"Oh!" he said, looking at the stone, "this is the work of either
Hercules or Porthos. Let us get down, count, and examine this rock."

They both alighted. The stone had been brought with the evident
intention of barricading the road, but some one having perceived the
obstacle had partially turned it aside.

With the assistance of Blaisois and Grimaud the friends succeeded in
turning the stone over. Upon the side next the ground were scratched the
following words:

"Eight of the light dragoons are pursuing us. If we reach Compiegne we
shall stop at the Peacock. It is kept by a friend of ours."

"At last we have something definite," said Athos; "let us go to the
Peacock."

"Yes," answered Aramis, "but if we are to get there we must rest our
horses, for they are almost broken-winded."

Aramis was right; they stopped at the first tavern and made each horse
swallow a double quantity of corn steeped in wine; they gave them three
hours' rest and then set off again. The men themselves were almost dead
with fatigue, but hope supported them.

In six hours they reached Compiegne and alighted at the Peacock. The
host proved to be a worthy man, as bald as a Chinaman. They asked him
if some time ago he had not received in his house two gentlemen who were
pursued by dragoons; without answering he went out and brought in the
blade of a rapier.

"Do you know that?" he asked.

Athos merely glanced at it.

"'Tis D'Artagnan's sword," he said.

"Does it belong to the smaller or to the larger of the two?" asked the
host.

"To the smaller."

"I see that you are the friends of these gentlemen."

"Well, what has happened to them?"

"They were pursued by eight of the light dragoons, who rode into the
courtyard before they had time to close the gate."

"Eight!" said Aramis; "it surprises me that two such heroes as Porthos
and D'Artagnan should have allowed themselves to be arrested by eight
men."

"The eight men would doubtless have failed had they not been assisted by
twenty soldiers of the regiment of Italians in the king's service, who
are in garrison in this town so that your friends were overpowered by
numbers."

"Arrested, were they?" inquired Athos; "is it known why?"

"No, sir, they were carried off instantly, and had not even time to tell
me why; but as soon as they were gone I found this broken sword-blade,
as I was helping to raise two dead men and five or six wounded ones."

"'Tis still a consolatio