“By Jove, I am falling, or rather, Bayard is falling,” answered Porthos.

All three then cried:  “All’s over.”

“Hush!” said D’Artagnan.

“What is it?”

“I hear a horse.”

“It belongs to one of our companions, who is overtaking us.”

“No,” said D’Artagnan, “it is in advance.”

“That is another thing,” said Porthos; and he listened toward the quarter indicated by D’Artagnan.

“Monsieur,” said Mousqueton, who, abandoning his horse on the high road, had come on foot to rejoin his master, “Phoebus could no longer hold out and ——­ "

“Silence!” said Porthos.

In fact, at that moment a second neighing was borne to them on the night wind.

“It is five hundred feet from here, in advance,” said D’Artagnan.

“True, monsieur,” said Mousqueton; “and five hundred feet from here is a small hunting-house.”

“Mousqueton, thy pistols,” said D’Artagnan.

“I have them at hand, monsieur.”

“Porthos, take yours from your holsters.”

“I have them.”

“Good!” said D’Artagnan, seizing his own; “now you understand, Porthos?”

“Not too well.”

“We are out on the king’s service.”

“Well?”

“For the king’s service we need horses.”

“That is true,” said Porthos.

“Then not a word, but set to work!”

They went on through the darkness, silent as phantoms; they saw a light glimmering in the midst of some trees.

“Yonder is the house, Porthos,” said the Gascon; “let me do what I please and do you what I do.”

They glided from tree to tree till they arrived at twenty steps from the house unperceived and saw by means of a lantern suspended under a hut, four fine horses.  A groom was rubbing them down; near them were saddles and bridles.

D’Artagnan approached quickly, making a sign to his two companions to remain a few steps behind.

“I buy those horses,” he said to the groom.

The groom turned toward him with a look of surprise, but made no reply.

“Didn’t you hear, fellow?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“Why, then, didn’t you reply?”

“Because these horses are not to be sold,” was the reply.

“I take them, then,” said the lieutenant.

And he took hold of one within his reach; his two companions did the same thing.

“Sir,” cried the groom, “they have traversed six leagues and have only been unsaddled half an hour.”

“Half an hour’s rest is enough " replied the Gascon.

The groom cried aloud for help.  A kind of steward appeared, just as D’Artagnan and his companions were prepared to mount.  The steward attempted to expostulate.

“My dear friend,” cried the lieutenant, “if you say a word I will blow out your brains.”

“But, sir,” answered the steward, “do you know that these horses belong to Monsieur de Montbazon?”