登陆注册
5287000000080

第80章 26(1)

The Rencontre.

They rode on in this way for ten minutes. Suddenly two dark forms seemed to separate from the mass, advanced, grew in size, and as they loomed up larger and larger, assumed the appearance of two horsemen.

"Aha!" cried D'Artagnan, "they're coming toward us."

"So much the worse for them," said Porthos.

"Who goes there?" cried a hoarse voice.

The three horsemen made no reply, stopped not, and all that was heard was the noise of swords drawn from the scabbards and the cocking of the pistols with which the two phantoms were armed.

"Bridle in mouth!" said D'Artagnan.

Porthos understood him and he and the lieutenant each drew with the left hand a pistol from their bolsters and cocked it in their turn.

"Who goes there?" was asked a second time. "Not a step forward, or you're dead men."

"Stuff!" cried Porthos, almost choked with dust and chewing his bridle as a horse chews his bit. "Stuff and nonsense; we have seen plenty of dead men in our time."

Hearing these words, the two shadows blockaded the road and by the light of the stars might be seen the shining of their arms.

"Back!" shouted D'Artagnan, "or you are dead!"

Two shots were the reply to this threat; but the assailants attacked their foes with such velocity that in a moment they were upon them; a third pistol-shot was heard, aimed by D'Artagnan, and one of his adversaries fell. As for Porthos, he assaulted the foe with such violence that, although his sword was thrust aside, the enemy was thrown off his horse and fell about ten steps from it.

"Finish, Mouston, finish the work!" cried Porthos. And he darted on beside his friend, who had already begun a fresh pursuit.

"Well?" said Porthos.

"I've broken my man's skull," cried D'Artagnan. "And you ---- "

"I've only thrown the fellow down, but hark!"

Another shot of a carbine was heard. It was Musqueton, who was obeying his master's command.

"On! on!" cried D'Artagnan; "all goes well! we have the first throw."

"Ha! ha!" answered Porthos, "behold, other players appear."

And in fact, two other cavaliers made their appearance, detached, as it seemed, from the principal group; they again disputed the road.

This time the lieutenant did not wait for the opposite party to speak.

"Stand aside!" he cried; "stand off the road!"

"What do you want?" asked a voice.

"The duke!" Porthos and D'Artagnan roared out both at once.

A burst of laughter was the answer, but finished with a groan. D'Artagnan had, with his sword, cut in two the poor wretch who had laughed.

At the same time Porthos and his adversary fired on each other and D'Artagnan turned to him.

"Bravo! you've killed him, I think."

"No, wounded his horse only."

"What would you have, my dear fellow? One doesn't hit the bull's-eye every time; it is something to hit inside the ring. Ho! parbleau! what is the matter with my horse?"

"Your horse is falling," said Porthos, reining in his own.

In truth, the lieutenant's horse stumbled and fell on his knees; then a rattling in his throat was heard and he lay down to die. He had received in the chest the bullet of D'Artagnan's first adversary. D'Artagnan swore loud enough to be heard in the skies.

"Does your honor want a horse?" asked Musqueton.

"Zounds! want one!" cried the Gascon.

"Here's one, your honor ---- "

"How the devil hast thou two horses?" asked D'Artagnan, jumping on one of them.

"Their masters are dead! I thought they might be useful, so I took them."

Meantime Porthos had reloaded his pistols.

"Be on the qui vive!" cried D'Artagnan. "Here are two other cavaliers."

As he spoke, two horsemen advanced at full speed.

"Ho! your honor!" cried Musqueton, "the man you upset is getting up."

"Why didn't thou do as thou didst to the first man?" said Porthos.

"I held the horses, my hands were full, your honor."

A shot was fired that moment; Musqueton shrieked with pain.

"Ah, sir! I'm hit in the other side! exactly opposite the other! This hurt is just the fellow of the one I had on the road to Amiens."

Porthos turned around like a lion, plunged on the dismounted cavalier, who tried to draw his sword; but before it was out of the scabbard, Porthos, with the hilt of his had struck him such a terrible blow on the head that he fell like an ox beneath the butcher's knife.

