Chapter 18 Chapter 4 Mother-2

At this time, Simurdan was still beside Govan, and had not yet returned to his post on the plateau.He approached a bugler and said: "You blow the horn." Bugles sounded, trumpets answered. Bugles and trumpets are still echoing. "What's going on?" Govan asked Gaishan, "What does Ximuldan want to do?" Simuldan was already walking towards the tower with a white handkerchief. He raised his voice and said: "People in the tower, do you know me?" A voice, the voice of Immanus, answered from the top of the tower: "know." The two voices then conversed, and the following conversation was heard:

"I am the commissioner of the Republic." "You were once parson of Parignier." "I was sent by the National Salvation Committee." "You are a priest." "I am the representative of the law." "You are a traitor." "I am the messenger of the revolution." "You are an apostate." "I am Simurdan." "You are a devil." "You know me?" "We hate you." "Would you be happy if you could catch me?" "Eighteen of us are willing to exchange our heads for yours."

"I give myself to you." There was a burst of laughter and shouts from the top of the tower: "come!" There was a deep silence in the camp as the people waited. Simuldan added: "But on one condition." "What conditions?" "Listen." "Go ahead." "You hate me?" "yes." "But I love you and I am your brother." The voice from the top of the tower said: "Yes, Cain." Simuldan's tone became very special, both high and gentle: "Call me, but listen to me. I have come to negotiate. Yes, you are my brothers. You are poor lost souls. I am your friend. I am the light, and I speak to stupidity. The light Always include fraternity. Besides, don't we have a common mother, a country? Well, listen to me. You will understand, or your children will understand, or your children's children will understand that what is happening at this moment is God's The will, the revolution is the will of God. All conscience, including yours, will be awakened, and all fanaticism, including yours, will disappear, but until this moment comes, there will be no Is there any mercy on your folly? I have come to offer my head to you, I have even stretched out my hand to you. I beg you to destroy me to save yourselves. I have full authority and I will do what I say. This is the last hour, I am making a last effort. Yes, a citizen speaks to you, yes, a priest in this citizen. The citizen fights with you, but the priest entreats you. Hear me, among you Many have wives and children. I'm protecting them, protecting them from you. Oh, my brothers..."

"Go ahead, you're preaching!" Emmanus sneered. Simuldan continued: "Brothers, don't let that hateful time come. People will kill each other here. Many of us will not see the sun of tomorrow, yes, many of us will die, and you, you will all Die. Why so many bloodshed needlessly? Why kill so many when two are enough?" "Two people?" Emmanus asked. "Yes, two people." "Who?" "Lantenac and me." Simuldan raised his voice again: "Two are superfluous. To us Longtenac, to you I am. My advice: give us Longtenac and take me so you can all keep Lives. Lantenac is going to be guillotined, and I'm at your disposal."

"Priest," roared Emmanus, "if we catch you, we will burn you slowly with a small fire." "I agree," said Simurdan. He went on to say: "You who are cornered in the Tower, you will be free in an hour. I have come to rescue you. Do you accept it? " Emmanus cried out: "You're not just a villain, you're a madman. Oh, why are you making trouble? Who asked you to speak? We want to hand over my lord! What do you want?" "His head, and I hand over..." "Your skin. We're going to skin you like a dog, Father Simurdin. Oh no, your skin won't reach his head. Go away."

"Something terrible is going to happen. One last time, just think about it." By the time those outside the tower heard these eerie words, night had fallen.De Lantenachouliu remained silent and indifferent.Chiefs share this sinister selfishness, which is a right of duty. Emmanus shouted, his voice over Simuldan: "Listen attackers, we have made a proposal to you, it is clear and nothing will change. Take it, or it will be a disaster! Agree? We give you back those three children, you let us all Get out safely." "Yes, all," said Simurdin, "except one."

"Who?" "Lantenac." "My lord! Give me my lord! You want to!" "We want Longtenac." "Don't think about it!" "This is the condition." "Then attack." Then there was silence. Emmanus signaled with the horn and walked off.The Marquis took up his sword.The nineteen besieged gathered silently behind the fortifications of the low hall and knelt down.In the dark night, there was the sound of orderly footsteps of the commando approaching the tower, and the sound was getting closer.The besieged suddenly felt that the sound was near, at the gap.Then they knelt and mounted their lances and muskets in the crevices of the fortifications, and one of them, Father Thielmo, nicknamed the Great Warrior, stood up, holding a drawn saber in his right hand and a cross in his left, and with a deep, The voice said:

"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!" Everyone shoots at the same time, and the battle begins. Indeed appalling. ①The giant gods in ancient Greek mythology. This hand-to-hand fight surpassed all imagination. Only the great duels of Aeschylus, or the massacres of ancient feudal times, or the tragic "hand to hand" battles before the seventeenth century can compare with it.The attackers then entered the fort through the parapet.According to the old bailiff in Alentejo Province: ① Ancient Greek tragic poet. "While the charges have taken effect, the assailants will carry planks covered with sheets of tin. Bucklers, sling shields, and many grenades will advance to force the men in the fort from the fortifications, drive them violently, and take the fort."

