by the God who is the absolute master of my life and yours."
Athos pronounced these words with so much grandeur and
solemnity, that the three officers were almost convinced.
Nevertheless, one of the colonels made a last attempt.

"Monsieur," said he, "although we may be now persuaded of
the truth of what you say, there is yet a strange mystery in
all this. The general is too prudent a man to have thus
abandoned his army on the eve of a battle without having at
least given notice of it to one of us. As for myself, I
cannot believe but that some strange event has been the
cause of this disappearance. Yesterday some foreign
fishermen came to sell their fish here; they were lodged
yonder among the Scots; that is to say, on the road the
general took with this gentleman, to go to the abbey, and to
return from it. It was one of those fishermen that
accompanied the general with a light. And this morning, bark
and fishermen have all disappeared, carried away by the
night's tide."

"For my part," said the lieutenant, "I see nothing in that
that is not quite natural, for these people were not
prisoners."

"No, but I repeat it was one of them who lighted the general
and this gentleman to the abbey, and Digby assures us that
the general had strong suspicions concerning those people.
Now, who can say whether these people were not connected
with this gentleman; and that, the blow being struck, the
gentleman, who is evidently brave, did not remain to