nd to fight him, and does not rejoin them. Near Beauvais
they receive a volley from some pretended labourers; D'Artagnan's hat
is knocked off by a ball; a lackey is left in the road, and Aramis is
badly wounded, and obliged to remain at the next town. D'Artagnan,
Athos, and their two attendants, reach Amiens at midnight, and stop to
sleep at the sign of the Golden Lily. Here various suspicious
incidents occur, and in the morning their horses are found to be
dead-lame, and unable to proceed. One that might still have gone on
has been bled by mistake.

"All these accidents succeeding each other began to alarm our
travellers; they might be the result of chance, but they were
more probably that of an organized plot. Athos and D'Artagnan
left their room, while Planchet (D'Artagnan's groom) went to
enquire whether there were any horses to be bought in the
neighbourhood. At the door were standing two vigorous animals,
saddled and bridled, and which would have suited the guardsmen
well. Planchet asked to whom they belonged, and was told that
their masters had passed the night at the inn, and were then
paying their score previous to departure. Athos went to do the
same, while D'Artagnan and Planchet remained at the street door.

"The host was in a small back room, which Athos was requested to
enter. He did so without suspicion, and took out some pistoles to
pay. The innkeeper, who was seated at a desk, of which one of the
drawers was half-open, took the money, turned it about, and
examined it on all sides, and suddenly exclaiming that it was
false, declared that he would have Athos and his companion
arrested as coiners.

"'Scoundrel!' cried Athos, advancing towards him; 'I will cut
your ears off for your insolence.'

"But the man stooped down, took a brace of pistols out of the
open drawer, and pointing them at Athos, called loudly for help.
On the instant four armed men entered by a side-door, and
attacked Athos.

"'I am taken!' cried the mousquetaire, with all the power of his
lungs. 'To horse, D'Artagnan! Spur! spur!'

"And he fired both his pistols. D'Artagnan and Planchet untied
the two horses that were waiting at the door, sprang upon their
backs, and set off full gallop.

"By dint of spurring and precaution, D'Artagnan and his follower
reach Calais without furt