Part 85 (1/2)
”Bravo! Athos!” cried Aramis, with an eave!” cried Porthos
”I have a son I wished to live,” said Athos
”In short,” said D'Artagnan, ”this has been the will of God”
”It was not I who killed him,” said Athos in a soft, low tone, ”'twas destiny”
74 How Mousqueton had a Narrow Escape of being eaten
A deep silence reigned for a long time in the boat after the fearful scene described
The moon, which had shone for a short tiain plunged in the obscurity that is so awful in the deserts and stillwas heard save the whistling of the ind driving along the tops of the crested billows
Porthos was the first to speak
”I have seen,” he said, ”itated me so much as what I have just witnessed Nevertheless, even in my present state of perturbation, I protest that I feel happy I have a hundred pounds' weight less upon my chest I breathe more freely” In fact, Porthos breathed so loud as to do credit to the free play of his powerful lungs
”For my part,” observed Aramis, ”I cannot say the saree that I scarcely believeeverybetween his hands the poniard plunged into his heart”
”Oh! I feel easy,” replied Porthos ”The poniard was pointed at the sixth rib and buried up to the hilt in his body I do not reproach you, Athos, for what you have done On the contrary, when one aiulation way to strike So now, I breathe again--I am happy!”
”Don't be in haste to celebrate a victory, Porthos,” interposed D'Artagnan; ”never have we incurred a greater danger than we are now encountering Men may subdue men--they cannot overcoht, without any pilot, in a frail bark; should a blast of wind upset the boat we are lost”
Mousqueton heaved a deep sigh
”You are ungrateful, D'Artagnan,” said Athos; ”yes, ungrateful to Providence, to e our safety in the most miraculous es we shall be drifted either to Calais or Boulogne Should our bark be upset we are five of us good swiain, or if not, to hold on by it Noe are on the very road which all the vessels between Dover and Calais take, 'tis impossible but that we should meet with a fisherman ill pick us up”
”But should we not find any fisherman and should the wind shi+ft to the north?”
”That,” said Athos, ”would be quite another thing; and we should nevermore see land until ere upon the other side of the Atlantic”
”Which ier,” said Aramis
”'Tis more than possible,” answered the Coain, more deeply than before
”What is the matter? what ails you?” asked Porthos
”I am cold, sir,” said Mousqueton
”I of fat which preserves it fro of fat that makes me shi+ver”
”How is that, Mousqueton?
”Alas! your honor, in the library of the Chateau of Bracieux there are a lot of books of travels”
”What then?”
”Aes of Jean Mocquet in the time of Henry IV”
”Well?”
”In these books, your honor, 'tis told how hungry voyagers, drifting out to sea, have a bad habit of eating each other and beginning with----”
”The fattest aravity of the occasion to help laughing
”Yes, sir,” answered Mousqueton; ”but perhable in it However,” he added, turning to Porthos, ”I should not regret dying, sir, were I sure that by doing so I ht still be useful to you”
”Mouston,” replied Porthos, ain you shall have as your own and for your descendants the vineyard that surrounds the farm”
”And you should call it 'Devotion,'” added Araes the recollection of your devotion to your , ”you could eat a piece of Mouston, couldn't you, especially after two or three days of fasting?”
”Oh, no,” replied Aramis, ”I should ”
Onethese jokes which were intended chiefly to divert Athos from the scene which had just taken place, the servants, with the exception of Grimaud, were not silent Suddenly Mousqueton uttered a cry of delight, taking fro more closely in the same place he discovered a dozen similar bottles, bread, and a monster junk of salted beef
”Oh, sir!” he cried, passing the bottle to Porthos, ”we are saved--the bark is supplied with provisions”
This intelligence restored every one save Athos to gayety
”Zounds!” exclaiitation makes the stoht and bit great mouthfuls of the bread and meat
”Now,” said Athos, ”sleep, or try to sleep, my friends, and I atch”