The location of the attack is daunting.Experts call this gap a "dome gap."We also remember that it was a crack that penetrated the wall, rather than a fully exposed flared hole.Gunpowder acts as an auger.The forceful explosion shattered forty feet above the fire, but it was only a breach, and the opening into the low hall seemed to have been pierced by a spear rather than by an axe. The puncture on the side of the tower is a long, piercing gap, somewhat like a deep well running across.The passages twisted like intestines within the walls fifteen feet thick.Traveling in this shapeless cylinder full of obstacles, traps and explosives, you will bump your head on the stone from time to time, rubble and rubble under your feet, and darkness in front of you.

The assailant faced this dark porch, its jaws gaping like an abyss, and the broken stones above and below it were its jaws.This shark has no teeth but has terrifying serrations.You have to go into this hole and come out that way. There are bullets in the hole, and fortifications outside the hole.The so-called outside the cave is the low hall on the ground floor. Engineers work in underground tunnels and the tunnels are blocked, and warships approach each other on the sea, hacking and killing each other in the cabins. Only these two metaphors can express the ferocity of the battle.How terrifying it is to fight at the bottom of the pit!How horrible to slaughter each other under the canopy!When the first attackers entered, the whole fortification was ablaze like thunderbolts rolling down the ground.The attacker returns the thunderbolt of the superior with a thunderbolt.The explosion sounded tit for tat.Govan's cry: "Come on!" Then Langtenac's cry: "Stand firm!" Then Immanius' cry: "Follow Meth!" And then The clatter of saber on saber, and the terrible shot destroyed everything one by one.The torches on the wall dimly illuminate this scene.Everything was blurred, and there was nothing but a reddish darkness in front of him.Those who entered were immediately deaf and blind, deafened by the loud noise and blinded by the smoke.Among the rubble lay those hors de combat.People stepped on the corpses, people stepped on the wounds, crushed the broken limbs, and there came moans.Sometimes the foot is bitten by the dying person.Silence is often more terrifying than sound.People were grappling with each other, and they could be heard gasping horribly, then moans, hoarse gasps, curses, and then thunder again.Blood flowed in rivers, and it flowed from the gap to the outside of the tower, seeping in the darkness.

The great pool of dark blood steamed on the grass. One would think the tower was bleeding, one would think the giant was wounded. The strange thing is that there is almost no sound outside the tower.The night was dark, and a deathly stillness hung over the sacked fortresses, both on the plains and in the forests.Inside the tower is hell, and outside the tower is a tomb.People annihilated each other in the dark, their crashing, shooting, shouting, and roaring disappeared under the huge walls and domes, the sound lacked enough air, and suffocation was added to the massacre.There was barely a sound outside the tower.Those children are still sleeping. The battle intensified.The fortifications are still resisting.This kind of concave herringbone fortification is very difficult to attack.If the besieged were inferior in numbers, they were superior in terrain.Many people died in the commando.The team members lined up outside the tower and slowly drilled into the gap, like a snake drilling a hole, getting shorter and shorter. In the hail of bullets, Govan, the rash young leader, also threw himself into the fierce battle in the low hall.He has never been injured, so he is very confident. As he turned to give the order, a flash of fire illuminated a face beside him. "Cimurdan!" he exclaimed, "what are you doing here?" This man was indeed Simuldan.Simuldan replied: "I want to stay by your side." "But you will die!" "What about you, what are you doing here?" "I'm needed here. I'm not needed here." "Since you are here, I will stay here too." "No, teacher." "Yes, child." Simurdan stayed with Govan. On the brick floor of the low hall, dead bodies piled up. The fortifications had not yet been breached, but the disparity in numbers would eventually allow them to be taken.The attacker is in the light, the besieged