Cinq Mars -- Volume 6

w, thou wi

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s ingra

h is not

thou art

thy breat

heigh-ho! unto

s feigning; most

ESPE

ulates among rocks, glides under bridges of frozen snow, twines along the edges of inundated precipices to scale the adjacent mountains of Urdoz and Oleron, and at last rising over their unequal ridges, turns their nebulous peak into a new country which has also its mountains and its

eep carry, and whose irregular tinklings produce unexpected harmonies, casual gamuts, which astonish the traveller and delight the savage and silent shepherd. But when the long month of September comes, a shroud of snow spreads itse

ound in the gulfs and natural wells which they transform into dark dovecots, while the brown bear, followed by her shaggy family, who sport and tumble around her in the snow, slowly descends from their retreat invaded by the frost. But these are neither the most savage no

er the scenes we have witnessed in Paris, two travellers, coming from Spain, sto

s!" said one of them. "I can go no farth

volley on the rock of Saint Pierre- de-L'Aigle. Up there, they suppose we have gone in the direction of the L

? I can

, descend.

tamping on the edge of the rock to make sure of the s

pushing him. "There's one of the

was reflected on the snow. The two adventurers stood mot

Give me your confounded parchment. I wear the dress of a smuggler, and I can pass for

his foot against the edge of the rock, and reclini

l buried itself, hissing,

take the road you see before you. On the left of the hollow is Santa Maria. But turn t

wolf round a sheepfold, and, applying his eye to one of the openings, apparently saw what determined him, for without further hesitation he pushed the tottering door, which was not even fastened by a latch. The whole but shook with the blow he had given it. He then saw that it was divided into two cabins by a partition. A large flambeau of yellow wax lighted the first. There, a young girl, pale and fearfully thin,

and give me something to dr

and, without raising her eyes

oot. "Go and tell thy master that a friend wishes to see

a hoarse voice,

pun well, they give me water from the iron spring. When I sleep, the cold lizards crawl over my face; but when I hav

ling me?" said Jacques.

cont

old his head, and the bucket filled with crimson water. O Heaven!-I, who was the bride of God! They throw their bodies into the abyss of s

ques on one side, and, enveloped in an ample cloak, seated on the pack-saddle of a mule, and bending over a large brazier, smoked a cigar, and from time to time drank from a leather bottle at his

ears since I saw thee, I recognize thee. Thou art not changed, brigand! T

evil camest thou here? I thoug

ou wert a Spanish

t out of the thing very snugly, and have taken again to

fellows can turn our hands to everything. Thou camest by the other pas

ed where thou wilt nev

hat ha

se. My mules wil

es, cigars

, amigo," said the ruff

thir

Valdepenas! We're so j

come, drink; our f

said Jacques, dr

all about it presently, and then we'll sin

he horn, and assumed

evil I saw out there?" he s

mad. Drink; I'll tel

iculated on each side like a saw, Houmain used i

eady, that down below there [he pointed toward Fran

!" said

go; but the old fox is still at Narbonne-a very cunning fox, indeed. As to the King, he is sometimes this, sometimes that [as he spoke, Houmain turned his hand outward and inward], between zist and zest; but while he is determining, I am for zist-that i

pretty post,

of thread; but it is less honest, for they kill men oftener

rly so," sa

stone to a fine fellow, who was cure at Loudun, and who had got into a

ter the affair, reduced to a little black heap like this charcoal. See, this charcoal at the end

!" said the other, very gravely

ame tone. "There's Richelieu, a Cardinal! But, no matter. Th

art quit

ing to be said against that, except that the money's not his own; but that's the way with us all. I determined to invest this money in our old trade; a

ed Jacques; "lightning

ut this is nothing; come, drink. 'Tis almost one in the morning; we'll finish the skin and the night together. As

es; "he's a regular miser.

e commercial plans, and asked him, when any good jobs presented themselves,

ques, "and wha

brought, me, on horseback behind him,

es, rising; "and thou tr

oni

the brazier with his poniard; "he hims

es di

was-dost understand?-to hear she was under the snow rather than above it; but he

," said Jacque

, as you perceive, we don't care much for appearances; and I've taken her for a servant. She has shown more good sense than I expected, although she has rarely ever spoken more than a single word, and at first came the delicate over us. Now she rub

here?" cri

mont-or demon, or whatever the name is; but 'tis a good devil of a demon, at all events. I love him as I do my eyes; and I will drink his health out of this bottle of Jurangon here. 'Tis the wine of

of white wine. After taking a long draught, he

iting about the mountains ever since sunset, with his guards and ou

do they hunt?"

o bring here sixty thousand Spanish soldiers in paper in their pocket. You don't, per

ques, loosening his poniard in h

sing the Tirana. Take the bottle

rs, which he threw down his throat, leaning back for the greater ease, while Jacques, still

d the room with a sulphurous odor. A fearful clap immedi

unken man; "the Devil's among us

ng the pack upon which he w

courage himself, and t

us freed from him, sprang toward the door, when it opened, and his h

he entered; and she fell pr

t of a very tall man, enveloped in a cloak covered with snow. He again recoiled, and laughed a l

!" hiccuped Houmain, rising with

nt, as conscious of his intoxication; and he reeled forward to raise up the madwo

he we have be

ed men, with one voice;

; enveloping himself in his cloak, like a bear forced against a tree by the h

t brazier and the body of

ain, kneeling, turned the head of the girl. Her eyes were clos

ubardemont, forgetting

ne a

h closed again, and to raise her head, which fell back again like wet

r, and, looking with a ferocious laugh in the f

thee, courtier; I will not tell that s

essed around him with advanced carabines; and, signing th

reaty, and tho

e; touch it, and I will

l thy ma

and I will sp

ill pardon thy having

he same,

assas

e that boy conspirat

that old man who reign

paper; I've sw

e; I've sworn to

th and thy God?" de

acques. "Is't the cruc

aughing and staggering, said to the

erstanding, friend; do-on't you know

rdemont, aloud; "I n

lently against the weak planks that formed the wall, and by a blow of his heel knocked two of them out, and pas

g?" cried the smuggler; "thou art breaking my

Pyrenees. Enormous flashes of lightning came all at once from all parts of the horizon, and their fires succeeded so quickly that there seemed no interval; they appeared to be a continuous

marble on a cupola of burning brass, and resembled, amid the snows, the wonders of a v

us pyramidal and transparent icicle, which reflected the lightning like a rock of crystal; the icicle itself was melting at its base, and slowly bending over the declivity of the rock. Under the covering

out to me something, and t

ll reach thee this mu

ort, he threw a roll of wood into the cabin. Laubardemont rushed back upon the treaty like a wolf on his prey. Jacques in vain

was seen in his place but the glittering flakes which the lightning had ploughed up, as it became extinguished in them; nothing was-heard but the rolling of the thunder and the dash of the water a