-calm yourself."

"Ah! my mother," cried Mordaunt, with eyes on fire with a look of hate
impossible to paint, "I can only offer thee one victim, but it shall at
any rate be the one thou wouldst thyself have chosen!"

And whilst D'Artagnan uttered a cry, Porthos raised the oar, and
Aramis sought a place to strike, a frightful shake given to the boat
precipitated Athos into the sea; whilst Mordaunt, with a shout of
triumph, grasped the neck of his victim, and in order to paralyze his
movements, twined arms and legs around the musketeer. For an instant,
without an exclamation, without a cry for help, Athos tried to sustain
himself on the surface of the waters, but the weight dragged him down;
he disappeared by degrees; soon nothing was to be seen except his long,
floating hair; then both men disappeared and the bubbling of the water,
which, in its turn, was soon effaced, alone indicated the spot where
these two had sunk.

Mute with horror, the three friends had remained open-mouthed, their
eyes dilated, their arms extended like statues, and, motionless as they
were, the beating of their hearts was audible. Porthos was the first who
came to himself. He tore his hair.

"Oh!" he cried, "Athos! Athos! thou man of noble heart; woe is me! I
have let thee perish!"

At this instant, in the midst of the silver circle illumined by the
light of the moon the same whirlpool which had been made by the sinking
men was again obvious, and first were seen, rising above the waves, a
wisp of hair, then a pale face with open eyes, yet, nevertheless, the
eyes of death; then a body, which, after rising of itself even to the
waist above the sea, turned gently on its back, according to the caprice
of the waves, and floated.

In the bosom of this corpse was plunged a poniard, the gold hilt of
which shone in the moonbeams.

"Mordaunt! Mordaunt!" cried the three friends; "'tis Mordaunt!"

"But Athos!" exclaimed D'Artagnan.

Suddenly the boat leaned on one side beneath a new and unexpected weight
and Grimaud uttered a shout of joy; every one turned around and beheld
Athos, livid, his eyes dim and his hands trembling, supporting himself
on the edge of the boat. Eight vigorous arms lifted him up immediately
and laid him in the boat, where directly Athos was warmed and
reanimated, reviving with the caresses and cares of his friends, who
were intoxicated with joy.

"You are not hurt?" asked D'Artagnan.

"No," replied Athos; "and he----"

"