Monsieur de Vivonne lit a lantern, and flashed it upon the faces of the two unconscious men. “This is a bad business, Major Despard,” said he to the man next him. “I believe that they are both gone.”
“Tut! tut! By my soul, men did not die like that when I was young!” answered the other, leaning forward his fierce grizzled face into the light of the lantern. “I’ve been cast from my horse as often as there are tags to my doublet, but, save for the snap of a bone or two, I never had any harm from it. Pass your rapier under the third rib8 of the horses, De la Touche; they will never be fit to set hoof9 to ground again.” Two sobbing10 gasps11 and the thud of their straining necks falling back to earth told that the two steeds had come to the end of their troubles.
“Where is Latour?” asked Monsieur de Vivonne. “Achille Latour has studied medicine at Montpellier. Where is he?”
“Here I am, your excellency. It is not for me to boast, but I am as handy a man with a lancet as with a rapier, and it was an evil day for some sick folk when I first took to buff and bandolier. Which would you have me look to?”
“This one in the road.”
The trooper bent12 over Amos Green. “He is not long for this world,” said he. “I can tell it by the catch of his breath.”
“And what is his injury?”
“A subluxation of the epigastrium. Ah, the words of learning will still come to my tongue, but it is hard to put into common terms. Methinks that it were well for me to pass my dagger13 through his throat, for his end is very near.”
“Not for your life!” cried the leader. “If he die without wound, they cannot lay it to our charge. Turn now to the other.”
The man bent over De Catinat, and placed his hand upon his heart. As he did so the soldier heaved a long sigh, opened his eyes, and gazed about him with the face of one who knows neither where he is nor how he came there. De Vivonne, who had drawn14 his hat down over his eyes, and muffled15 the lower part of his face in his mantle16, took out his flask17, and poured a little of the contents down the injured man’s throat. In an instant a dash of colour had come back into the guardsman’s bloodless cheeks, and the light of memory into his eyes. He struggled up on to his feet, and strove furiously to push away those who held him. But his head still swam, and he could scarce hold himself erect18.
“I must to Paris!” he gasped19; “I must to Paris! It is the king’s mission. You stop me at your peril20!”
“He has no hurt save a scratch,” said the exdoctor.
“Then hold him fast. And first carry the dying man to the carriage.”
The lantern threw but a small ring of yellow light, so that when it had been carried over to De Catinat, Amos Green was left lying in the shadow. Now they brought the light back to where the young man lay. But there was no sign of him. He was gone.
For a moment the little group of ruffians stood staring, the light of their lantern streaming up upon their plumed21 hats, their fierce eyes, and savage22 faces. Then a burst of oaths broke from them, and De Vivonne caught the false doctor by the throat, and hurling23 him down, would have choked him upon the spot, had the others not dragged them apart.
“You lying dog!” he cried. “Is this your skill? The man has fled, and we are ruined!”
“He has done it in his death-struggle,” gasped the other hoarsely24, sitting up and rubbing his throat. “I tell you that he was in extremis. He cannot be far off.”
“That is true. He cannot be far off,” cried De Vivonne. “He has neither horse nor arms. You, Despard and Raymond de Carnac, guard the other, that he play us no trick. Do you, Latour, and you, Turberville, ride down the road, and wait by the south gate. If he enter Paris at all, he must come in that way. If you get him, tie him before you on your horse, and bring him to the rendezvous25. In any case, it matters little, for he is a stranger, this fellow, and only here by chance. Now lead the other to the carriage, and we shall get away before an alarm is given.”
The two horsemen rode off in pursuit of the fugitive26, and De Catinat, still struggling desperately27 to escape, was dragged down the St. Germain road and thrust into the carriage, which had waited at some distance while these incidents were being enacted28. Three of the horsemen rode ahead, the coachman was curtly29 ordered to follow them, and De Vivonne, having despatched one of the band with a note to his sister, followed after the coach with the remainder of his desperadoes.