is in the dark.For every death of the trapped, ten of the attackers died.However, the attackers kept coming in strength.The attackers are gaining strength, while the besieged are losing strength. The nineteen besieged were hiding behind the attacked fortifications.They had casualties, and there are no more than fifteen people who are still fighting today.The most ferocious of them all, the one nicknamed Dongsing, was horribly disfigured.He was a curly-haired, stocky Breton, of that short, alert type.One of his eyes was shattered and his jaw was shattered, but he was able to walk.He found the spiral staircase and climbed up to the room on the second floor, where he hoped to pray and die. He leaned against the wall next to the embrasure for a breath of air. Downstairs, the horrific killings in front of the fortifications continued unabated.Between shots, Simuldan raised his voice and shouted: "Besieged people! Why is there still bloodshed? You are desperate, surrender! Think we have 4,500 people, and you are only 19. You alone have to deal with more than 200 of us. Surrender! .” "Stop the rhetoric," replied the Marquis de Lantenac. Then came twenty rounds at Simurdan. The fortifications were not as high as the dome, so the besieged could lean on them and shoot, and the attackers could climb over them. "Charge for the fortification!" Govan shouted. "Who will voluntarily take the fortification?" "Me," Sergeant Radu said. At this moment, the attackers were stunned.Radu, who had been the vanguard to pass through the gap, was sixth. Of the six men in the Paris battalion, four had already fallen.Radu yelled "I!" but instead of advancing, he turned back, bowed his head, bent over, and almost crawled between the warriors' legs, crawling back out of the gap.Is this an escape?Would such a person run away?What does he want to do? Radu came outside the gap and rubbed his eyes, which were blinded by the smoke, as if he wanted to get rid of the horror and darkness.He looked at the wall of the tower by starlight, and nodded with satisfaction, as if to say: I was not mistaken. He once noticed that the explosion had created a deep crack, which extended from above the gap to the embrasure on the second floor. Allow a person to get in. A man can get in, but can he climb up?Yes, you can climb up the crack, but it must be a cat. Radu is like a cat.He was what Pindros called a "delicate athlete."A person can be a young veteran.Radu had been a soldier in the National Guard, and he was not yet forty.This is a clever Hercules ②. ① An ancient Greek poet, known for writing odes to the winners of competitions. ②A hero of great strength in ancient Greek mythology. Radu put the short gun on the ground, took off the leather equipment, took off his uniform and coat, put the two pistols in his belt, and held the unsheathed saber in his mouth.The two butts of the pistols protruded from the belt. So he packed lightly and began to climb in the shadows, under the watchful eyes of the commandos who had not yet entered the gap, climbing up the cracks in the stone walls as if climbing steps.He didn't wear shoes, which was more convenient, because it is best to climb the wall with bare feet. He hooked his toes into the cracks in the stone, raised his body with his hands, and stabilized himself with his knees.The climb is very difficult, as if climbing up a zigzag.He thought: "Fortunately there is no one on the second floor, otherwise they wouldn't let me climb up." He still had to climb forty feet.The round butts of the two pistols were a little in the way.The higher he went, the narrower the crack and the more difficult the climb.The risk of falling increases with the height of the steep wall. He finally climbed to the edge of the firing hole.He pushed aside the loose and bent iron bars, and the gap was wide enough to slip through.He jumped up vigorously, pressed his knees on the overhanging eaves, grabbed the iron bar on the right with one hand, and the iron bar on the left with the other, and his upper body rose to the front of the window.With the knife still in his mouth, he hung his body over the abyss with his hands. One more step and he can jump into the hall on the second floor. However, a face appeared at the window. Radu suddenly saw a terrible thing appearing in the shadows in front of him: a shattered eye, a shattered jaw, and a bloody face. The one-eyed face