“Corbleu!” cried Gondi, wiping the dust out of his eyes, “to fire a pistol in the face of that giant I had to lean forward and rise in my stirrups, and thus I lost my balance; but I fancy that he is down, too.”

“You are right, sir,” said De Thou, coming up; “there is his horse swimming in the ditch with its master, whose brains are blown out.  We must think now of escaping.”

“Escaping!  That, gentlemen, will be rather difficult,” said the adversary of Cinq-Mars, approaching.  “Hark! there is the cannon-shot, the signal for the attack.  I did not expect it would have been given so soon.  If we return we shall meet the Swiss and the foot-soldiers, who are marching in this direction.”

“Monsieur de Fontrailles says well,” said De Thou; “but if we do not return, here are these Spaniards, who are running to arms, and whose balls we shall presently have whistling about our heads.”

“Well, let us hold a council,” said Gondi; “summon Monsieur de Montresor, who is uselessly occupied in searching for the body of poor De Launay.  You have not wounded him, Monsieur De Thou?”

“No, Monsieur l’Abbe; not every one has so good an aim as you,” said Montresor, bitterly, limping from his fall.  “We shall not have time to continue with the sword.”

“As to continuing, I will not consent to it, gentlemen,” said Fontrailles; “Monsieur de Cinq-Mars has behaved too nobly toward me.  My pistol went off too soon, and his was at my very cheek—­I feel the coldness of it now—­but he had the generosity to withdraw it and fire in the air.  I shall not forget it; and I am his in life and in death.”

“We must think of other things now,” interrupted Cinq-Mars; “a ball has just whistled past my ear.  The attack has begun on all sides; and we are surrounded by friends and by enemies.”

In fact, the cannonading was general; the citadel, the town, and the army were covered with smoke.  The bastion before them as yet was unassailed, and its guards seemed less eager to defend it than to observe the fate of the other fortifications.

“I believe that the enemy has made a sally,” said Montresor, “for the smoke has cleared from the plain, and I see masses of cavalry charging under the protection of the battery.”

“Gentlemen,” said Cinq-Mars, who had not ceased to observe the walls, “there is a very decided part which we could take, an important share in this—­we might enter this ill-guarded bastion.”

“An excellent idea, Monsieur,” said Fontrailles; “but we are but five against at least thirty, and are in plain sight and easily counted.”

“Faith, the idea is not bad,” said Gondi; “it is better to be shot up there than hanged down here, as we shall be if we are found, for De Launay must be already missed by his company, and all the court knows of our quarrel.”

“Parbleu! gentlemen,” said Montresor, “help is coming to us.”

A numerous troop of horse, in great disorder, advanced toward them at full gallop; their red uniform made them visible from afar.  It seemed to be their intention to halt on the very ground on which were our embarrassed duellists, for hardly had the first cavalier reached it when cries of “Halt!” were repeated and prolonged by the voices of the chiefs who were mingled with their cavaliers.