fled as Aramis had directed him to do, and had gained the last
apartment, into which air, light, and sunshine penetrated through the
opening. Therefore, scarcely had he turned the angle which separated the
third compartment from the fourth, than he perceived at a hundred paces
from him the bark dancing on the waves; there were his friends, there
was liberty, there was life after victory. Six more of his formidable
strides, and he would be out of the vault; out of the vault! two or
three vigorous springs, and he would reach the canoe. Suddenly he felt
his knees give way; his knees appeared powerless, his legs to yield
under him.

"Oh! oh!" murmured he, "there is my fatigue 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," cried he;
"come quickly!"

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

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

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

"In the name of Heaven, Porthos, make haste! the barrel will blow up!"

"Make haste, monseigneur!" shouted the Bretons to Porthos, who was
floundering as in a dream.

But there was no longer time; the explosion resounded, the earth gaped,
the smoke which rushed through the large fissures obscured the sky; the
sea flowed back as if driven by the blast of fire which darted from the
grotto as if from the jaws of a gigantic chimera; the reflux carried the
bark out twenty toises; the rocks cracked to their base, and separated
like blocks beneath the operation of wedges; a portion of the vault was
carried up toward heaven, as if by rapid currents; the rose-colored and
green fire of the sulphur, the black lava of the argillaceous
liquefactions clashed and combated for an instant beneath a majestic
dome of smoke; then, at first oscillated, then declined, then fell
successively the long angles of rock which the violence of the explosion
had not been able to uproot from their bed of ages; they bowed to each
other like grave and slow old men, then prostrating themselves, embedded
forever in their dusty tomb.

This f