scuttle away to theburrow. In fact, this fortunate isle was uninhabited. Flat, offeringnothing but a tiny bay for the convenience of embarkation, and under theprotection of the governor, who went shares with them, smugglers madeuse of it as a provisional _entrepot_, at the expense of not killing thegame or devastating the garden. With this compromise, the governor wasin a situation to be satisfied with a garrison of eight men to guard hisfortress, in which twelve cannons accumulated coats of moldy green. Thegovernor was a sort of happy farmer, harvesting wines, figs, oil,and oranges, preserving his citrons and _cedrates_ in the sun of hiscasemates. The fortress, encircled by a deep ditch, its only guardian,arose like three heads upon turrets connected with each other byterraces covered with moss.

  Athos and Raoul wandered for some time round the fences of the gardenwithout finding any one to introduce them to the governor. They ended bymaking their own way into the garden. It was at the hottest time ofthe day. Each living thing sought its shelter under grass or stone. Theheavens spread their fiery veils as if to stifle all noises, to envelopall existences; the rabbit under the broom, the fly under the leaf,slept as the wave did beneath the heavens. Athos saw nothing living buta soldier, upon the terrace b
eneath the second and third court, who wascarrying a basket of provisions on his head. This man returned almostimmediately without his basket, and disappeared in the shade of hissentry-box. Athos supposed he must have been carrying dinner to someone, and, after having done so, returned to dine himself. All at oncethey heard some one call out, and raising their heads, perceived in theframe of the bars of the window something of a white color, like ahand that was waved backwards and forwards--something shining, like apolished weapon struck by the rays of the sun. And before they were ableto ascertain what it was, a luminous train, accompanied by a hissingsound in the air, called their attention from the donjon to the ground.A second dull noise was heard from the ditch, and Raoul ran to pick upa silver plate which was rolling along the dry sand. The hand thathad thrown this plate made a sign to the two gentlemen, and thendisappeared. Athos and Raoul, approaching each other, commenced anattentive examination of the dusty plate, and they discovered, incharacters traced upon the bottom of it with the point of a knife, thisinscription:

  "_I am the brother of the king of France--a prisoner to-day--a madmanto-morrow. French gentlemen and Christians, pray to God for the soul andthe reason of the son of your old rulers_."

  The plate fell from the hands of Athos whilst Raoul was endeavoringto make out the meaning of these dismal words. At the same moment theyheard a cry from the top of the donjon. Quick as lightning Raoulbent down his head, and forced down that of his father likewise. Amusket-barrel glittered from the crest of the wall. A white smokefloated like a plume from the mouth of the musket, and a ball wasflattened against a stone within six inches of the two gentlemen.

  "_Cordieu!_" cried Athos. "What, are people assassinated here? Comedown, cowards as you are!"

  "Yes, come down!" cried Raoul, furiously shaking his fist at the castle.

  One of the assailants--he who was about to fire--replied to these criesby an exclamation of surprise; and, as his companion, who wished tocontinue the attack, had re-seized his loaded musket, he who had criedout threw up the weapon, and the ball flew into the air. Athos andRaoul, seeing them disappear from the platform, expected they wouldcome down to them, and waited with a firm demeanor. Five minutes hadnot elapsed, when a stroke upon a drum called the eight soldiers of thegarrison to arms, and they showed themselves on the other side ofthe ditch with their muskets in hand. At the head of these men was anofficer, whom Athos and Raoul recognized as the one who had fired thefirst musket. The man ordered the soldiers to "make ready."

  "We are going to be shot!" cried Raoul; "but, sword in hand, at least,let us leap the ditch! We shall kill at least two of these scoundrels,when their muskets are empty." And, suiting the action to the word,Raoul was springing forward, followed by Athos, when a well-known voiceresounded behind them, "Athos! Raoul!"

  "D'Artagnan!" replied the two gentlemen.

  "Recover arms! _Mordioux!_" cried the captain to the soldiers. "I wassure I could not be mistaken!"

  "What is the meaning of this?" asked Athos. "What! were we to be shotwithout warning?"

  "It was I who was going to shoot you, and if the governor missed you, Ishould not have missed you, my dear friends. How fortunate it is thatI am accustomed to take a long aim, instead of firing at the instant Iraise my weapon! I thought I recognized you. Ah! my dear friends, howfortunate!" And D'Artagnan wiped his brow, for he had run fast, andemotion with him was not feigned.

  "How!" said Athos. "And is the gentleman who fired at us the governor ofthe fortress?"

  "In person."

  "And why did he fire at us? What have we done to him?"

  "_Pardieu!_ You received what the prisoner threw to you?"

  "That is true."

  "That plate--the prisoner has written something on it, has he not?"

  "Yes."

  "Good heavens! I was afraid he had."

  And D'Artagnan, with all the marks of mortal disquietude, seized theplate, to read the inscription. When he had read it, a fearful pallorspread across his countenance. "Oh! good heavens!" repeated he."Silence!--Here is the governor."

  "And what will he do to us? Is it our fault?"

  "It is true, then?" said Athos, in a subdued voice. "It is true?"

  "Silence! I tell you--silence! If he only believes you can read; if heonly suspects you have understood; I love you, my dear friends, I wouldwillingly be killed for you, but--"

  "But--" said Athos and Raoul.

  "But I could not save you from perpetual imprisonment if I saved youfrom death. Silence, then! Silence again!"

  The governor came up, having crossed the ditch upon a plank bridge.

  "Well!" said he to D'Artagnan, "what stops us?"

  "You are Spaniards--you do not understand a word of French," said thecaptain, eagerly, to his friends in a low voice.

  "Well!" replied he, addressing the governor, "I was right; thesegentlemen are two Spanish captains with whom I was acquainted at Ypres,last year; they don't know a word of French."

  "Ah!" said the governor, sharply. "And yet they were trying to read theinscription on the plate."

  D'Artagnan took it out of his hands, effacing the characters with thepoint of his sword.

  "How!" cried the governor, "what are you doing? I cannot read them now!"

  "It is a state secret," replied D'Artagnan, bluntly; "and as you knowthat, according to the king's orders, it is under the penalty of deathany one should penetrate it, I will, if you like, allow you to read it,and have you shot immediately afterwards."

  During this apostrophe--half serious, half ironical--Athos and Raoulpreserved the coolest, most unconcerned silence.

  "But, is it possible," said the governor, "that these gentlemen do notcomprehend at least some words?"

  "Suppose they do! If they do understand a few spoken words, it does notfollow that they should understand what is written. They cannot evenread Spanish. A noble Spaniard, remember, ought never to know how toread."

  The governor was obliged to be satisfied with these explanations, but hewas still tenacious. "Invite these gentlemen to come to the fortress,"said he.

  "That I will willingly do. I was about to propose it to you." Thefact is, the captain had quite another idea, and would have wished hisfriends a hundred leagues off. But he was obliged to make the best ofit. He addressed the two gentlemen in Spanish, giving them a politeinvitation, which they accepted. They all turned towards the entrance ofthe fort, and, the incident being at an end, the eight soldiers returnedto their delightful leisure, for a moment disturbed by this unexpectedadventure.