There is always something in a landing, if it be only fromthe smallest sea-boat - a trouble and a confusion which donot leave the mind the liberty of which it stands in need inorder to study at the first glance the new localitypresented to it. The movable bridges, the agitated sailors,the noise of the water on the pebbles, the cries andimportunities of those who wait upon the shores, aremultiplied details of that sensation which is summed up inone single result - hesitation. It was not, then, tillafter standing several minutes on the shore that D'Artagnansaw upon the port, but more particularly in the interior ofthe isle, an immense number of workmen in motion. At hisfeet D'Artagnan recognized the five chalands laden withrough stone he had seen leave the port of Pirial. Thesmaller stones were transported to the shore by means of achain formed by twenty-five or thirty peasants. The largestones were loaded on trollies which conveyed them in thesame direction as the others, that is to say, towards theworks of which D'Artagnan could as yet appreciate neitherthe strength nor the extent. Everywhere was to be seen anactivity equal to that which Telemachus observed on hislanding at Salentum. D'Artagnan felt a strong inclination topenetrate into the interior; but he could not, under thepenalty of exciting mistrust, exhibit too much curiosity. Headvanced then little by little, scarcely going beyond theline formed by the fishermen on the beach, observingeverything, saying nothing, and meeting all suspicion thatmight have been excited with a half-silly question or apolite bow. And yet, whilst his companions carried on theirtrade, giving or selling their fish to the workmen or theinhabitants of the city, D'Artagnan had gained ground bydegrees, and, reassured by the little attention paid to him,he began to cast an intelligent and confident look upon themen and things that appeared before his eyes. And his veryfirst glance fell on certain movements of earth about whichthe eye of a soldier could not be mistaken. At the twoextremities of the port, in order that their fires shouldconverge upon the great axis of the ellipsis formed by thebasin, in the first place, two batteries had been raised,evidently destined to receive flank pieces, for D'Artagnansaw the workmen finishing the platform and making ready thedemi-circumference in wood upon which the wheels of thepieces might turn to embrace every direction over theepaulement. By the side of each of these batteries otherworkmen were strengthening gabions filled with earth, thelining of another battery. The latter had embrasures, andthe overseer of the works called successively men who, withcords, tied the saucissons and cut the lozenges and rightangles of turfs destined to retain the matting of theembrasures. By the activity displayed in these works,already so far advanced, they might be considered asfinished: they were not yet furnished with their cannons,but the platforms had their gites and their madriers allprepared; the earth, beaten carefully, was consolidated; andsupposing the artillery to be on the island, in less thantwo or three days the port might be completely armed. Thatwhich astonished D'Artagnan, when he turned his eyes fromthe coast batteries to the fortifications of the city, wasto see that Belle-Isle was defended by an entirely newsystem, of which he had often heard the Comte de la Ferespeak as a wonderful advance, but of which he had as yetnever seen the application. These fortifications belongedneither to the Dutch method of Marollais, nor to the Frenchmethod of the Chevalier Antoine de Ville, but to the systemof Manesson Mallet, a skillful engineer, who about six oreight years previously had quitted the service of Portugalto enter that of France. The works had this peculiarity,that instead of rising above the earth, as did the ancientramparts destined to defend a city from escalades, they, onthe contrary, sank into it; and what created the height ofthe walls was the depth of the ditches. It did not take longto make D'Artagnan perceive the superiority of such asystem, which gives no advantage to cannon. Besides, as thefosses were lower than, or on a level with the sea, thesefosses could be instantly inundated by means of subterraneansluices. Otherwise, the works were almost complete, and agroup of workmen, receiving orders from a man who appearedto be conductor of the works, were occupied in placing thelast stones. A bridge of planks thrown over the fosses forthe greater convenience of the maneuvers connected with thebarrows, joined the interior to the exterior. With an air ofsimple curiosity D'Artagnan asked if he might be permittedto cross the bridge, and he was told that no order preventedit. Consequently he crossed the bridge, and advanced towardsthe group.

This group was superintended by the man whom D'Artagnan hadalready remarked, and who appeared to be theengineer-in-chief. A plan was lying open before him upon alarge stone forming a table, and at some paces from him acrane was in action. This engineer, who by his evidentimportance first attracted the attention of D'Artagnan, worea justaucorps, which, from its sumptuousness was scarcely inharmony with the work he was employed in, that rathernecessitated the costume of a master-mason than of a noble.He was a man of immense stature and great square shoulders,and wore a hat covered with feathers. He gesticulated in themost majestic manner, and appeared, for D'Artagnan only sawhis back, to be scolding the workmen for their idleness andwant of strength.

D'Artagnan continued to draw nearer. At that moment the manwith the feathers ceased to gesticulate, and, with his handsplaced upon his knees, was following, half-bent, the effortof six workmen to raise a block of hewn stone to the top ofa piece of timber destined to support that stone, so thatthe cord of the crane might be passed under it. The six men,all on one side of the stone, united their efforts to raiseit to eight or ten inches from the ground, sweating andblowing, whilst a seventh got ready against there should bedaylight enough beneath it to slide in the roller that wasto support it. But the stone had already twice escaped fromtheir hands before gaining a sufficient height for theroller to be introduced. There can be no doubt that everytime the stone escaped them, they bounded quickly backwards,to keep their feet from being crushed by the refallingstone. Every time, the stone, abandoned by them, sunk deeperinto the damp earth, which rendered the operation more andmore difficult. A third effort was followed by no bettersuccess, but with progressive discouragement. And yet, whenthe six men were bent towards the stone, the man with thefeathers had himself, with a powerful voice, given the wordof command, "Ferme!" which regulates maneuvers of strength.Then he drew himself up.

