Chapter 9 Chapter 4 Telmarsh

The old man waited until Almalo disappeared before tightening his coat and walking.He walked slowly and thoughtfully.Almaro was going to Beauval, and he was going in the direction of Huine. Behind him stands the vast triangular black shadow of Mont Saint-Michel, with its triple Quinque cathedral and iron-clad bastions, and its two massive towers facing east, one round and the other Square, the tower and the hill share the weight of the church and the village.Mont Saint-Michel is to the Atlantic what the Pyramid of Kaiub is to the desert. The quicksand in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel moved imperceptibly.At that time there was a high sand dune between Huine and Alderfon, which no longer exists today.The peaks of the dunes were flattened by the equinox winds.This dune is unusual, both because it is quite ancient and because it has a milestone on top, erected in the twelfth century in honor of the Synod of Avranches, which condemned Santo Tomas de Cantor Berry's assassination.From the top of the dunes, you can see the whole area and get your bearings.

The old man walked towards the sand dunes and boarded the sand dunes. He reached the top of the hill and saw four boundary stones at the four corners of the milestone stone, so he sat down on one of the boundary stones, leaned his back on the milestone stone, and began to observe the map under his feet.He seems to be looking for a familiar path.Vast areas appear hazy in the twilight, with only the horizon clearly defined as a black line against a white sky. He saw the heaps of roofs in eleven villages and towns, and the tall coastal bell-towers, many leagues away, which pointed out the direction of the navigator if necessary.

After a few minutes, the old man seemed to have found what he was looking for in this obscurity.His gaze rested on a place with trees, walls, and roofs. It was a Bernon estate, sandwiched between plains and bushes, faintly visible.The old man nodded in satisfaction, as if saying to himself: This is it.So he traced in the air with his fingers a path through hedges and crops, and watched from time to time a vague, shapeless thing.The thing was fluttering over the roof of the upper house on the manor.The old man seemed to be asking himself: What the hell is this?Since it was dusk, its color and shape were blurred.It was fluttering, certainly not a weather vane, and it could never be a flag.

The old man was tired, and he sat on the boundary stone and got up slowly, just like a tired person just after taking a rest. There is an hour of every day that may be called stillness, the hour of stillness, the hour of twilight.This is the moment, the old man is enjoying it, he is watching, he is listening.What?peaceful.Even vicious people have their melancholy moments.Suddenly, someone's voice passed by here. It did not disturb the tranquility, but it even brought out the tranquility.It was the voice of women and children.Sometimes there is this unexpected sound of joy in the dark.The people who made these sounds were invisible to the old man because of the thick thorns, and they walked towards the plain and forest at the foot of the dunes.The clear voice reached the pensive old man on the top of the hill, so close that he heard every word.

A woman's voice said: "Hurry up, Flaishia. From here?" "No, go over there." The dialogue takes place in this two voices, one high and one low: "What's the name of the tenant farm where we live now?" "Er Buangpay." "Is it still far?" "Go another quarter of an hour." "Let's hurry up and get some soup." "We're really late." "It should be. But your little one is tired, and we are two women, and we can't hold these three children. You have already carried one, Fletcher, she is like a piece of lead. This little glutton, You weaned her, but kept holding her. It's a bad habit, let her go! Oh, it deserves it, the soup must be cold."

"Oh! The shoes you gave me are so nice. They seem to be made just for me." "It's better than bare feet." "Hurry up, René-Jean." "He's the one who's holding us back. He talks to little girls when he sees them. Like a big man." "Why, he's not yet five years old." "Hey, René-Jean, why are you talking to the little village girls?" A boy's voice answered: "Because I know her." The woman said again: "Why, you know her?" "Yes," said the little boy, "she gave me worms this morning."

"Oh, that's amazing!" cried the woman. "We've only been here for three days, and he already has a lover at such a young age." The sound goes away.All returned to silence. The old man was motionless, he was not thinking, hardly meditating.All around him was silence.Peace, trust, solitude.It was still light on the hills, but it was almost night on the plain, and it was quite night in the woods.The moon rose in the east, and a few stars hung on the pale blue zenith.Although the old man was full of thoughts and emotions, he sank into an inexpressible and infinite generosity.He felt a faint dawn in his heart, which was hope, if hope could express the expectation of civil war.So far as he was concerned, he had just escaped from the fierce and unforgiving sea to land, and the danger seemed to have vanished.No one knows his name, he is alone, and the enemy does not know where he is.He left no trace, because the surface of the sea keeps nothing.He was gone, nowhere to be found.He was so relieved that he almost fell asleep.

