Raoul at this moment perceived the muzzle of a gun pointed at him, and remembering the recommendation of Athos, he, with the rapidity of lightning, made his horse rear as the shot was fired.  His horse bounded to one side, losing its footing, and fell, entangling Raoul’s leg under its body.  The Spaniard sprang forward and seized the gun by its muzzle, in order to strike Raoul on the head with the butt.  In the position in which Raoul lay, unfortunately, he could neither draw his sword from the scabbard, nor his pistols from their holsters.  The butt end of the musket hovered over his head, and he could scarcely restrain himself from closing his eyes, when with one bound Guiche reached the Spaniard and placed a pistol at his throat.  “Yield!” he cried, “or you are a dead man!” The musket fell from the soldier’s hands, who yielded on the instant.  Guiche summoned one of his grooms, and delivering the prisoner into his charge, with orders to shoot him through the head if he attempted to escape, he leaped from his horse and approached Raoul.

“Faith, sir,” said Raoul, smiling, although his pallor betrayed the excitement consequent on a first affair, “you are in a great hurry to pay your debts and have not been long under any obligation to me.  Without your aid,” continued he, repeating the count’s words “I should have been a dead man —­ thrice dead.”

“My antagonist took flight,” replied De Guiche “and left me at liberty to come to your assistance.  But are you seriously wounded?  I see you are covered with blood!”

“I believe,” said Raoul, “that I have got something like a scratch on the arm.  If you will help me to drag myself from under my horse I hope nothing need prevent us continuing our journey.”

Monsieur d’Arminges and Olivain had already dismounted and were attempting to raise the struggling horse.  At last Raoul succeeded in drawing his foot from the stirrup and his leg from under the animal, and in a second he was on his feet again.

“Nothing broken?” asked De Guiche.

“Faith, no, thank Heaven!” replied Raoul; “but what has become of the poor wretches whom these scoundrels were murdering?”

“I fear we arrived too late.  They have killed them, I think, and taken flight, carrying off their booty.  My servants are examining the bodies.”

“Let us go and see whether they are quite dead, or if they can still be helped,” suggested Raoul.  “Olivain, we have come into possession of two horses, but I have lost my own.  Take for yourself the better of the two and give me yours.”

They approached the spot where the unfortunate victims lay.

31

The Monk.

Two men lay prone upon the ground, one bathed in blood and motionless, with his face toward the earth; this one was dead.  The other leaned against a tree, supported there by the two valets, and was praying fervently, with clasped hands and eyes raised to Heaven.  He had received a ball in his thigh, which had broken the bone.  The young men first approached the dead man.