Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 229: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A SCENE UPON THE OCEAN. 213 the king’s men behind one, one has indeed the right to tremble a little. It is a presentiment which I have.”’ Belle-Rose, who was readjusting his saddle, shrugged his shoulders. A little more than half the distance had been crossed, when, on reaching Nouvion, Cornelius’ horse stumbled against a stone and felldown. At this place the road was rough; the Irishman bruised his hands and knees: he wished to rise and could not make a step; he had a sprained ankle. Déroute pulled out a handful of hair. ‘*You were right, my poor friend,’’ Cornelius said to him, ‘‘the misfortune has come to pass.”’ ‘*Please God that it is the only one!”’ said the sergeant, looking in the direction of Paris. Nevertheless, as Déroute was a man who had a practical philosophy over which presentiments had no influence, he did his best to assist Cornelius to remount his horse, and they pushed on as faras Bernay. The innkeeper of the place possessed an old carriage. The carriage was not so bad as it looked, but their progress was less rapid. At Cormont, as they arrived at the summit of a hill, Déroute, who was always looking behind him, saw in the distance a whirlwind of dust; a fiash of light came at times from this whirlwind. <A gust of wind suddenly swept the road. Déroute rose in his stirrups, and shading his eyes with his hand, he threw a rapid glance over the group of cavaliers who had just been unmasked. In a second Déroute was at the carriage door. ‘*Bouletord is coming,’’ said he, in his tranquil voice. Belle-Rose grabbed his pistols. ‘Drop those playthings,’’ said Déroute; ‘‘they would only serve to get us killed the more quickly. If we were on horseback, we might try them; but in a carriage, it should be a different method. ’’ ‘‘Better to be killed than retaken!’’ exclaimed Belle- se. ‘*Better still to be saved.”’ ‘*What do you wish to do?”’ ‘*You are going to see.”’ Déroute ran to the horses drawing the carriage and led them into an untraveled road, taking care to turn their heads in the direction of Bouletord. A cut of the whip made them leap upon a declivity, against which the car- riage overturned. **Good!’’ said he, ‘‘we are now going to throw ourselves behind this wall, the captain and myself. As to you, tha cComicbooks (eo)