①Latin, can be translated as: He has ears, but cannot hear.This is a variant of a sentence in the Bible? Psalms. --Original translator's note The old man, who was besieged by all these disturbances both in mentality and situation, felt a strange charm in the tranquility of the moment.The earth and sky were silent. He heard only the wind blowing from the sea, a constant low-pitched sound that, over time, was hardly a sound anymore. Suddenly, he stood up. With a jerk of concentration, he stared at the horizon.Something fixed his gaze. He was looking at the belfry of Cormerie, ahead of him, on the plain beyond.Something unusual happened in the clock tower.

The bell tower is clearly outlined.There is a cone-shaped body on the top of the building, and between the tower body and the male body is the bell chamber. The bell chamber is square, empty, without windbreaks, and can be seen in all directions. This is the Breton style. At this moment, the bell chamber seemed to be opening and closing in an even and orderly manner.The tall windows were all white at one moment, dark at another, leaking out the sky behind them, blocking them again, brightening them, catching them again, opening and closing, incessantly, like a hammer striking an anvil. law.

The belfry of Colmeray was directly in front of the old man, about two leagues away.The old man looked aside, and on the horizon stood the belfry of Baguey-Picon, whose bell chambers opened and closed like the belfry of Colmeret. The old man looked at the Thani bell tower on the left, whose bell chambers opened and closed like Picon's already built bell chambers. The old man looked at one bell tower after another on the horizon. On the left were the bell towers of Kurti, Precy, Crolon, and Croix-Afranchamp, and on the right were those of the Cowannon Gorge, Mordre, and Pa. The bell tower, opposite the bell tower of Pontorson.

The bell chambers in all the bell towers were one dark and one lighted. What does it mean? This shows that all the clocks are swinging. They were dark and bright, and they must have been shaking violently. what happened?Apparently ringing alarm bells. People are ringing the alarm bells, ringing the alarm bells like crazy.On every side, from every bell tower, from all parishes, from all villages and towns, alarm bells were ringing, and he could hear nothing. This is because the distance is too far, the sound cannot reach here, and the sea breeze blowing from the opposite direction blows the sound of the land further inland. The clocks in the four directions were beating fiercely, but there was silence here. Could there be anything more eerie than this? The old man watched and listened. He couldn't hear the alarm, he could only see.What a strange feeling it was to see the alarm bell ringing. Who is the bell blaming? Who are the alarm bells for? Someone is clearly being hunted. who? The strong man shuddered. It can't be him.It was impossible to guess that he was coming.The commissioners stationed in the area couldn't know, because he had just landed.The Colosseum was sunk, no one escaped death, and even on the Colosseum, no one knew his name except Boisberteau and La Vieuxville. The bell towers continue their violent game.The old man observed carefully, counted instinctively, his thoughts fluctuated, jumping from one guess to another, from a deep sense of security to a terrible sense of crisis.However, this alarm bell can be interpreted in many ways. Finally, the old man consoled himself again and again, saying: "Anyway, no one knows I'm here, and no one knows my name." For several minutes, above his head, behind him, there was a slight sound like the rustling of leaves. He didn't pay attention at first, but the voice continued, or it could be said to persist.He finally looked back, and there was indeed something, a piece of paper.Above his head, a large notice was affixed to the milestone, which was being blown down by the wind.It was pasted not long ago, because the paper was still damp, and it was in a windy place; the wind played with it and slowly tore it off. The old man climbed up the sand dune from the other side and did not see this notice. He stepped on the boundary stone where he was sitting, and smoothed the corner of the notice blown by the wind with his hand.The sky was serene, and the June evenings were long.The lower parts of the dunes were dim, but the tops were still bright.Part of the notice was printed in large letters, which he could still see through