It was seven o'clock in the morning, the first rays of day lightened thepools of the marsh, in which the sun was reflected like a red ball, whenAthos, awaking and opening the window of his bed-chamber, which lookedout upon the banks of the river, perceived, at fifteen paces' distancefrom him, the sergeant and the men who had accompanied him the eveningbefore, and who, after having deposited the casks at his house, hadreturned to the camp by the causeway on the right.
Why had these men come back after having returned to the camp? That wasthe question which first presented itself to Athos. The sergeant, withhis head raised, appeared to be watching the moment when the gentlemanshould appear, to address him. Athos, surprised to see these men, whomhe had seen depart the night before, could not refrain from expressinghis astonishment to them.
"There is nothing surprising in that, monsieur," said the sergeant;"for yesterday the general commanded me to watch over your safety, and Ithought it right to obey that order."
"Is the general at the camp?" asked Athos.
"No doubt he is, monsieur; as when he left you he was going back."
"Well, wait for me a moment; I am going thither to render an account ofthe fidelity with which you fulfilled your duty, and to get my sword,which I left upon the table in the tent."
"That happens very well," said the sergeant, "for we were about torequest you to do so."
Athos fancied he could detect an air of equivocal bonhomie upon thecountenance of the sergeant; but the adventure of the vault might haveexcited the curiosity of the man, and it was not surprising that heallowed some of the feelings which agitated his mind to appear in hisface. Athos closed the doors carefully, confiding the keys to Grimaud,who had chosen his domicile beneath the shed itself, which led to thecellar where the casks had been deposited. The sergeant escorted theComte de la Fere to the camp. There a fresh guard awaited him, andrelieved the four men who had conducted Athos.
This fresh guard was commanded by the aid-de-camp Digby, who, on theirway, fixed upon Athos looks so little encouraging, that the Frenchmanasked himself whence arose, with regard to him, this vigilance and thisseverity, when the evening before he had been left perfectly free. Henevertheless continued his way to the headquarters, keeping to himselfthe observations which men and things forced him to make. He found inthe general's tent, to which he had been introduced the evening before,three superior officers: these were Monk's lieutenant and two colonels.Athos perceived his sword; it was still on the table where he left it.Neither of the officers had seen Athos, consequently neither of themknew him. Monk's lieutenant asked, at the appearance of Athos, if thatwere the same gentleman with whom the General had left the tent.
"Yes, your honor," said the sergeant; "it is the same."
"But," said Athos haughtily, "I do not deny it, I think; and now,gentlemen, in turn, permit me to ask you to what purpose these questionsare asked, and particularly some explanation upon the tone in which youask them?"
"Monsieur," said the lieutenant, "if we address these questions toyou, it is because we have a right to do so, and if we make them in aparticular tone, it is because that tone, believe me, agrees with thecircumstances."
"Gentlemen," said Athos, "you do not know who I am; but I must tell youI acknowledge no one here but General Monk as my equal. Where is he? Letme be conducted to him, and if he has any questions to put to me, I willanswer him and to his satisfaction, I hope. I repeat, gentlemen, whereis the general?"
"Eh! good God! you know better than we do where he is," said thelieutenant.
"I?"
"Yes, you."
"Monsieur," said Athos, "I do not understand you."
"You will understand me--and, in the first place, do not speak so loud."
Athos smiled disdainfully.
"We don't ask you to smile," said one of the colonels warmly; "werequire you to answer."
"And I, gentlemen, declare to you that I will not reply until I am inthe presence of the general."
"But," replied the same colonel who had already spoken, "you know verywell that is impossible."
"This is the second time I have received this strange reply to the wishI express," said Athos. "Is the general absent?"
This question was made with such apparent good faith, and the gentlemanwore an air of such natural surprise, that the three officers exchangeda meaning look. The lieutenant, by a tacit convention with the othertwo, was spokesman.
"Monsieur, the general left you last night on the borders of themonastery."
"Yes, monsieur."
"And you went----"
"It is not for me to answer you, but for those who have accompanied me.They were your soldiers, ask them."
"But if we please to question you?"
"Then it will please me to reply, monsieur, that I do not recognize anyone here, that I know no one here but the general, and that it is to himalone I will reply."
"So be it, monsieur; but as we are the masters, we constitute ourselvesa council of war, and when you are before judges you must reply."
The countenance of Athos expressed nothing but astonishment and disdain,instead of the terror the officers expected to read in it at thisthreat.
"Scotch or English judges upon me, a subject of the king of France;upon me, placed under the safeguard of British honor! You are mad,gentlemen!" said Athos, shrugging his shoulders.
The officers looked at each other. "Then, monsieur," said one of them,"do you pretend not to know where the general is?"
"To that, monsieur, I have already replied."
"Yes, but you have already replied an incredible thing."
"It is true, nevertheless, gentlemen. Men of my rank are not generallyliars. I am a gentleman, I have told you, and when I have at my side thesword which, by an excess of delicacy, I left last night upon the tablewhereon it still lies, believe me, no man says that to me which I amunwilling to hear. I am at this moment disarmed; if you pretend to be myjudges, try me; if you are but my executioners, kill me."
"But, monsieur----" asked the lieutenant, in a more courteous voice,struck with the lofty coolness of Athos.
"Sir, I came to speak confidentially with your general about affairs ofimportance. It was not an ordinary welcome that he gave me. The accountsyour soldiers can give you may convince you of that. If, then, thegeneral received me in that manner, he knew my titles to his esteem.Now, you do not suspect, I should think that I should reveal my secretsto you, and still less his."
"But these casks, what do they contain?"