was looking at him. There were two hands on this face, they stretched out from the darkness, came towards La Duzhong, one hand snatched the two guns from La Du's waist, and the other snatched the knife dangling from his mouth. Radu was disarmed.His knees slid down the slope of the overhang, barely supported by his hands clutching the broken iron bars, and behind him lay the forty-foot-high precipice. This face and these two hands are Dong Chang. Dong Chang was choked by the thick smoke spreading from downstairs, and finally walked to the window of the shooting port. The outside air made him awake, and the coolness of the night calmed him down, and he recovered a little bit of energy.Suddenly, he saw Radu's upper body appearing outside the window, so this terrifying man unhurriedly took off the gun from Radu's waist and the knife in his mouth. Radu held on to the iron bars tightly with both hands, and had no choice: Either fall or be disarmed. And so began an unheard of duel, between the disarmed and the wounded. The victor is clearly the dying man.He could send Radu into the gaping abyss with a single shot. Fortunately for Radu, Dongchang held two guns in one hand, so he couldn't shoot. Dongchang had to use a knife, and cut Radu's shoulder with the tip of the knife, which injured Ladu. Du, also saved Radu. Although Radu lost his weapon, he was still brave and strong.The knife wound didn't touch the bone, so he ignored the pain, jumped, let go of the iron bars, and jumped into the window hole. Now he and Dong Chang face to face, Dong Chang has thrown away the knife, holding two guns in both hands. Kneeling Dong Chang straightened his upper body and almost pointed the gun against Radu, but his weak arm was trembling, so he didn't shoot immediately. Radu laughed now. "Hey," he cried, "ugly, are you trying to frighten me with your rotten beef face? Damn it, you've got a bad face." Dong Sing aimed at him. Radu continued: "I'm not talking nonsense, your face is a mess, poor boy, Bellone's ruined your face. Come on, come on, shoot, man." ① Italian goddess of war. Dong Chang fired a shot, and the bullet grazed Radu's head, knocking off one of his ears.Dong Chang raised the gun in the other hand again, but Radu didn't let him have time to aim. "It's enough to lose one ear," he cried. "You've wounded me twice. Come on, dear one." So he pounced on Dong Chang, slammed into his arm so that the muzzle of the gun was upside down, and the bullets shot out indiscriminately, then he grabbed Dong Chang's mutilated jaw and squeezed hard. Dong Chang roared and fainted. Radu left him still in the window opening and stepped over him. "Now you know my ultimatum," said Radu. "Stay here, you bloody paralytic. I'm not happy to kill you now. You crawl on the ground as you like, you stinky dog Shit. Die, you're doomed. You'll see in a second what your priest said was nonsense. Go to the world of mystery, redneck." He jumped into the room on the second floor. "Can't see anything," he muttered. The dying Dongshang was twitching and howling.Radu turned around: "Shut up! Shut up, you belated citizen. I don't care. I don't care to end you. Fuck you." He held his hair uneasily, looked at Dong Chang and said: "What the hell, what do I do now? It's all going well, but I'm out of a weapon. I could have shot twice, but you've wasted both, you brute! And my eyes are smoked It hurts." He touched his broken ear and said: "Ouch!" Then he said: "So what if you knocked off my ear? I'd rather lose it, it's just for show. You cut my shoulder too, but that's all right. Go to hell, redneck. I forgive you." He listened attentively. The low hall was still filled with an eerie din.The battle was fiercer than ever. "Downstairs looks all right. Anyway, they're shouting long live the king, and they're dying solemnly." His foot touched the saber on the ground, he picked it up, and said to Dongshang, who had stopped moving and might have died: "Look, Gorilla, I don't really care if I have this knife or not. I'm reluctant to negotiate. What I need is a pistol. You stinky savage, go to hell with you. Oh, what should I do What? I'm useless here." He walked forward in the hall, trying to get his bearings.Suddenly, he saw a long table behind the central pillar, its contents glowing faintly in the darkness.He reached out and touched.Here are the weapons: flare muskets, pistols, muskets, all neatly