the twilight, and this is what he saw: The united and indivisible French Republic, I, Prieure de Marne, the People's Representative of the Coast Guard of Cherbourg, issues the following orders: Ex-Nobility Marquis de Lantenac, Vicomte de Fontenay, so-called The Prince of Brittany has sneaked ashore on the coast of Germinville. I declare this man free from the protection of the law and offer a reward for his capture.A bounty of 60,000 livres will be paid to anyone who informs, whether the prisoner is dead or alive.Bounties will be paid in gold, not coupons.The Cherbourg Coast Guard is about to send a battalion to search for the former nobleman de Lantenac.Municipalities must help. This order was issued in the Granville City Hall on June 2, 1793 Signed by: Priore Marne Below this name there is another signature, but in much smaller font and cannot be read due to poor lighting. The old man pressed the brim of his hat over his eyes, pulled his coat collar down to his chin, and walked quickly down the dunes.There was obviously no point in lingering on this bright mound. He may have been on the mound for too long, the top of the mound was still the only place that was bright. He descended to the foot of the hill, into the darkness, and slowed his pace. He followed the route he had just outlined towards the tenant manor, probably thinking it would be safer there. It was deserted.No one is going from here at this moment. He came to the back of the bushes, stopped, took off his coat, turned the coat inside out, tied up the tattered coat with a rope and tied it around his neck, and then started walking again. The moonlight poured down. He came to the intersection of two roads, where there was an old stone cross.There is a white square on the base of the cross, which is probably the same notice as the one just seen.He approached the notice. "Where are you going?" asked a voice. He turned around. In the hedge stood a man, tall like him, old like him, and white-haired like him, but more ragged than himself.Almost exactly like him. Leaning on a long stick, the man continued to ask: "I asked where you were going." "Where am I first?" the old man replied, his voice calm and somewhat haughty. "You are in the territory of Tani. I am a beggar in the territory, and you are the lord." "I?" "Yes, you are the Marquis de Lantenac." The Marquis de Lantenac--as we shall henceforth call him--replied gravely: "Yes. Go and report on me." The man continued: "We are both at home, you in the castle and I in the jungle." "End it. Do it. Go and denounce me," said the Marquis. The man asked again: "Are you going to El Buangpay?" "yes." "You don't want to go." "why?" "There's the Blues out there." "How long has it been?" "Three days." "Did the farm and the villagers resist?" "No. They opened the door." "Oh!" said the Marquis. The man pointed to a little farther away, where the roof of the manor was exposed above the treetops. "Do you see the roof, Monsieur the Marquis?" "Saw." "Did you see anything on the roof?" "Something is floating." "yes" "It's a banner." "Tricolor," said the man. It was this that caught the Marquis' attention when he was at the top of the hill. "Is it a wake-up call?" asked the Marquis. "yes." "for what?" "Of course it's for you." "But I can't hear you." "Because it's against the wind." The man went on to ask: "Did you see the notice?" "yes." "They're after you." He glanced towards the manor and said: "There's half a battalion there." "Republican?" "From Paris." "Well, let's go," said the Marquis. He took a step towards the manor. The beggar grabbed his arm and said: "do not go." "Then where do you want me to go?" "Go to my house." The Marquis looked at the beggar. "Listen, Monsieur Marquis, my house is not good, but it is safe. It is a den lower than a cellar, with seaweed as the floor and leaves and grass as the roof. Come here. You will be beaten when you go to the tenant manor. Die. You can sleep in my house. You must be very tired. Tomorrow morning the Blues start again, and you can go wherever you like." The Marquis looked at the man and asked: "Then which side are you on? The republican? The royalist?" "I am a poor man." "Neither royalist nor republican?" "I don't think so." "Are you for the king or against the king?" "I don't have time to think about that." "What do you think of what's happening before you?" "I have nothing to eat." "But you saved me." "I see that you have been declared exempt from the law. What is the law? So a man