LITMIR.BIZ

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arrangements in order to ascertain the truth, D'Artagnan, without losing a second, ran to the stable, took down the lantern, saddled his horse himself, and proceeded toward the place which his majesty had indicated. According to the promise he had made, he had neither seen nor met any one; and, as we have observed, he had carried his scruples so far as to do without the assistance of the helpers in the stables altogether. D'Artagnan was one of those who in moments of difficulty pride themselves on increasing their own value. By dint of hard galloping, he in less than five minutes reached the wood, fastened his horse to the first tree he came to, and penetrated to the broad open space on foot. He then began to inspect most carefully, on foot and with his lantern in his hand, the whole surface of the Rond-point, went forward, turned back again, measured, examined, and after half an hour's minute inspection, he returned silently to where he had left his horse, and pursued his way in deep reflection and at a foot-pace to Fontainebleau. Louis was waiting in his cabinet; he was alone, and with a pencil was scribbling on paper certain lines which D'Artagnan at the first glance recognized as being very unequal and very much scratched about. The conclusion he arrived at was, that they must be verses. The king raised his head and perceived D'Artagnan. "Well, monsieur," he said, "do you bring me any news?"

      "Yes, sire."

      "What have you seen?"

      "As far as probability goes, sire," D'Artagnan began to reply.

      "It was certainty I requested of you."

      "I will approach it as near as I possibly can. The weather was very well adapted for investigations of the character I have just made; it has been raining this evening, and the roads were wet and muddy—"

      "Well, the result, M. d'Artagnan?"

      "Sire, your majesty told me that there was a horse lying dead in the cross-road of the Bois-Rochin, and I began, therefore, by studying the roads. I say the roads, because the center of the cross-road is reached by four separate roads. The one that I myself took was the only one that presented any fresh traces. Two horses had followed it side by side; their eight feet were marked very distinctly in the clay. One of the riders was more impatient than the other, for the foot-prints of the one were invariably in advance of the other about half a horse's length."

      "Are you quite sure they came together?" said the king.

      "Yes, sire. The horses are two rather large animals of equal pace—horses well used to maneuvers of all kinds, for they wheeled round the barrier of the Rond-point together."

      "Well—and after?"

      "The two cavaliers paused there for a minute, no doubt to arrange the conditions of the engagement; the horses grew restless and impatient. One of the riders spoke, while the other listened and seemed to have contented himself by simply answering. His horse pawed the ground, which proves that his attention was so taken up by listening that he let the bridle fall from his hand."

      "A hostile meeting did take place, then?"

      "Undoubtedly."

      "Continue; you are a most accurate observer."

      "One of the two cavaliers remained where he was standing, the one, in fact, who had been listening; the other crossed the open space, and at first placed himself directly opposite to his adversary. The one who had remained stationary traversed the Rond-point at a gallop, about two-thirds of its length, thinking that, by this means he would gain upon his opponent; but the latter had followed the circumference of the wood."

      "You are ignorant of their names, I suppose?"

      "Completely so, sire. Only he who followed the circumference of the wood was mounted on a black horse."

      "How do you know that?"

      "I found a few hairs of his tail among the brambles which bordered the sides of the ditch."

      "Go on."

      "As for the other horse, there can be no trouble in describing him, since he was left dead on the field of battle."

      "What was the cause of his death?"

      "A ball which had passed through his temple."

      "Was the ball that of a pistol or a gun?"

      "It was a pistol-bullet, sire. Besides, the manner in which the horse was wounded explained to me the tactics of the man who had killed it. He had followed the circumference of the wood in order to take his adversary in flank. Moreover, I followed his foot-tracks on the grass."

      "The tracks of the black horse, do you mean?"

      "Yes, sire."

      "Go on, Monsieur d'Artagnan."

      "As your majesty now perceives the position of the two adversaries, I will, for a moment, leave the cavalier who had remained stationary for the one who started off at a gallop."

      "Do so."

      "The horse of the cavalier who rode at full speed was killed on the spot."

      "How do you know that?"

      "The cavalier had not time even to throw himself off his horse, and so fell with it. I observed the impression of his leg, which, with a great effort, he was enabled to extricate from under the horse. The spur, pressed down by the weight of the animal, had plowed up the ground."

      "Very good; and what did he do as soon as he rose up again?"

      "He walked straight up to his adversary."

      "Who still remained upon the verge of the forest?"

      "Yes, sire. Then, having reached a favorable distance, he stopped firmly, for the impression of both his heels are left in the ground quite close to each other, fired, and missed his adversary."

      "How do you know he did not hit him?"

      "I found a hat with a ball through it."

      "Ah, a proof, then!" exclaimed the king.

      "Insufficient, sire," replied D'Artagnan, coldly; "it is a hat without any letters indicating its ownership, without arms: a red feather, as all hats have: the lace, even, had nothing particular in it."

      "Did the man with the hat through which the bullet had passed fire a second time?"

      "Oh, sire, he had already fired twice."

      "How did you ascertain that?"

      "I found the waddings of the pistol."

      "And what became of the bullet which did not kill the horse?"

      "It cut in two the feather of the hat belonging to him against whom it was directed, and broke a small birch at the other end of the open glade."

      "In that case, then, the man on the black horse was disarmed, while his adversary had still one more shot to fire."

      "Sire, while the dismounted rider was extricating himself from his horse, the other was reloading his pistol. Only, he was much agitated while he was loading it, and his hand trembled greatly."

      "How do you know that?"

      "Half the charge fell to the ground, and he threw the ramrod aside, not having time to replace it in the pistol."

      "Monsieur d'Artagnan, it is marvelous what you tell me."

      "It is only close observation, sire, and the commonest highwayman would do as much."

      "The whole scene is before me from the manner in which you relate it."

      "I have, in fact, reconstructed it in my own mind, with merely a few alterations."

      "And now," said the king, "let us return to the dismounted cavalier. You were saying that he had walked toward his adversary while the latter was loading his pistol."

      "Yes; but at the very moment he himself was taking aim, the other fired."

      "Oh!" said the king; "and the shot?"

      "The shot told terribly, sire; the

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