"Have you not put that question to your soldiers? What was their reply?"
"That they contained powder and ball."
"From whom had they that information? They must have told you that."
"From the general; but we are not dupes."
"Beware, gentlemen, it is not to me you are now giving the lie, it is toyour leader."
The officers again looked at each other. Athos continued: "Before yoursoldiers the general told me to wait a week, and at the expiration ofthat week he would give me the answer he had to make me. Have I fledaway? No, I wait."
"He told you to wait a week!" cried the lieutenant.
"He told me that so clearly, sir, that I have a sloop at the mouth ofthe river, which I could with ease have joined yesterday, and embarked.Now, if I have remained, it was only in compliance with the desire ofyour general, his honor having requested me not to depart without alast audience, which fixed at a week hence. I repeat to you, then, I amwaiting."
The lieutenant turned towards the other officers, and said, in a lowvoice: "If this gentleman speaks truth, there may still be some hope.The general may be carrying out some negotiations so secret, that hethought it imprudent to inform even us. Then the time limited for hisabsence would be a week." Then, turning towards Athos: "Monsieur," saidhe, "your declaration is of the most serious importance; are you willingto repeat it under the seal of an oath?"
"Sir," replied Athos, "I have always lived in a world where my simpleword was regarded as the m
ost sacred of oaths."
"This time, however, monsieur, the circumstance is more grave than anyyou may have been placed in. The safety of the whole army is at stake.Reflect, the general has disappeared, and our search for him has beenvain. Is this disappearance natural? Has a crime been committed? Are wenot bound to carry our investigations to extremity? Have we any right towait with patience? At this moment, everything, monsieur, depends uponthe words you are about to pronounce."
"Thus questioned, gentlemen, I no longer hesitate," said Athos. "Yes,I came hither to converse confidentially with General Monk, and askhim for an answer regarding certain interests; yes, the general being,doubtless, unable to pronounce before the expected battle, begged meto remain a week in the house I inhabit, promising me that in a week Ishould see him again. Yes, all this is true, and I swear it by the Godwho is the absolute master of my life and yours." Athos pronounced thesewords with so much grandeur and solemnity, that the three officers werealmost convinced. Nevertheless, one of the colonels made a last attempt.
"Monsieur," said he, "although we may be now persuaded of the truth ofwhat you say, there is yet a strange mystery in all this. The general istoo prudent a man to have thus abandoned his army on the eve of a battlewithout having at least given notice of it to one of us. As for myself,I cannot believe but that some strange event has been the cause of thisdisappearance. Yesterday some foreign fishermen came to sell their fishhere; they were lodged yonder among the Scots; that is to say, on theroad the general took with this gentleman, to go to the abbey, andto return from it. It was one of those fishermen that accompanied thegeneral with a light. And this morning, bark and fishermen have alldisappeared, carried away by the night's tide."
"For my part," said the lieutenant, "I see nothing in that that is notquite natural, for these people were not prisoners."
"No, but I repeat it was one of them who lighted the general and thisgentleman to the abbey, and Digby assures us that the general had strongsuspicions concerning those people. Now, who can say whether thesepeople were not connected with this gentleman; and that, the blowbeing struck, the gentleman, who is evidently brave, did not remain toreassure us by his presence, and to prevent our researches being made ina right direction?"
This speech made an impression upon the other two officers.
"Sir," said Athos, "permit me to tell you, that your reasoning, thoughspecious in appearance, nevertheless wants consistency, as regards me.I have remained, you say, to divert suspicion. Well! on the contrary,suspicions arise in me as well as in you; and I say, it is impossible,gentlemen, that the general, on the eve of a battle, should leave hisarmy without saying anything to at least one of his officers. Yes, thereis some strange event connected with this; instead of being idleand waiting, you must display all the activity and all the vigilancepossible. I am your prisoner, gentlemen, upon parole or otherwise. Myhonor is concerned in ascertaining what has become of General Monk, andto such a point, that if you were to say to me, 'Depart!' I should reply'No, I will remain!' And if you were to ask my opinion, I should add:'Yes, the general is the victim of some conspiracy, for, if he hadintended to leave the camp he would have told me so.' Seek then, searchthe land, search the sea; the general has not gone of his own goodwill."
The lieutenant made a sign to the other two officers.
"No, monsieur," said he, "no; in your turn you go too far. The generalhas nothing to suffer from these events, and, no doubt, has directedthem. What Monk is now doing he has often done before. We are wrong inalarming ourselves; his absence will, doubtless, be of short duration;therefore, let us beware, lest by a pusillanimity which the generalwould consider a crime, of making his absence public, and by thatmeans demoralize the army. The general gives a striking proof of hisconfidence in us; let us show ourselves worthy of it. Gentlemen, let themost profound silence cover all this with an impenetrable veil; wewill detain this gentleman, not from mistrust of him with regard tothe crime, but to assure more effectively the secret of the general'sabsence by keeping among ourselves; therefore, until fresh orders, thegentleman will remain at headquarters."
"Gentlemen," said Athos, "you forget that last night the generalconfided to me a deposit over which I am bound to watch. Give mewhatever guard you like, chain me if you like, but leave me the house Iinhabit for my prison. The general, on his return, would reproach you, Iswear on the honor of a gentleman, for having displeased him in this."
"So be it, monsieur," said the lieutenant; "return to your abode."
Then they placed over Athos a guard of fifty men, who surrounded hishouse, without losing sight of him for a minute.
The secret remained secure, but hours, days passed away without thegeneral's returning, or without anything being heard of him.
CHAPTER 28. Smuggling