can be outside the law? I do not understand.What about me, am I within the law?Or outside the law?have no idea.Starve to death, is this within the law? " "How long have you been hungry?" "lifetime" "But you saved me?" "yes." "why?" "Because I said: This man is poorer than me, I have the right to breathe, and he doesn't even have that." "Indeed. Then you save me?" "Of course we are brothers now, sir. I beg for bread and you beg for life. We are two beggars." "But do you know they are rewarding me?" "Know." "How do you know?" "I read the notice." "You can read?" "Yes, I can also write. Why do I have to be a brute?" "Since you can read and have read the notices, you know that there is a reward of sixty thousand francs for anyone who denounces me." "I know that." "It's not a coupon." "Yes, I know, gold." "Sixty thousand French is a lot of money, you know that?" "Know." "Whoever denounces me can make a fortune." "So what?" "Make a fortune!" "That's exactly what I thought. When I saw you, I thought: If you can get sixty thousand francs by denouncing this man, and you will make a fortune, I must hide him as soon as possible." The Marquis followed the poor man. They went into a bush, and there was a beggar's hut.It was a room left for him by a tall oak tree, dug under the roots and covered with boughs.It was dark, low, and hidden inside, and it was not at all visible from the outside.The room can accommodate two people. "I just thought that there might be guests," said the beggar. In fact, in Brittany, such subterranean dwellings are not so rare as is generally believed, and the peasants call them carnichaux, which may also refer to a hiding place in the middle of thick walls. There were several pots in the room, a bed made of straw or washed and dried seaweed, a coarse woolen blanket, and some grease wicks, flints, and hollow bear's milk grass, which were matches. They bent down, climbed a few steps, entered the room cut into strange shapes by thick tree roots, and sat down on the seaweed that was so difficult to make a bed.There was a gap between the two tree roots at the entrance, and a ray of light came in from there.The night has come, but eyesight can always adapt to the dark, and finally see the glimmer of light in the dark.The reflection of moonlight made the entrance a hazy white.In one corner there was a jug of water, a wheatbread, and some chestnuts. "Let's eat," said the poor man. They share chestnuts, and the Marquis brings out his biscuits.They ate the same rye cake and took turns drinking from a jug. They talked. The Marquis began to question the man: "It seems that it makes the same thing to you whether it happens or not?" "Almost. You people are the lords, and this is your business." "But, it happened..." "That's up there." The beggar went on to say: "Besides, there are other things up there. The sun rises, the moon waxes and wanes, and that's what I care about." He took a sip from the jug and said: "What a fresh water!" He went on to say: "What do you think of the water, sir?" "What's your name?" asked the Marquis. "My name is Tellmarsh, people call me Caiman." "I know. Caiman is the vernacular." "It means beggar. I also have a nickname: old man." He went on to say: "People have been calling me old man for forty years." "Forty years! But you were young then." "I've never been young. And you, Monsieur Marquis, you're forever young. Your legs are like those of a twenty-year-old, and you climb the big sand dunes, and I can't walk anymore. I can't walk more than a quarter." I'm tired after one fare. But we're about the same age. The rich are better than us, they have something to eat every day, and they can stay healthy by eating." He paused and said again: "Poor people, rich people, it's a nasty thing, and it causes a lot of evil, at least that's how I feel. Poor people want to be rich, and rich people don't want to be poor, and I think that's probably the real problem. I don't care about that. Whatever happens, I'm not on the side of the creditor or the creditor. I know the debt must be paid. That's it. I don't want the king killed, but I can't tell why. Besides, people treat me Said: But in the past, you were hanged on the tree for a little thing. No, I've seen a man hanged for shooting the king's roe, and he had a wife and seven children.The public says that the public is right, and the mother-in-law says that the mother-in-law is right. " He was silent again, and then said: "You know, I don't know what the hell is going