laid out, as if waiting to be picked up.This is what the besieged have stockpiled for the second phase of the battle, an arsenal. "There's something to eat!" Radu exclaimed. He jumped on it ecstatically. Now he was scary. Next to the table covered with weapons, the stairway doors leading to the various floors were left wide open.Radu threw down his saber, picked up two double-shot pistols with both hands, and fired randomly at the spiral staircase under the door, then grabbed a flared musket and fired, and then grabbed a musket loaded with large-grain bullets and fired.The musket fired fifteen rounds in continuous fire.So Radoux took a breath and shouted to the bottom of the stairs with a loud voice: "Long live Paris!" Then he took another musket, thicker than the first, and waited, facing the curved arch of the Saint-Gilles staircase. The confusion in the lower hall is indescribable.This unexpected surprise smashed the resistance of the besieged.Of Radoux's three shots, two hit the enemy: one shot killed the elder of the Musobo brothers, and the other shot killed Uzar, M. de Guerin. "They're up there!" cried the Marquis. The cry made them abandon their fortifications, and scrambled up the stairs faster than any frightened bird could escape.The Marquis urged them to flee. "Come on," he said, "make a brave escape, all up to the third floor. There we will regroup." The Marquis was the last person to evacuate the fortification. This courage saved him. Radu lay in ambush at the stairs on the second floor, with his finger on the trigger of the musket, waiting for the defeated army.As soon as the first group of people appeared at the bend of the stairs, they were hit by oncoming bullets and fell to the ground.If the Marquis was among the first group, it would be dead.When Radu turned around to change his gun, the other enemies took the opportunity to go up to the third floor, and the Marquis walked last, the slowest. They thought the second floor was full of attackers, so they didn't dare to stay, they went all the way up to the third floor, into the hall of mirrors.There is an iron gate, there is a fuse, there is surrender or death. Like the besieged, Govan was also surprised by the shooting on the stairs. He didn't know where the reinforcements came from, but he didn't care about it, so he took the opportunity to cross the fortification with his men and forced the besieged to go upstairs with his sword. He came to the second floor and met Radu. Raduguang gave a military salute and said: "Only a minute, Commander. I did it. I remember the battle at Dole. I did it your way, flanking the enemy front and back." "Good student." Govan said with a smile. After a man has been in the dark for a while, his eyes adjust to it, like a night bird.Govan found Radu covered in blood. "You're hurt, man." "It doesn't matter, Commander. What does it matter if you have an extra ear or a missing ear? I got stabbed, who cares. A broken window pane always hurts. Besides, I'm not the only one who bleeds .” People took a short rest on the second floor, which was captured by Radu.Someone brought a lamp.Simuldan came to Govan's side. They are negotiating.You should really think about it.The assailant did not know the details of the besieged, their lack of ammunition, or how little powder the defenders of the fortress had left.The third floor was the last stronghold of the resisters, who may have planted explosives on the stairs. One thing is certain: the enemy cannot escape.Enemies who were not killed seemed to be locked in a cage.Lantenac is behind bars. Now that this is certain, Govan and the others can make a long-term plan and find the best possible ending.Many people have died.Excessive casualties should be avoided as much as possible in the final attack. The final battle will be very dangerous, and may encounter heavy firepower as soon as it comes up. The fight broke off.After occupying the ground floor and the second floor, the attackers waited for the leader's order to continue fighting.Govan and Simurdan are discussing.Radu listened in silence. Radu shyly saluted another military salute: "commander." "What's the matter, Radu?" "Am I entitled to a small reward?" "Of course. Tell me what you want." "I want to be the first one up." Govan couldn't refuse.Besides, Radu would do it even if he refused. While the people on the second floor are deliberating, the people