Musqueton, groaning, slipped from his horse, his wound not allowing him to keep the saddle.

On perceiving the cavaliers, D'Artagnan had stopped and charged his pistol afresh; besides, his horse, he found, had a carbine on the bow of the saddle.

"Here I am!" exclaimed Porthos. "Shall we wait, or shall we charge?"

"Let us charge them," answered the Gascon.

"Charge!" cried Porthos.

They spurred on their horses; the other cavaliers were only twenty steps from them.

"For the king!" cried D'Artagnan.

"The king has no authority here!" answered a deep voice, which seemed to proceed from a cloud, so enveloped was the cavalier in a whirlwind of dust.

"'Tis well, we will see if the king's name is not a passport everywhere," replied the Gascon.

"See!" answered the voice.

Two shots were fired at once, one by D'Artagnan, the other by the adversary of Porthos. D'Artagnan's ball took off his enemy's hat. The ball fired by Porthos's foe went through the throat of his horse, which fell, groaning.

"For the last time, where are you going?"

"To the devil!" answered D'Artagnan.

"Good! you may be easy, then -- you'll get there."

D'Artagnan then saw a musket-barrel leveled at him; he had no time to draw from his holsters. He recalled a bit of advice which Athos had once given him, and made his horse rear.

The ball struck the animal full in front. D'Artagnan felt his horse giving way under him and with his wonderful agility threw himself to one side.

"Ah! this," cried the voice, the tone of which was at once polished and jeering, "this is nothing but a butchery of horses and not a combat between men. To the sword, sir! the sword!"

And he jumped off his horse.

"To the swords! be it so!" replied D'Artagnan; "that is exactly what I want."

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 谁在摆渡那份刻骨铭心的爱

    谁在摆渡那份刻骨铭心的爱

    青春的日子,谁心里没点乱七八糟的爱呢?也许你爱上过这样一个人,默默关注,偷偷喜欢,到最后才发现爱上的只是心目中的幻想;也许她爱过那样一个人,彼此欢愉,只是时空不对,千回百转,无法泅渡;当然,也会有幸运的,不偏不倚,眼眸对接,烟花烂漫。不管怎样,那些曾经的青春和爱恋,都随着时光愈走愈远,只是记忆是个奇怪的机器,走过就会被铭刻,被祭奠。
  • 海贼王之乌尔奇奥拉的心

    海贼王之乌尔奇奥拉的心

    “女人,你害怕我吗?”我伸出手臂指着站在旁边的橘色长发女人问道。“没哦,一点都。。没”那个女人泛着泪花,伸出手勉力得想要握住我的手。。可惜在她马上握住之时,我的手已经变做了风沙,我看着她想到,“这样嘛,原来在这手中握着的。。。就是’心’啊。”
  • 绝叫城

    绝叫城

    实在是吃够了酒店里一成不变的三餐,我独自跑到御茶水车站附近吃了顿烤肉。补充完能量后,充满动力地回到房间坐回写字台前。刚刚九点,只要今晚努力一下就能轻松完成今天的工作量,明天夜里估计就能完稿了。明天夜里……唉,仍然很遥远。在这个东京市中心的酒店里闭关创作已经是第六天了,连换洗的内衣都没有了。为了能按时完成预定在下个月出版的长篇小说,我只好听从担当编辑的指挥,待在这个房间里写完剩下的一半内容。
  • 网游时空之恋

    网游时空之恋

    这是一场游戏的竞争,只有完成任务了,才可以回到我们的世界,可身为主角的我们意外的爱上这虚拟的世界,爱上你了!我们该怎么办…………爱?是什么?
  • 我和反派绑定了