on. People come and go, and one thing after another happens, and I, here I am, under the stars." Tellmas stopped, contemplated for a moment, and then said: "I know a little bit about bone setting. I can be considered a doctor. I am familiar with all kinds of grass and can use herbal medicine. Farmers saw me staring at the sky intently and thought I was a wizard. If I like it and think about it, they think I know everything." "Are you a native?" asked the Marquis. "I never left this place." "You know me?" "Of course. The last time I saw you was two years ago. You passed here, and you are going from here to England. I saw a tall man on the top of the hill just now. Bretons are small and very few." Big tall guy. I looked carefully, and I saw the notice first. I said, "Hey! When you come down from the sand dunes, I will recognize you in the moonlight." "But I don't know you." "You have seen me, but you have not seen me." Caiman Tellmarsh went on to say: "I can see you. Beggars and pedestrians have different eyes." "Have I met you before?" "Often, because I am your beggar, I am the poor man at the head of the road in front of your castle. You sometimes give me alms, and the giver does not look, but the receiver does. A beggar is a spy. I hold out my hand , all you see is the hand into which you throw alms, and I have it in the morning so that I don't starve at night. Sometimes I have nothing to eat for a whole day and night. Sometimes a sou is life. You saved My life, I will repay you now." "You are really saving me." "Yes, I am saving you, sir." Tellmarsh's voice became serious: "But on one condition." "What conditions?" "You are not here to do evil." "I have come to do good," said the Marquis. "Go to sleep." They lie side by side on a bed of kelp.The beggar fell asleep immediately.Tired as he was, the Marquis dreamed for a moment, and then, looking at the poor in the dark, collapsed.To sleep in this bed is to sleep on the ground.He took the opportunity to put his ear to the ground and listen carefully.There is a subterranean hum that we know can travel far in the depths.That's the bell. The alarm bells continue. The Marquis fell asleep. It was daylight when Lantenac awoke. The beggar stood there, not in the shack, where he couldn't stand upright at all, but outside, at the door.He was leaning on the stick with a ray of sunshine on his face. "My lord," said Telmarsh, "Tany's tower has just struck four o'clock in the morning, and I heard four chimes. The wind must have changed, it is now from the interior.There was no other sound.The alarm bells stopped.The estate and the town of El Buangpay were peaceful.The Blues are sleeping or have already left.The greatest danger has passed.We'd better break up.I have to go now. " He points to a point on the horizon. "I'm going this way." Then pointing in the opposite direction: "And you, you go over there." The beggar waved his hand solemnly to the Marquis in farewell. He pointed to what was left of the dinner and said: "If you're hungry, take the chestnuts with you." After a while, he disappeared into the woods. The Marquis got up and walked towards the direction pointed by Termas. It was a charming hour, the "morning whistle," as the Norman peasants say it, when garudas and sparrows twittered.The Marquis followed the path he had taken the day before, and came out of the woods to the intersection with the stone cross.The notice was still there, pale in the rising sun, as if cheerful.He remembered that there were still a few lines under the notice that he could not read clearly, because the font was too small and the light was dim at that time.He went up to the base of the cross, and sure enough, under the notice, under the signature of Priel de Marthe, there were two lines of small print: Once the former nobleman de Lantenac Marquis is found, he will be executed immediately. Signed by: Battalion Commander Govan, Commander of the Expedition "Govan!" said the Marquis. He stopped, staring at the notice, contemplative. "Govan!" he repeated. He walked away, turned back to look at the cross, then walked back to look at the notice again. Then he walked away slowly.If anyone approached him, he could hear him muttering in a low voice: "Gowan!" He walked up a deep concave road from which the roofs of the manor house to his left could not be seen.He walked along a small hill full of flowering gorse, a variety with long thorns.There is a pointed mound on the top of the hill, which the locals call "beast