on the third floor are building barricades.Victory breeds madness, defeat breeds fury.The two floors will smash into each other like crazy.The prospect of victory is intoxicating.The second floor is full of hope.If despair does not exist in the world, then hope is the greatest strength of human beings. Upstairs was full of despair. A calm, cool, dark despair. With nothing to hope for but this hall in which to hide, the first thing the besieged must do is to block the entrance.Closing the door won't help, it's better to block the stairs.Setting up roadblocks is the best policy, which is convenient for observation and combat. They were illuminated by the light of a torch, which Emmanus had planted on a torch holder on the wall, near the fuse. There was a large and heavy oak box in the room.Before the advent of furniture with drawers, people used it to hold clothes and daily linen products. They dragged the box to the landing and erected it.The box was firmly embedded in the stairway, blocking the approach, leaving only a narrow gap one person wide under the dome, so as to annihilate the invaders one by one.Most attackers would not dare to take this risk. After blocking the entrance, they took a short rest. They counted the number of people. Only seven of the nineteen remained, including Immanus.All were wounded, except Emmanus and the Marquis. The five wounded were still active, for in the heat of the fighting people move about if they are not mortally wounded.The five wounded were Chatneret, also known as Robbie, Genois, Vasner, also known as Goldsmith, Lover and the Great Warrior.Everyone else is dead. They were out of ammunition and the magazines were empty.They counted the bullets. How many bullets did the seven of them have in total? Four shots. They have come to the end of the road, driven to the brink of a gaping, terrible abyss.One more step forward and you will fall down. At this time, the attack started again, but it was slower and more stable.The assailant was beating the stairs with the butt of his gun to find his way. There is no escape.Escape from the library?The six cannons on the plateau with matchlocks were aiming at the library.Escape from the upper floors?What's the use?The upstairs leads to the platform, and when we get there, we have to jump down from the tower. The seven survivors of this extraordinary group are imprisoned within thick walls that protect them and betray them.They have not been captured by the enemy, but they are captured. The Marquis raised his voice: "My friends, it's all over." He paused and said: "Great warrior, be Father Thielmer once more." Everyone knelt down with their beads.The gun butts of the attackers came closer and closer. The big warrior's face was covered with blood. A bullet grazed his head just now, and a layer of scalp was removed.He holds up the cross in his right hand.The Marquis was basically a skeptic, but also got down on one knee. Big Warrior said: "Everyone confesses his faults aloud. Monseigneur, you speak first." Marquis said: "I killed people." "I killed people," Wasnar said. "I killed people," said Genuazzo. "I killed someone," said the lover. "I killed a man," Atney said. "I killed people," Emmanus said. "In the name of the Holy Trinity, I forgive you. May your souls be in peace." "Amen!" said all the voices. The Marquis stood up: "Now let's die." "Now let's kill," Emmanus said. The large wooden box blocking the door began to shake under the blow of the gun butt. "Think of God," said the priest, "for you the world no longer exists." "Yes," said the Marquis, "we are in the grave." Everyone bowed their heads and beat their breasts, only the marquis and the priest stood.The priest, with downcast eyes, was praying, the peasants were praying, the marquis was thinking.The big box seemed to be being hit by a hammer, making a gloomy sound. At this moment, a loud and lively voice suddenly sounded behind them: "I told you right, sir!" Everyone turned their heads in surprise. A hole appeared in the wall. A stone, embedded with other stones but not plastered, turns itself like a revolving door by means of two upper and lower screws, forming a hole in the wall.The stone rotates on the rotating shaft, so there are two passage openings, one on the right and one on the left; the passage is very narrow, but one person can pass through it.Inside the unexpected stone door, the first few