"Oh! oh!" said he, "what is all this about? Have I to dowith men of straw? Corne de boeuf! stand on one side, andyou shall see how this is to be done."

"Peste!" said D'Artagnan, "will he pretend to raise thatrock? that would be a sight worth looking at."

The workmen, as commanded by the engineer, drew back withtheir ears down, and shaking their heads, with the exceptionof the one who held the plank, who prepared to perform theoffice. The man with the feathers went up to the stone,stooped, slipped his hands under the face lying upon theground, stiffened his Herculean muscles, and without astrain, with a slow motion, like that of a machine, helifted the end of the rock a foot from the ground. Theworkman who held the plank profited by the space thus givenhim, and slipped the roller under the stone.

"That's the way," said the giant, not letting the rock fallagain, but placing it upon its support.

"Mordioux!" cried D'Artagnan, "I know but one man capable ofsuch a feat of strength."

"Hein!" cried the colossus, turning round.

"Porthos!" murmured D'Artagnan, seized with stupor, "Porthosat Belle-Isle!"

On his part, the man with the feathers fixed his eyes uponthe disguised lieutenant, and, in spite of hismetamorphosis, recognized him. "D'Artagnan!" cried he; andthe color mounted to his face. "Hush!" said he toD'Artagnan.

"Hush!" in his turn, said the musketeer. In fact if Porthoshad just been discovered by D'Artagnan, D'Artagnan had justbeen discovered by Porthos. The interest of the particularsecret of each struck them both at the same instant.Nevertheless the first movement of the two men was to throwtheir arms around each other. What they wished to concealfrom the bystanders, was not their friendship, but theirnames. But, after the embrace, came reflection.

"What the devil brings Porthos to Belle-Isle, liftingstones?" said D'Artagnan; only D'Artagnan uttered thatquestion in a low voice. Less strong in diplomacy than hisfriend, Porthos thought aloud.

"How the devil did you come to Belle-Isle?" asked he ofD'Artagnan; "and what do you want to do here?" It wasnecessary to reply without hesitation. To hesitate in hisanswer to Porthos would have been a check, for which theself-love of D'Artagnan would never have consoled itself.

"Pardieu! my friend, I am at Belle-Isle because you are."

"Ah, bah!" said Porthos, visibly stupefied with theargument, and seeking to account for it to himself, with thefelicity of deduction we know to be peculiar to him.

"Without doubt," continued D'Artagnan, unwilling to give hisfriend time to recollect himself, "I have been to see you atPierrefonds."

"Indeed!"

"Yes."

"And you did not find me there?"

"No, but I found Mouston."

"Is he well?"

"Peste!"

"Well, but Mouston did not tell you I was here."

"Why should he not Have I, perchance, deserved to lose hisconfidence?"

"No, but he did not know it."

"Well; that is a reason at least that does not offend myself-love."

"Then how did you manage to find me?"

"My dear friend, a great noble like you always leaves tracesbehind him on his passage; and I should think but poorly ofmyself, if I were not sharp enough to follow the traces ofmy friends." This explanation, flattering as it was, did notentirely satisfy Porthos.

"But I left no traces behind me, for I came here disguised,"said Porthos.

"Ah! You came disguised did you?" said D'Artagnan.

"Yes."

"And how?"

"As a miller."

"And do you think a great noble, like you, Porthos, canaffect common manners so as to deceive people?"

"Well, I swear to you, my friend, that I played my part sowell that everybody was deceived."

"Indeed! so well, that I have not discovered and joinedyou?"

"Yes; but how did you discover and join me?"

"Stop a bit. I was going to tell you how. Do you imagineMouston - - "

"Ah! it was that fellow, Mouston," said Porthos, gatheringup those two triumphant arches which served him foreyebrows.

"But stop, I tell you - it was no fault of Mouston'sbecause he was ignorant of where you were."

"I know he was; and that is why I am in such haste tounderstand - - "

"Oh! how impatient you are, Porthos."

"When I do not comprehend, I am terrible."

"Well, you will understand. Aramis wrote to you atPierrefonds, did he not?"

"Yes."

"And he told you to come before the equinox."

"That is true."

"Well! that is it," said D'Artagnan, hoping that this reasonwould mystify Porthos. Porthos appeared to give himself upto a violent mental labor.

"Yes, yes," said he, "I understand. As Aramis told me tocome before the equinox, you have understood that that wasto join him. You then inquired where Aramis was, saying toyourself, `Where Aramis is, there Porthos will be.' You havelearnt that Aramis was in Bretagne, and you said toyourself, `Porthos is in Bretagne.'"

"Exactly. In good truth, Porthos I cannot tell why you havenot turned conjurer. So you understand that arriving atRoche-Bernard, I heard of the splendid fortifications goingon at Belle-Isle. The account raised my curiosity, Iembarked in a fishing boat, without dreaming that you werehere: I came, and I saw a monstrous fine fellow lifting astone Ajax could not have stirred. I cried out, `Nobody butthe Baron de Bracieux could have performed such a feat ofstrength.' You heard me, you turned round, you recognizedme, we embraced; and, ma foi! if you like, my dear friend,we will embrace again."

"Ah! now all is explained," said Porthos; and he embracedD'Artagnan with so much friendship as to deprive themusketeer of his breath for five minutes.

"Why, you are stronger than ever," said D'Artagnan, "andstill, happily, in your arms." Porthos saluted D'Artagnanwith a gracious smile. During the five minutes D'Artagnanwas recovering his breath, he reflected that he had a verydifficult part to play. It was necessary that he alwaysshould question and never reply. By the time his respirationreturned, he had fixed his plans for the campaign.