head".At the foot of the hill is a forest.The leaves seemed to be soaked in light.All nature is filled with the deep joy of the morning. Suddenly the scene became terrifying, as if an ambush was suddenly thrown out.Savage cries and gunfire struck like a tornado over the sun-filled fields and woods, and from the estate rose thick smoke, mingled with bright tongues of flame, and the estate and town seemed like a burning bundle of straw.All this happened suddenly and was eerie.Tranquility turned into frenzy in a blink of an eye, hell suddenly appeared in the morning routine, and terror came suddenly.There's a war going on at El Buangpay.The Marquis stopped. Anyone in such a situation would be like him, curiosity outweighing the sense of danger, to figure out what was going on, even if it killed him.Lantenac ascended the side knoll by the low path.There he would be seen, but he could see all around.A few minutes later, he came to the top of the hill and looked out. There were shootings and fires.He heard the shouts and saw the flames.The estate seemed to be the center of disaster. What disaster?The El Buangpay estate was attacked?By who?Is it fighting?Maybe more of a shooting?In accordance with a revolutionary decree, the Blues often set fire to rebellious estates and villages as punishment.Manors and villages, for example, were set on fire if they did not cut down their trees in accordance with the decree, and did not make passages in the jungle for the cavalry of the Republic.Not long ago, the parish of Bourgon near Erne was burned in this way.Could it be the same with El Buangpay?It is clear that the strategic passages enshrined in that decree have not materialized in the jungles and lands of Thani and El Buangpay.Is this punishment?Has the advance party occupying the manor received orders?This team probably belongs to the expedition team nicknamed "Devil Team". The Marquis looked on from the top of the hill, surrounded by a wild, sprawling grove, known as the Paddock of Herbou-en-Pail, but which was as large as a grove, extending as far as the estate, and, like all groves in Brittany, contained There are ravines, alleys, and concave roads criss-crossing, which is a maze that confuses the republican army. If this was an execution, it must have been brutal, because it was brief.Cruel things are always done quickly. The brutal civil war had this barbarity too.The Marquis was making various speculations, hesitating whether to go down the mountain or stay, while listening and watching.At this moment the uproar of the shooting ceased, or rather dispersed.The Marquis saw what seemed to be a furious and merry procession scattered through the jungle.There was a frightening commotion under the trees.Men rushed from the estates to the woods, beating the attack drums, but there were no more shots.It was a lot like a hunt: search, chase, capture, obviously they were looking for a person. The sound appears scattered and deep.The voices were mixed, some angry, some proud, noisy and noisy.He couldn't hear anything.Suddenly, as if a silhouette appeared in the smoke, there emerged from the tumult something clear and definite, a name, a name repeated by a thousand voices, and the Marquis distinctly heard the cry: "Lantenac! Lantenac! Marquis de Lantenac!" He is what people are looking for. Suddenly, around him, on all sides, at the same time, there were muskets, bayonets, and battalions, and in the shadows a tricolor flag, and in his ears a cry of "Lantenac" appeared among the thorns and branches at his feet. Some violent faces. The Marquis stood alone on the top of the hill, and he could be seen from any corner of the wood.He couldn't see the people calling his name, but they could all see him.If there were a thousand guns in the woods, he was the target.He saw only the eyes in the jungle that were staring at him feverishly. He took off his hat, rolled up the brim, plucked a long dry thorn from a gorse, took out a white knot from his pocket, fixed the rolled up brim with the long thorn, and fastened the knot on the hat, and then put it back on, leaving the forehead and knots exposed.He spoke aloud as if his audience were the whole forest: "I am the man you are looking for. I am the Marquis de Lantenac, the Vicomte de Fontenay, the Prince of Brittany, and a major general in the royal army. Go ahead. Aim! Shoot!" He opened his goatskin coat with both hands, exposing his chest. He looked down the hill, looking for the muzzle aimed at him, but saw everyone