steps of a spiral staircase can be seen.A face appeared at the mouth of the cave. The Marquis recognizes Almaro. "It's you, Almag." "It's me, sir. You see, the revolving stone is real, and you can get out here. I came just in time, so hurry up. You will be in the forest in ten minutes." "God is great!" said the priest. "Run away, my lord." Everyone shouted. "Go first, all of you," said the Marquis. "You are the first to go, my lord," said the Abbe Thielmer. "I'm the last." The Marquis said again in a stern tone; "Stop yielding back and forth. We have no time for humiliation. You are wounded. I command you to live and to flee. Quick! Use this exit. Thank you, Almalo." "Monsieur the Marquis," said the Abbe Thielmer, "shall we part?" "Scatter after going out. Only by acting alone can you escape." "My lord appointed us a meeting point?" "Yes. A clearing called Govan Stone. Do you know this place?" "We all know each other." "I'll go there at noon tomorrow. Anyone who can walk." "We'll go." "We will regroup," said the Marquis. At this moment, Almaro put his hands on the rotating stone and found that it was not moving.The hole could no longer be closed. "Sir," said he, "let's hurry up, the stone is not moving. I opened the passage, but it can't be closed again." The stone door has been abandoned for a long time, and the hinges seem to be rusted.Can no longer move it. "Sir," said Almaro, "I was going to close the stone again. When the blue army came in, they couldn't find anyone. I didn't understand what was going on. I thought you had turned into smoke. But the stone was disobedient, and the enemy The hole will be found, and you will be pursued. Don't lose a minute. Quick, all down the stairs." Emmanus put his hand on Almaro's shoulder and said: "Man, how long will it take to get out of here and get to the safety of the forest?" "There are no serious injuries?" Almalo asked. They replied: "No." "Then a quarter of an hour will suffice." "So," continued Immanus, "if the enemy comes after a quarter of an hour..." "They can chase us, but they can't catch up." "But," said the Marquis, "they'll be here in five minutes. The old box won't last long, and a few blows with the butt of the rifle will break it. A quarter of an hour! Who can hold them for a quarter of an hour?" "Me," Emmanus said. "You, Gutian the Noisy?" "It's me, my lord. Listen to me, five of the six of you are wounded. I haven't touched the skin at all." "Me too," said the Marquis. "You are the chief, my lord. I am a soldier. A chief and a soldier are two different things." "I know we have different responsibilities." "No, my lord, you and I have the same duty to save you." Emmanus turned to his companions and said: "Guys, you gotta hold the enemy down, hold them down as long as you can. Listen, I'm strong, I haven't shed a drop, I'm uninjured, and I can outlast you. Go away, you all. Leave me the gun, I'll come in handy. I hold the enemy for half an hour. How many loaded pistols?" "Four." "put it on the ground." People did what he said. "Okay. I'll stay. I'll show them. Now you go away." The situation was critical, and people didn't bother to thank him, but shook hands with him in a hurry. "See you later," said the Marquis. "No, my lord. I hope not, don't see you later, because I shall die." Everyone went down the narrow stairs one by one, the wounded going down first.At this moment, the Marquis picked up the pencil in the little notebook and wrote a few words on the stone that could no longer be turned and opened the door. "Come, sir, you are alone," said Almag. So Almalo went down the stairs. The Marquis followed him. Emmanus was left alone. Four pistols lay on the stone floor, for the room had no floor.Emmanus picked up two guns, one in each hand. He walked diagonally towards the stairway blocked and covered by the wooden box. The attackers evidently feared a surprise attack, fearing an explosion that would kill both sides.The first attack was turbulent; this time it was slow and cautious.They failed to knock down the crate, perhaps because they didn't want to.They knocked out the bottom of the box with the butts of their rifles, and poked holes in the lid with bayonets, through which they could peek into the interior before venturing in. The light that illuminated the stairs also came through the hole. Seeing an eye in the hole watching him, Emmanus pointed the gun sharply at the