    我和反派绑定了

    扶双穿书了,是玄幻男主逆袭后宫文,穿越前商量好了,送到反派的身边,然后……她竟然成了反派脑海中的一堆意识体??那么她该怎么攻略反派?精神慰藉吗?!正准备安慰如今尚是少年的小反派,抚慰他受伤的心灵,结果发现……特喵的她的反派重生了?!看着那个眉眼稚气未脱,眼神却阴狠淬毒的少年,扶双颤巍巍的捂住心口,卧槽这叫她怎么搞?!仇寂——“有的人生来属于黑暗,只有你是我向往的光明,执手扶双,三生有幸。”“我给过你机会离开,你放弃了,那么就永远别想逃走,即便是死。”“如果有一天我要死了,那么我倾尽全力也会先杀了你,因为,我不想离开你啊。”扶双——“我跨过时间,越过空间,赌上性命救你于世间,只因字里行间,命运多舛,触动了心弦。”“多谢神灵让我遇见你,否则我怎会知晓,原来那十八年才是一场梦,真真假假,皆是虚妄,而你,才是唯一的光。”“因为你叫仇寂,所以我叫扶双,你看,我们是命中注定要在一起的。”【男主是重生的偏执小病娇,女主是穿越的外挂小怂包,女主前期意识体,不喜勿入】
  • 狂僧

    狂僧

    一僧心空,魔宫震动。执金钢锋,谁敢轻弄?若肯回光,狂心顿歇。禅圣驾临,诸佛消灭!佛门戒律?与小僧而言,只不过是过眼云烟。看一介狂僧,如何在乱世之中拨开重重迷雾,覆雨翻云,成为一代禅宗圣祖!
  • 菊与刀(经典译林)

    菊与刀(经典译林)

    《菊与刀》是研究日本的经典性著作,被日本学术文化界誉为“现代日本学的鼻祖”,是了解日本和日本人的公认最佳读本。菊花是日本皇室的家徽,而刀则是日本武士精神的象征,《菊与刀》作者用日本最具象征意义的两种事物,来揭示日本文化和日本人性格的双重性,富有深刻的哲理性和动人的艺术性。本尼迪克特是著名美国民族学家、女诗人,是美国人类历史学派开创人博厄斯的学生,也是其学术继承人。1923年在哥伦比亚大学获博士学位,从1936年起代理哥大人类学系主任。她与美国人类学家米德一起,结合心理学的研究,形成博厄斯学派的一个支派,即“心理学派”或“民族心理学派”、“种族心理学派”。
  • 大才子丰子恺

    大才子丰子恺

    丰子恺先生是我国当代著名的美术家、音乐家、文学家、翻译家和美学教育家。初名润,后改为仁,乳名慈玉,别署缘缘堂主人,晚年号缘缘堂老人。一八九八年十一月九日(农历九月二十六日)生于浙江省崇德县(现桐乡市)石门湾。他的漫画,萧疏淡远,酣姿活泼,出神入化,不求工巧却工巧之极。他写散文,清明玄妙,与画相通,又能深入浅出,雅俗共赏。他对音乐这种自古以来就被说成是极深奥神秘的“天地之道”,也作了通俗的讲解:“用研究西洋音阶的方法来研究中国音律时,所谓五音十二律,并不见得何等困难、何等深奥了,也不过是用别种格式组成的一个‘音阶’罢了。”他的书法,可说是秀韵天成,没有丝毫做作气。
  • 一团和气见深情

    一团和气见深情

    大明宫庭风云变幻,一个弱小的生命在一位妙龄宫女的庇护之下长成为一代君王,面对种种血雨腥风的,一生功过又有几人说得清,觉得成化帝朱见深的故事有许多可发挥之处,《一团和气》是他年轻时的绘画作品。
  • 一日看尽长安花(女人花:杰出女性的人生轨迹)

    一日看尽长安花(女人花:杰出女性的人生轨迹)

    兰泊宁编著的这本《一日看尽长安花(唐朝分册)》攫取唐朝杰出女性,以传记故事的形式叙述她们的传奇生平,及其在传奇后瑰丽变幻的人生。以文化的视角、历史的视野、细腻的笔触、生动的叙述,把人物和事件放在广阔的历史背景上,使读者不但能享受到阅读的快感,更可以通过阅读此书,进一步了解、置身于当时的历史文化背景。本书兼顾故事性、可看性与励志性。