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"Bring the torches nearer." "It is his writing," said Porthos. Aramis eagerly read the following lines: "Order of the king to take Belle-Isle; or to put the garrison to the sword, if they resist; order to make prisoners of all the men of the garrison; signed, D'ARTAGNAN, who, the day before yesterday, arrested M. Fouquet, for the purpose of his being sent to the Bastile."
And that the sea will freeze over, or the snow that falls upon it, which amounts to the same thing, we have instances in the northern hemisphere. The Baltic, the Gulph of St Laurence, the Straits of Belle-Isle, and many other equally large seas, are frequently frozen over in winter.
"At Pierrefonds; where is that, M. du Vallon near Belle-Isle?" "Oh, no, sire! Pierrefonds is in the Soissonnais." "I thought you alluded to the lamb on account of the salt marshes." "No, sire, I have marshes which are not salt, it is true, but which are not the less valuable on that account."
So if he had found nothing, our cunning D'Artagnan, in rolling and unrolling his Porthos, it was because, in truth, there was nothing to be found. "Be it so," said D'Artagnan; "I shall get to know more at Vannes in half an hour than Porthos has discovered at Belle-Isle in two months.
"Well! do you not remember," continued the king in the same cheerful tone, "that you gave me Belle-Isle?" "That is true again, sire. Only, as you have not taken it, you will doubtless come with me and take possession of it." "I mean to do so."
"You are right," said D'Artagnan, "I will." "Shall I go with you?" "No, thank you; Porthos is a rather remarkable man: I will inquire as I go along." "Will you take an arquebuse?" "Thank you." "Order what horse you like to be saddled." "The one I rode yesterday, on coming from Belle-Isle." "So be it: use the horse as your own."
"What the devil brings Porthos to Belle-Isle, lifting stones?" said D'Artagnan; only D'Artagnan uttered that question in a low voice. Less strong in diplomacy than his friend, Porthos thought aloud. "How the devil did you come to Belle-Isle?" asked he of D'Artagnan; "and what do you want to do here?" It was necessary to reply without hesitation.
The forces despatched to Bavaria and Bohemia, after the brief triumph of the capture of Prague, were gradually overwhelmed without a single great battle, and it was considered a signal piece of good fortune when in the winter of 1742-43 Belle-Isle succeeded, with a loss of half his force, in leading by a long circuit, in the view of the enemy, and amid the horrors of famine and intense frost, some thirteen thousand men away from Prague.
"Bah!" cried M. d'Artagnan, breaking into a laugh so loud that he angered all his auditors. "It is very plain that you have never seen Belle-Isle," said the most curious of the fishermen. "Do you know that there are six leagues of it, and that there are such trees on it as cannot be equaled even at Nantes-sur-le-Fosse?" "Trees in the sea!" cried D'Artagnan; "well, I should like to see them."
Is it likely that M. de Gesvres should question me?" And the musketeer, turning cavalierly on his heel, disappeared. "To Nantes!" said he to himself, as he descended from the stairs. "Why did he not dare to say, from thence to Belle-Isle?" As he reached the great gates, one of M. Brienne's clerks came running after him, exclaiming, "Monsieur d'Artagnan! I beg your pardon "
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