alls of silex tottered and fell upon the sand, and the sand
itself, an instrument of pain when launched from its hard bed, riddled
the faces with its myriad cutting atoms. Shrieks, imprecations, human
life, dead bodies--all were engulfed in one terrific crash.

The three first compartments became one sepulchral sink into which fell
grimly back, in the order of their weight, every vegetable, mineral,
or human fragment. Then the lighter sand and ash came down in turn,
stretching like a winding sheet and smoking over the dismal scene. And
now, in this burning tomb, this subterranean volcano, seek the king's
guards with their blue coats laced with silver. Seek the officers,
brilliant in gold, seek for the arms upon which they depended for their
defense. One single man has made of all of those things a chaos more
confused, more shapeless, more terrible than the chaos which existed
before the creation of the world. There remained nothing of the three
compartments--nothing by which God could have recognized His handiwork.
As for Porthos, after having hurled the barrel of powder amidst his
enemies, he had fled, as Aramis had directed him to do, and had gained
the last compartment, into which air, light, and sunshine penetrated
through the opening. Scarcely had he turned the angle which separated
the third compartment from the fourth when he perceived at a hundred
paces from him the bark dancing on the waves. There were his friends,
there liberty, there life and victory. Six more of his formidable
strides, and he would be out of the vault; out of the vault! a dozen of
his vigorous leaps and he would reach the canoe. Suddenly he felt his
knees give way; his knees seemed powerless, his legs to yield beneath
him.

"Oh! oh!" murmured he, "there is my weakness seizing me again! I can
walk no further! What is this?"

Aramis perceived him through the opening, and unable to conceive what
could induce him to stop thus--"Come on, Porthos! come on," he cried;
"come quickly!"

"Oh!" replied the giant, making an effort that contorted every muscle of
his body--"oh! but I cannot." While saying these words, he fell upon
his knees, but with his mighty hands he clung to the rocks, and raised
himself up again.

"Quick! quick!" repeated Aramis, bending forward towards the shore, as
if to draw Porthos towards him with his arms.

"Here I am," stammered Porthos, collecting all his strength to make one
step more.

"In the name of Heaven! Porth