I saw my next hand I could not but give a cry of delight.
'If I cannot gain my freedom on this,' thought I, 'I deserve to remain
for ever in chains.'

Give me the cards, landlord, and I will lay them out on the table for
you.

Here was my hand: knave and ace of clubs, queen and knave of diamonds,
and king of hearts. Clubs were trumps, mark you, and I had but one point
between me and freedom. He knew it was the crisis, and he undid his
tunic. I threw my dolman on the ground. He led the ten of spades. I took
it with my ace of trumps. One point in my favour. The correct play was
to clear the trumps, and I led the knave. Down came the queen upon it,
and the game was equal. He led the eight of spades, and I could only
discard my queen of diamonds. Then came the seven of spades, and the
hair stood straight up on my head. We each threw down a king at the
final. He had won two points, and my beautiful hand had been mastered by
his inferior one. I could have rolled on the ground as I thought of it.
They used to play very good ecarte at Watier's in the year '10. I say
it--I, Brigadier Gerard.

The last game was now four all. This next hand must settle it one way or
the other. He undid his sash, and I put away my sword-belt. He was cool,
this Englishman, and I tried to be so also, but the perspiration would
trickle into my eyes. The deal lay with him, and I may confess to you,
my friends, that my hands shook so that I could hardly pick my cards
from the rock. But when I raised them, what was the first thing that my
eyes rested upon? It was the king, the king, the glorious king of
trumps! My mouth was open to declare it when the words were frozen upon
my lips by the appearance of my comrade.

He held his cards in his hand, but his jaw had fallen, and his eyes were
staring over my shoulder with the most dreadful expression of
consternation and surprise. I whisked round, and I was myself amazed at
what I saw.

Three men were standing quite close to us--fifteen metres at the
farthest. The middle one was of a good height, and yet not too
tall--about the same height, in fact, that I am myself. He was clad in a
dark uniform with a small cocked hat, and some sort of white plume upon
the side. But I had little thought of his dress. It was his face, his
gaunt cheeks, his beak-like nose, his masterful blue eyes, his thin,
firm slit of a mouth which made one feel that this was a wonderful man,
a man of a million. His brows were tied int