hole and pulled the trigger.The bullet was fired, and Immanus heard a terrible cry with excitement.The bullet shattered the eye and pierced the head, and the soldier who was watching turned over and fell on the stairs. The attacker dug two sizable holes in the lower part of the lid, and as an eye-catcher, Immanus stuck his arm through one of the holes and fired a second shot indiscriminately into the crowd.The bullet may have bounced several times, for there were several shouts and it appeared that three or four people had been killed or wounded.There was a commotion on the stairs, people giving way, retreating. Immanus threw away the two used guns and picked up the other two, and then, holding guns in both hands, he looked out of the box hole. He saw the first effect. The attacker returned to the bottom of the stairs.Several dying human mites lay on the stairs.Emmanus could see three or four steps above the turning of the stairs. He is waiting. "I'm stalling for time," he thought. At this moment, he saw someone climbing up the stairs, and at the same time, further down, a soldier's head appeared beside the main pillar of the spiral staircase.He took aim at the head and fired.With a scream, the soldier fell down.Immanus turned the last loaded pistol from his left hand to his right. 这时他感到一阵剧痛，也嚎叫起来。他的腹部中了一刀。一只手，刚才匍匐爬行的那个人的手，从木箱下部的第二个枪眼里伸了进来，往伊马纽斯的腹部刺了一刀。 伤口很可怕，腹部被刺穿了。 伊马纽斯没有倒下，他咬紧牙关说道： "very good!" 接着，他拖着身体，摇摇晃晃地靠近铁门旁的火炬，放下他，取下火炬，左手托着流出来的肠子，右手将火炬垂下，好点燃药线。 药线被点着，燃烧起来。伊马纽斯扔开火炬，火炬继续在地上燃烧。他又抓起枪。 他倒在石砖地上，但又抬起身来，用仅存的一口气吹旺药线的火苗。 火在蔓延，从铁门下过去，抵达桥一小城堡。 这时，伊马纽斯看到自己可憎的功绩，微笑了。罪行比德行更使他感到满足。他刚才是英雄，现在是杀人犯。他快要死了，喃喃说： “他们会记住我的。杀害他们的孩子，这是为我们的孩子，被关在唐普勒塔的小国王报仇。” 轰然一声，木箱被猛地推倒，一个人手持马刀冲了进来。 “是我拉杜。谁上来？我等得不耐烦，豁出去了。反正我捅了你们一个，现在向你们所有的人挑战。不管你们愿意不愿意，反正我来了。你们有多少人？” 这的确是拉杜，单枪匹马的拉杜。伊马纽斯刚才在楼梯上打死了人，戈万惟恐还埋有炸药，便让手下的人撤回来，自己和西穆尔丹商量对策。 拉杜手持马刀站在门口。几乎熄灭的火炬在黑暗中发出微光。他又问了一次： “我是单独一个人。你们有多少人？” 没有回音，他往前走。熄灭前的火炬光像回光反照一样，照亮了整个大厅。 拉杜看见挂在墙上的一块小镜子，走过去，照照自己血迹斑斑的脸和耷拉的耳朵，说道：“散了架的丑八怪。” 他回转身，惊讶地发现大厅空无一人。 “这里没有人！”他惊呼起来，“兵力是零。” 他看见那块旋转的石头，洞口和楼梯。 “呵，明白了。溜之大吉！你们都来呀！伙计们，来呀！他们走了，溜了，滚了，钻洞了！这座老塔是个破罐子，这些混蛋就是从这里跑掉的。开这种破玩笑，我们就治不了皮特和科布尔？魔鬼的仁慈天主来救援他们了！他们跑光了！” 一声枪响，子弹擦过他的臂肘，打在墙上。 “不。这儿有人。是谁在好心向我问好呀？” “是我。”一个声音说。 拉杜向前探头，看见昏暗中有个东西，那就是伊马纽斯。 “呵！”他喊道，“我抓住了一个。别的人都跑了，你可跑不了。” “是吗？”伊马纽斯回答说。 拉杜走了一步，站住说： “喂，你这人趴在地上，你是谁？” “我是趴在地上的人，我才瞧不起站着的人哩。” “你右手上是什么？” “手枪。” “左手呢？” “肠子。” “你被俘了。” “未必吧。” 伊马纽斯朝燃烧的药线低下头，用最后一口气吹旺火苗，断了气。 片刻以后，戈万、西穆尔丹，还有所有的人都进来了，都看见了那个洞口。他们搜索各个角落，察看那个楼梯，它通往一条沟壑。这的确是逃跑。他们摇晃伊马纽斯，他已经死了。戈万举灯观察那块使被围困者得以脱身的石头，他也曾听人说起这块转动的石头，但是他也以为是无稽之谈。他看见几个铅笔字，把灯凑过去，看到下面这几个字： 再见了，子爵先生。 朗特纳克盖尚也来到戈万身边。追击显然是白费力气，逃跑已经完结了，完成了。逃跑者可以自由自在地去整个地区：灌木丛、沟壑、矮林和房屋。他们肯定已走远了，无法抓住他们，何况整个富热尔森林就是一个无边的藏身所。what to do?一切又得重头来。戈万和盖尚彼此交换着失望和臆测。 西穆尔丹严肃地听着，一言不发。 “对了，盖尚。”戈万说，“梯子呢！” “它没有来，指挥官。” “我们不是看见一辆由士兵护送的大车吗？” “它运来的不是梯子。” "what is that?" “是断头台。”西穆尔丹说。 德?朗特纳克侯爵并未如他们所想的走得很远。 但他已十分安全，他们是追不上的。 他跟着阿尔马格。 他们在其他逃跑者后面走下楼梯，楼梯尽头是离沟壑和桥拱不远的。窄狭的圆穹通道。通道出口处有一条天然裂缝，它的一端是沟壑，另一端通往森林。裂缝在繁密茂盛、人迹难到的草木下境蜒，外面是看不见的。在这里找人更是不可能。逃跑者一旦来到这条裂缝，便可像蛇一样溜掉，无处可寻。秘密坑道的出口长满了荆棘，所以修地道的人认为不必再装什么门了。 侯爵现在只要逃走就行了，不用考虑伪装。来到布列塔尼以后，他一直穿着农民衣服，认为这样更像大领主。 他只是摘掉了剑，将皮带解开，扔掉了。 当阿尔马洛和侯爵从通道出来，到达裂缝时，其他五个人：吉努瓦佐、金枝瓦斯纳尔、痴情汉、夏特内和蒂尔莫神甫已不知去向。 “他们飞得可真快。”阿尔马洛说。 “你要像他们一样。”侯爵说。 “老爷让我先走？” “不错，我早对你说过，只有单独行动才能逃掉。一个人能逃掉的地方，两个人就逃不掉了。我们在一起会引人注意的。你会连累我，我也会连累你。” “老爷熟悉这地方？” "yes." “老爷在戈万石的约会按时举行？” “明天正午。” “我会去的。我们会去的、” 阿尔马洛稍作停顿，又说： “呵，老爷，想想我们曾经在大海上单独相处，我想杀您，而您是我的领主，您本可以告诉我，但您没有说！您真是个了不起的人！” 侯爵说： “英国。只有英国能帮助我们。十五天内英国人必须来法国。” “我有许多事要向老爷汇报。老爷交我办的事，我都办了。” “这事明天再谈吧。” “明天见，老爷。” “对了，你饿了吧？” “好像是的，老爷。我急着来，忘记今天吃过东西没有。” 侯爵从口袋里掏出一长块巧克力，一分为二，一半给了阿尔马洛，自己吃起了另一半。 “侯爵，”阿尔马洛说，“右边是沟，左边是森林。” “好的，你走吧。走你的吧。” 阿尔马洛顺从地钻进了黑暗。只听见荆棘在籁籁响，接着就没有声音了。几秒钟后再很难找到他的踪迹了。博卡热地区崎岖不平、草木茂盛，是逃亡者的最佳帮手。他们不是逃跑，而是消失得无影无踪。正是由于能迅速化整为零的特点且战且退的旺代、精于逃遁的旺代战士才使得我们的军队迟疑不前。 侯爵一动不动地呆着。他属于那种尽量不动感情的人，但他也不能不激动，因为在这么多的流血和屠杀以后，他终于呼吸到自由的空气。走投无路时又脱离险境，死在旦夕时又完全获救，绝处逢生，即使对朗特纳克这样的人来说，这也是震动。虽然他有过类似的经历，但他那冷静的心灵也不免感到瞬间的震憾。他承认自己感到高兴，但很快就控制了近乎欢乐的情绪。他掏出怀表，让它报时。What time is it now? 他大吃一惊，刚刚十点钟。一个人刚刚经历了生死存亡的生命大转折，总以为如此充实的时刻比其他时刻更长，因此对实际情况感到惊讶。那枚警告性炮弹是在日落前不久发射的。半小时后，七时到八时之间，夜幕初降时，图尔格就遭到突击队的攻击。这样看来，这场大战是在八时开始，十时结束的。全部史诗只持续了一百二十分钟。有时，灾难急速如闪电。巨大事件总是出人意外地简捷。 但是仔细想想，如果情况相反倒会令人吃惊。这么少的人在两小时里抵御了这么多的人，这已经很了不起了。十九人对付四千人，而战斗时间并不短，并不是一打就垮。 现在该走了，阿尔马洛肯定已走远。侯爵认为不必再留在这里。他把怀表放进另一个口袋，因为他发觉原来的口袋里还有伊马纽斯交还的铁门钥匙，它可能碰碎怀表玻璃。 他准备去森林了，但当他向左转时，似乎有一道朦胧的光射到他身上。 他向后转身，目光越过红色背景前轮廓清晰、脉络突然显得分明的荆棘，看到沟壑那边有一股强光。他高沟壑不过几步路，他朝它走去，但又转念一想，自己何必暴露在强光中哩。不论这是什么光，毕竞与他无关。他又按照阿尔马治指出的方向，朝森林走了几步。 他藏在荆棘深处，突然听见头顶上一声可怕的呼喊。呼声似乎来自深沟上方的高原边沿。侯爵抬起头，站住了。