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Updated: June 14, 2025
The horses were dripping, and tossed the foam from their mouths as they neighed with excitement. Montbar glanced behind him; more than a mile back the sparks were flying from the escort's horses. Before him was the mountainous declivity. Down it he dashed, gathering the reins to master his horses when the time came.
It had been closed for seven or eight years, and was beginning to fall into decay. Before reaching it, the main road coming from Macon made a sharp turn. Montbar examined the locality with the care of an engineer choosing his ground for a battlefield. He drew a pencil and a note-book from his pocket and made an accurate plan of the position. Then he returned to Macon.
At midnight Montbar, who had complained of the noise his neighbor made, and had removed to a room at the opposite end of the inn, was awakened by a courier, who was none other than the groom who had brought him his horse ready bridled and saddled in the morning. The letter contained only these words, followed by a postscript: Saturday, six of the evening.
We know that well enough; but the death of a soldier is better than that of thieves the volley of a platoon rather than the guillotine." "Yes, yes," cried a mocking voice, "we know what that is Vive la fusillade!" "Forward, friends!" said Montbar, "and let us sell our lives for what they are worth; that is to say, as dearly as possible." "Forward!" they all cried.
Although we had no cause to love the Spaniards, we had no reason to hate them with the same inveterate hatred displayed by Montbar. Besides, in spite of the glamour that surrounded them, we knew the buccaneers to be no better than pirates. Still it seemed a poor return to make Captain Montbar for the service he had rendered us to refuse his request.
"At your service, and that of your company." "Well, you can serve me, friend. But close the door and come here." Antoine closed the door, came within two steps of Montbar, saluted again, and said: "Ready, master." "In the first place," said Montbar, "if you have no objections, we'll drink a glass of wine to the health of your mistress." "Oh! oh! My mistress!" cried Antoine.
Arrived at Macon, Montbar dismounted at the Hotel de la Poste, the only one which at that time was fitted to receive guests of distinction. For the rest, from the manner in which Montbar was received it was evident that the host was dealing with an old acquaintance. "Ah! is it you, Monsieur de Jayat?" said the host. "We were wondering yesterday what had become of you.
Montbar, having discovered a company of Spanish on one of the Windward Islands, went ashore with guns, knives, and axes, and destroyed them all, except one. This man told how he and his fellows had been put ashore. They were the crew of a slaver, and were on their way from Africa to Cuba with a cargo of slaves, when the ship began to leak badly.
We thanked Montbar, although I could not help smiling at the tribute which he paid to honesty when I remembered that the lockers in his cabins were crammed with the loot which he had taken as a freebooter upon the seas.
That evening, therefore, Hartog stated plainly our conditions to Captain Montbar, which, shortly, were that if the treasure proved to be of great value, we would divide it equally among the companies of the frigate and our ship; if not of great value, then the whole of the treasure was to go to the frigate as salvage for our vessel; and if we did not succeed in bringing the treasure away, then our ship and her company were to be at Montbar's disposal, to do with as he thought fit.
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