The unfortunate guardsman had now entirely30 recovered his senses, and found himself with a strap5 round his ankles, and another round his wrists, a captive inside a moving prison which lumbered31 heavily along the country road. He had been stunned32 by the shock of his fall, and his leg was badly bruised33 by the weight of his horse; but the cut on his forehead was a mere34 trifle, and the bleeding had already ceased. His mind, however, pained him more than his body. He sank his head into his pinioned35 hands, and stamped madly with his feet, rocking himself to and fro in his despair. What a fool, a treble fool, he had been! He, an old soldier, who had seen something of war, to walk with open eyes into such a trap! The king had chosen him of all men, as a trusty messenger, and yet he had failed him—and failed him so ignominiously36, without shot fired or sword drawn. He was warned, too, warned by a young man who knew nothing of court intrigue37, and who was guided only by the wits which Nature had given him. De Catinat dashed himself down upon the leather cushion in the agony of his thoughts.
But then came a return of that common-sense which lies so very closely beneath the impetuosity of the Celt. The matter was done now, and he must see if it could not be mended. Amos Green had escaped. That was one grand point in his favour. And Amos Green had heard the king’s message, and realised its importance. It was true that he knew nothing of Paris, but surely a man who could pick his way at night through the forests of Maine would not be baulked in finding so well-known a house as that of the Archbishop of Paris. But then there came a sudden thought which turned De Catinat’s heart to lead. The city gates were locked at eight o’clock in the evening. It was now nearly nine. It would have been easy for him, whose uniform was a voucher38 for his message, to gain his way through. But how could Amos Green, a foreigner and a civilian39, hope to pass? It was impossible, clearly impossible. And yet, somehow, in spite of the impossibility, he still clung to a vague hope that a man so full of energy and resource might find some way out of the difficulty.
And then the thought of escape occurred to his mind. Might he not even now be in time, perhaps, to carry his own message? Who were these men who had seized him? They had said nothing to give him a hint as to whose tools they were. Monsieur and the dauphin occurred to his mind. Probably one or the other. He had only recognised one of them, old Major Despard, a man who frequented the low wine-shops of Versailles, and whose sword was ever at the disposal of the longest purse. And where were these people taking him to? It might be to his death. But if they wished to do away with him, why should they have brought him back to consciousness? and why this carriage and drive? Full of curiosity, he peered out of the windows.
A horseman was riding close up on either side; but there was glass in front of the carriage, and through this he could gain some idea as to his whereabouts. The clouds had cleared now, and the moon was shining brightly, bathing the whole wide landscape in its shimmering40 light. To the right lay the open country, broad plains with clumps41 of woodland, and the towers of castles pricking42 out from above the groves43. A heavy bell was ringing in some monastery44, and its dull booming came and went with the breeze. On the left, but far away, lay the glimmer45 of Paris. They were leaving it rapidly behind. Whatever his destination, it was neither the capital nor Versailles. Then he began to count the chances of escape. His sword had been removed, and his pistols were still in the holsters beside his unfortunate horse. He was unarmed, then, even if he could free himself, and his captors were at least a dozen in number. There were three on ahead, riding abreast46 along the white, moonlit road. Then there was one on each side, and he should judge by the clatter47 of hoofs48 that there could not be fewer than half a dozen behind. That would make exactly twelve, including the coachman, too many, surely, for an unarmed man to hope to baffle. At the thought of the coachman he had glanced through the glass front at the broad back of the man, and he had suddenly, in the glimmer of the carriage lamp, observed something which struck him with horror.
The man was evidently desperately wounded. It was strange indeed that he could still sit there and flick49 his whip with so terrible an injury. In the back of his great red coat, just under the left shoulder-blade, was a gash50 in the cloth, where some weapon had passed, and all round was a wide patch of dark scarlet51 which told its own tale. Nor was this all. As he raised his whip, the moonlight shone upon his hand, and De Catinat saw with a shudder52 that it also was splashed and clogged53 with blood. The guardsman craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the man’s face; but his broad-brimmed hat was drawn low, and the high collar of his driving-coat was raised, so that his features were in the shadow. This silent man in front of him, with the horrible marks upon his person, sent a chill to De Catinat’s valiant54 heart, and he muttered over one of Marot’s Huguenot psalms55; for who but the foul56 fiend himself would drive a coach with those crimsoned57 hands and with a sword driven through his body?
