quite time enough to see
it. Poor Porthos! Poor Aramis! No; my fortune shall not cost your wings
a feather."

Having thus determined, D'Artagnan assembled the royal army, embarked it
at Paimboeuf, and set sail without losing a moment.

CHAPTER CXVI.

BELLE-ISLE-EN-MER.

At the extremity of the mole, which the furious sea beats at evening
tide, two men, holding each other by the arm, were conversing in an
animated and expansive tone, without the possibility of any other human
being hearing their words, borne away, as they were, one by one, by the
gusts of wind, with the white foam swept from the crests of the waves.
The sun had just gone down in the vast sheet of the reddened ocean, like
a gigantic crucible. From time to time, one of these men, turning toward
the east, cast an anxious, inquiring look over the sea. The other,
interrogating the features of his companion, seemed to seek for
information in his looks. Then, both silent, both busied with dismal
thoughts, they resumed their walk. Every one has already perceived that
those two men were our proscribed heroes, Porthos and Aramis, who had
taken refuge in Belle-Isle, since the ruin of their hopes, since the
discomfiture of the vast plan of M. d'Herblay.

"It is of no use your saying anything to the contrary, my dear Aramis,"
repeated Porthos, inhaling vigorously the saline air with which he
filled his powerful chest. "It is of no use, Aramis. The disappearance
of all the fishing-boats that went out two days ago is not an ordinary
circumstance. There has been no storm at sea; the weather has been
constantly calm, not even the slightest gale; and even if we had had a
tempest, all our boats would not have foundered. I repeat, it is
strange. This complete disappearance astonishes me, I tell you."

"True," murmured Aramis. "You are right, friend Porthos; it is true,
there is something strange in it."

"And further," added Porthos, whose ideas the assent of the bishop of
Vannes seemed to enlarge; "and further, have you remarked that if the
boats have perished, not a single plank has been washed ashore?"

"I have remarked that as well as you."

"Have you remarked, besides, that the two only boats we had left in the
whole island, and which I sent in search of the others--"

Aramis here interrupted his companion by a cry, and by so sudden a
movement, that Porthos stopped as if he were stupefied. "What do you
say, Porthos! What!--You have sent the two boat