around him kneel down. He heard a loud cry: "Long live Langtenac! Long live my lord! Long live the general!" At the same time, the hat was thrown into the air, the saber was waving happily, a large piece of sticks was raised in the jungle, and the brown fur hat was dancing on top. Around Langtenac is a group of Vendée. The crowd fell to their knees when they saw him. According to legend, in the ancient Thuringian forest, there is a strange creature, a kind of giant animal that looks like a human being. The Romans regarded it as a terrible beast, and the Greeks regarded it as the incarnation of gods, so it Sometimes eliminated, sometimes worshiped, all by luck. The Marquis probably felt at the moment similar to this creature; he was ready to be regarded as a demon, but suddenly he was regarded as a god. The marquis's many eyes, blazing with brilliance, gazed upon the Marquis with a wild love. These men carried spears, sabers, scythes, picks, and sticks, and all wore large felt or brown caps with white knots, and many rosary beads and amulets.They wore baggy shorts with knee openings, fur jackets, leather leggings, exposed knees, and long hair. Some looked brutal, but all looked childish. A well-faced young man strode towards Hou Shi through the kneeling crowd.Like the peasants, he wears a cuffed felt hat with a white knot and a fur coat, but his hands are very clean, his shirt is of fine cloth, and the coat has a white silk shoulder strap with a red end hanging from it. A golden hilted sword. He climbed to the top of the hill, threw down his hat, untied his shoulder straps, knelt down on one knee, offered his shoulder straps and sword to the Marquis, and said: "Indeed, we have been looking for you. At last we have found you. Here is the commanding sword, and these men are now yours. I was their commander, and I have been raised to be your soldier. Accept my respects, My lord. Give your orders, General." Then he gave a signal, and some men came out of the wood, carrying a tricolor, and they went up to the Marquis, and threw it at his feet.This was the flag that the Marquis had vaguely seen in the bushes just now. "General," said the young man who offered his sword and sash, "we have just taken this flag from the blue army in Erbuanpayi's garden. My lord, my name is Garwal, and I was Larou Ali Marquis." "Very well," said the Marquis. So he calmly and solemnly put on the shoulder straps. Then he drew his sword and swung it over his head. "Stand up!" he cried, "Long live the King!" Everyone stood up. From the depths of the wood there was a wild shout: "Long live the King! Long live the Marquis! Long live Lantenac!" The Marquis turned to Gaval and asked: "How many of you are there?" "Seven thousand people." As they descended the hill, and the peasants parted the gorse bushes to make way for de Lantenac, Gaval went on: "My lord, it is very simple, and one sentence can make it clear. We only lacked a spark. The notice of the republic announced your arrival, so the people here rioted in loyalty to the king. We also received from the Mayor of Granville Secretly informed that he is one of ours and that he has saved the Abbe Olivier. The alarm bells were rung last night." "For whom?" "For you." "Oh!" said the Marquis. "So here we are," Gavar said. "You have seven thousand people?" "Seven thousand today, fifteen thousand tomorrow. This is local efficiency. When Mr. de la Roche-Jacquelin joined the Catholic army, the people rang the alarm bells, and overnight, six parishes: Iserne , Kilgo, Eschao Bruwani, Aubie, Santopa, and Niai, let him take away 10,000 people. Without ammunition, they went to a mason's house to find sixty catties of explosives, and gave them all M. de la Roche-Acquelin has taken you away. We thought you must be in the woods, so we came here." "You attacked the Blues at the El Buangpay farm?" "Because of the headwind they didn't hear the alarm and were off guard. They were warmly received by the stupid villagers. We surrounded the farm this morning, the blues were sleeping, and we took them out at once. I've got a horse here, will you Do you accept it as a favor, General?" "OK." A farmer brought a horse, which was saddled and bridle like a war horse.The Marquis got on his horse without Garval's help. "Hurrah!" cried the peasants.This English shout is common along the coast of Brittany-Normandy, as this area has a lot of traffic with the islands of the Channel of Manche. Gawal gave a military salute and asked, "Where is