And now they had come to a spot where the main road ran onwards, but a smaller side track wound away down the steep slope of a hill, and so in the direction of the Seine. The advance-guard had kept to the main road, and the two horsemen on either side were trotting58 in the same direction, when, to De Catinat’s amazement59, the carriage suddenly swerved60 to one side, and in an instant plunged61 down the steep incline, the two stout horses galloping62 at their topmost speed, the coachman standing63 up and lashing64 furiously at them, and the clumsy old vehicle bounding along in a way which threw him backwards65 and forwards from one seat to the other. Behind him he could hear a shout of consternation66 from the escort, and then the rush of galloping hoofs. Away they flew, the roadside poplars dancing past at either window, the horses thundering along with their stomachs to the earth, and that demon67 driver still waving those horrible red hands in the moonlight and screaming out to the maddened steeds. Sometimes the carriage jolted68 one way, sometimes another, swaying furiously, and running on two side wheels as though it must every instant go over. And yet, fast as they went, their pursuers went faster still. The rattle69 of their hoofs was at their very backs, and suddenly at one of the windows there came into view the red, distended70 nostrils71 of a horse. Slowly it drew forward, the muzzle72, the eye, the ears, the mane, coming into sight as the rider still gained upon them, and then above them the fierce face of Despard and the gleam of a brass73 pistol barrel.
“At the horse, Despard, at the horse!” cried an authoritative74 voice from behind.
The pistol flashed, and the coach lurched over as one of the horses gave a convulsive spring. But the driver still shrieked75 and lashed7 with his whip, while the carriage bounded onwards.
But now the road turned a sudden curve, and there, right in front of them, not a hundred paces away, was the Seine, running cold and still in the moonshine. The bank on either side of the highway ran straight down without any break to the water’s edge. There was no sign of a bridge, and a black shadow in the centre of the stream showed where the ferry-boat was returning after conveying some belated travellers across. The driver never hesitated, but gathering76 up the reins77, he urged the frightened creatures into the river. They hesitated, however, when they first felt the cold water about their hocks, and even as they did so one of them, with a low moan, fell over upon her side. Despard’s bullet had found its mark. Like a flash the coachman hurled himself from the box and plunged into the stream; but the pursuing horsemen were all round him before this, and half-a-dozen hands had seized him ere he could reach deep water, and had dragged him to the bank. His broad hat had been struck off in the struggle, and De Catinat saw his face in the moonshine. Great heavens! It was Amos Green.
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1
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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rib
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| n.肋骨，肋状物 | |
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hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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gasps
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| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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14
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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17
flask
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| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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plumed
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| 饰有羽毛的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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26
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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lumbered
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| 砍伐（lumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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32
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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33
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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pinioned
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
ignominiously
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| adv.耻辱地，屈辱地，丢脸地 | |
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intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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38
voucher
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| n.收据；传票；凭单，凭证 | |
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39
civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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40
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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41
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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42
pricking
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| 刺，刺痕，刺痛感 | |
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43
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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44
monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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45
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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46
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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47
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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48
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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49
flick
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| n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动 | |
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50
gash
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| v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝 | |
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51
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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52
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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53
clogged
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| （使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞 | |
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54
valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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55
psalms
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| n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的) | |
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56
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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57
crimsoned
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| 变为深红色（crimson的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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58
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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59
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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60
swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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62
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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63
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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64
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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65
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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66
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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67
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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68
jolted
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| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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70
distended
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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72
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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73
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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74
authoritative
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| adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的 | |
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75
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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76
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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77
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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