Chapter 37 - Page 2

which was coming down. The rowers of Fouquet’s boat uttered a cry of surprise on seeing this galley.

“What is the matter?” asked Fouquet.

“The matter is, Monseigneur,” replied the skipper of the boat, “that it is a truly remarkable thing,- that lighter comes along like a hurricane.”

Gourville started and mounted on the deck, in order to see the better.

Fouquet did not go up with him; but he said to Gourville with a restrained mistrust, “See what it is, dear friend.”

The lighter had just passed the elbow. It came on so fast that behind it might be seen to tremble the white train of its wake illumined with the fires of day.

“How they go!” repeated the skipper,- “how they go! They must be well paid! I did not think,” he added, “that oars of wood could behave better than ours, but those yonder prove the contrary.”

“Well they may,” said one of the rowers; “they are twelve, and we are but eight.”

“Twelve rowers!” replied Gourville, “twelve! impossible!”

The number of eight rowers for a lighter had never been exceeded, even for the King. This honor had been paid to Monsieur the Superintendent, even more for haste than out of respect.

“What does that mean?” said Gourville, endeavoring to distinguish beneath the tent, which was already apparent, the travellers, whom the most piercing eye could not yet have succeeded in discovering.

“They must be in a hurry, for it is not the King,” said the skipper.

Fouquet shuddered.

“By what do you know that it is not the King?” said Gourville.

“In the first place because there is no white flag with fleurs-de-lis, which the royal lighter always carries.”

“And then,” said Fouquet, “because it is impossible it should be the King, Gourville, as the King was still in Paris yesterday.”

Gourville replied to the superintendent by a look which said, “You were there yourself yesterday.”

“And by what do you make out they are in such haste?” added he, for the sake of gaining time.

“By this, Monsieur,” said the skipper: “these people must have set out a long while after us, and they have already nearly overtaken us.”

“Bah!” said Gourville, “who told you that they do not come from Beaugency or from Niort even?”

“We have seen no lighter of that force, except at Orleans. It comes from Orleans, Monsieur, and makes great haste.”

Fouquet and Gourville exchanged a glance. The skipper remarked their uneasiness, and to mislead him, Gourville immediately said, “It is some