your headquarters, my lord?" "First set it in the Forest of Fougères." "This is one of the seven forests that belong to you, Mr. Marquis." "I need a priest." "We have one here." "who is it?" "Rector of the church of Elbray." "I know him. He's been to Jersey." A priest stepped out from the procession and said: "I've been there three times." The Marquis turned his head: "Good day, monsieur abbe, you have plenty of work." "That would be great, Monsieur the Marquis." "You will hear many confessions, of course from those who are willing. We will not force them." "Monsieur the Marquis," said the priest, "Gaston forced the republicans to repent at Guémeny." "He is a barber," said the Marquis. "Death should be free." Gawal just walked away to give a few orders, and then came back: "General, I obey your orders." "The first thing is to meet up in the Forest of Fougères. Let everyone spread out and go separately." "The order has been issued I." "Didn't you say the Blues were warmly received by El Buangpay?" "Yes, General." "Did you burn down the farm?" "Burned." "Burn the village?" "No." "Burn it." "The Blues want to resist, but they only have 150 men, we have 7,000." "Which part are they from?" "Santel's subordinates." "When the king was beheaded, it was this Santerre who commanded the drumming. So the battalion came from Paris?" "Half battalion." "What's it called?" "General, it reads on its banner: Red Beanie Battalion." "These are ferocious beasts." "What should the wounded do?" "The result fell." "Where are the captives?" "Shoot." "About eighty people." "Shoot them all." "There are two more women." "He was also shot." "There are three more children." "Take them away and deal with them in the future." After speaking, the Marquis rode away. show no mercy (slogan of princes) While this was going on near Thani, the beggar was already walking towards Crolon.他钻进沟壑，在大片暗淡的树阴下行走，对一切都漠不关心，对什么都毫不在意，正如他自己所说，他通想而不沉思，因为沉思者是有目的的，而遇想者却没有。他漫步游荡，走走停停，这里摘一根野酸模的嫩芽充饥，那里喝一口泉水解渴，有时抬头倾听远处的喧哗，然后又沉入令人陶醉的大自然扭力之中，让太阳照晒褴褛的衣衫。他也许听到了人声，但他聆听的是鸟鸣。 他年老、迟钝，不能走远路。正如他对德?朗特纳克侯爵所说，四分之一法里的路就使他感到疲乏。他朝十字阿弗朗香方向转了一小圈，回来已是傍晚了。 过了马塞不远，小路通向一个高坡，那里没有树木，可以看得很远，西边，直到大海，一览无遗。 一股烟吸引了他的注意力。 烟是最可爱，也是最可怕的东西。有祥和的烟，也有阴险的烟。烟，烟的厚度，烟的颜色，各有不同，它表示的或是和平或是战争，或是友爱或是仇恨，或是款待或是坟墓，或是生命或是死亡。在树林间升起的烟可以象征世上最迷人的东西--壁炉，或者世上最可惜的东西--火灾。有时，人的一切幸福或不幸都寓于这随风飘散的烟中。 泰尔马什看到的烟令他不安。 这是一股黑烟，夹杂着突如其来的红光，仿佛大火时明时暗，即将熄灭，这股烟升起在埃尔布昂帕伊上空。 泰尔马什加快步伐朝黑烟走去。他很累，但想看个究竟。 他来到一座小山顶，靠着山坡就是那个小镇和庄园。 小镇和庄园已荡然无存。 一堆破房子在燃烧，这就是埃尔布昂帕伊。 茅屋燃烧比宫殿燃烧更令人心碎。燃烧着的茅屋一片凄惨。灾祸袭击贫困，好比是秀鹰扑向蚯蚓，这里有一种违反情理的东西，使人难受。 《圣经》上有个传说：一个人观看了火灾后变成了石像。泰尔马什在刹那间也变成了石像。他眼前的景象使他一动不动。这场灾祸是在寂静中完成的。没有呼叫声。浓烟中听不到人的叹息。这场烈火在继续，它要完全吞没这个村子。除了屋架的爆裂声和茅草的劈啪声外，没有其他任何声音。有时浓烟裂开一条缝，于是露出了倒坍的屋顶和张着大嘴的房间，烈火中能看出各种各样的红色：朱红色的内室，鲜红色的破衣烂衫，大红色的蹩脚家具。泰尔马什面对这场凶恶的灾难，头晕目眩。 与房屋毗连的栗树林中，有几棵树也着了火，燃烧起来。 泰尔马什在倾听，想听见一个声音，一声呼救，一声叫喊。然而，除了火舌以外，没有任何动静。除了大火以外，一切都悄然无声。难道人都进光了？ 埃尔布昂帕伊那些活泼、勤劳的人们在哪里？这个小镇的居民怎么样了？ 泰尔马什走下山坡。 他面对的是一个不祥的谜。他不慌不忙地走近它，目光凝止不动。他像影子一样朝这片废墟慢慢走去，感到自己是这座坟墓的幽灵。 他来到曾经是庄园大门的地方，往院子里看，院墙已经没有了，院子和周围的村子连成一片。 他至今所见到的一切算不了什么，只不过是可怕的事，真正的恐怖此刻才出现在他面前。 在院子中央有一堆形状模糊的黑东西，它的一例被火光照着，另一侧被月光照着。 这是一堆人，这些人已经死了。 在这难死人周围，有一大摊液体还在冒气，它反射出火光，但它的红色并非来自火光，这是血。 泰尔马什走过去，对地上的这些身体逐一察看，它们全部是尸体。 月光照射着，火光也照射着。 这是士兵的尸体，他们全都光着脚，鞋子被人拿走了，武器也被人拿走了。他们还穿着军服，那是蓝色的。在这一堆肢体和脑袋中，这里那里可以看见一些别着三色帽徽的、被打穿的军帽。这些人是共和派，是驻扎在埃尔布昂帕伊农庄，昨天还活蹦乱跳的巴黎人。从尸体的整齐位置来看，他们是被处决的。他们被就地枪决，而且有条不紊。 They are all dead.这一堆里听不见一丝喘息。 泰尔马什-一看过去，一个也不漏掉，尸体遍身是弹孔。 枪杀者大概走得匆忙，来不及掩埋尸体；泰尔马什正要走时，眼光落在院里一截矮墙上，看见从墙角后面露出来的四只脚。 这四只脚比别的脚小，脚上穿着鞋。泰尔马什走近看，这是女人的脚。 墙后面并排躺着两个女人，其中一人穿着制服，旁边是一只破碎的空桶，这是随军女贩，她头部中了四枪，已经死了。 泰尔马什察看另一个女人。她是农民，脸色发发，张着大嘴，双眼紧闭。她头上没有伤口。她的衣服大概因为穿得太久而破烂不堪，在她倒下时张开了，胸部半露在外面。 泰尔马什将她的衣服完全扯开，看到她肩头有一个圆圆的枪眼。锁骨已经断了。他瞧着苍白的奶头。 “母亲和奶妈。”他喃喃说。 他摸摸她。她并不冰凉。 除了锁骨被打断和肩头的伤口外，她没有别的伤口。 他将手放在她胸口上，感到微弱的跳动。她没有死。 泰尔马什直起身来，用可怕的声音喊道： “这里有人吗？” “是你呀，凯门鳄？”一个声音回答，声音很低，几乎听不见。 与此同时，一个脑袋从废墟的洞里钻了出来。 接着，在另一座破房子里出现了另一张面孔。 这是两个躲起来的农民，唯一的幸存者。 他们熟悉凯门鳄的声音，所以放心地从躲藏的角落里钻了出来。 他们朝泰尔马什走去，全身仍在剧烈地颤抖。 泰尔马什能呼叫，但说不出话来。强烈的激动就是这样。 他用手指着躺在他脚下的那个女人。 “她还活着吗？”一位农民问。 泰尔马什点点头。 “那个女人也活着？”另一位农民问。 泰尔马什摇摇头。 最先出来的那个农民说： “别的人都死了吧？我看见了。我正在地窖里。感谢天主，这种时刻没有妻儿老小真是万幸。我的房子被烧了，耶稣基督！所有的人都被杀了。这个女人带着三个孩子，三个很小的孩子。孩子喊：'妈妈！'女人喊：'我的孩子呀。'他们杀了母亲，带走了孩子。我都看见了，呵天呵！天呵！天呵！他们屠杀完就走了。心满意足。他们带走了那三个孩子，杀死了母亲。不过她没有死，对吧，她没有死。喂，凯门鳄，你想你能救她？我们帮你把她抬到你那里去？” 泰尔马什点点头。 农场旁边是树林。他们很快就用叶簇和蕨草搭了一个担架，将仍然一动不动的女人放上去，开始在荆棘丛里行走，一位农民抬着头，另一位抬着脚，泰尔马什扶着女人的手臂号脉。 两位农民边走边说，月光照着他们中间那个流血女人苍白的面孔。他们感慨万端： “都杀光了！” “都烧光了！” “呵！老天爷！这还算人吗？” “是那个高个子老头下的命令。” “对，是他指挥的。” “枪杀时我没有看见他。他在场鸣？” “不，他走了。本过一切都是由他指挥的。” “那么这一切都是他干的。” “他说：'杀吧！烧吧！毫不留情！” “他是一位候爵？” “是的，是我们的侯爵。” "what is his name?" “德?朗特纳克先生。” 泰尔马什抬头望天，喃喃地说： “早知如此！”