D'Artagnan reflected to such good purpose during the night
that his plan was settled by morning. "This is it," said he,
sitting up in bed, supporting his elbow on his knee, and his
chin in his hand; -- "this is it. I shall seek out forty
steady, firm men, recruited among people a little
compromised, but having habits of discipline. I shall
promise them five hundred livres for a month if they return,
nothing if they do not return, or half for their kindred. As
to food and lodging, that concerns the English, who have
cattle in their pastures, bacon in their bacon-racks, fowls
in their poultry-yards, and corn in their barns. I will
present myself to General Monk with my little body of
troops. He will receive me. I shall win his confidence, and
take advantage of it, as soon as possible."

But without going farther, D'Artagnan shook his head and
interrupted himself. "No," said he; "I should not dare to
relate this to Athos; the way is therefore not honorable. I
must use violence," continued he, -- "very certainly I must,
but without compromising my loyalty. With forty men I will
traverse the country as a partisan. But if I fall in with,
not forty thousand English, as Planchet said, but purely and
simply with four hundred, I shall be beaten. Supposing that
among my forty warriors there should be found at least ten
stupid ones -- ten who will allow themselves to be killed
one after the other, from mere folly? No; it is, in fact,
impossible to find forty men to be depended upon -- they do