panions.

They knew all they wished to know; the bastion was guarded. A longer
stay in this dangerous spot would have been useless imprudence.
D'Artagnan and his two companions turned their backs, and commenced a
retreat which resembled a flight.

On arriving at the angle of the trench which was to serve them as
a rampart, one of the Guardsmen fell. A ball had passed through his
breast. The other, who was safe and sound, continued his way toward the
camp.

D'Artagnan was not willing to abandon his companion thus, and stooped to
raise him and assist him in regaining the lines; but at this moment two
shots were fired. One ball struck the head of the already-wounded guard,
and the other flattened itself against a rock, after having passed
within two inches of d'Artagnan.

The young man turned quickly round, for this attack could not have come
from the bastion, which was hidden by the angle of the trench. The idea
of the two soldiers who had abandoned him occurred to his mind, and with
them he remembered the assassins of two evenings before. He resolved
this time to know with whom he had to deal, and fell upon the body of
his comrade as if he were dead.

He quickly saw two heads appear above an abandoned work within thirty
paces of him; they were the heads of the two soldiers. D'Artagnan had
not been deceived; these two men had only followed for the purpose of
assassinating him, hoping that the young man's death would be placed to
the account of the enemy.

As he might be only wounded and might denounce their crime, they came
up to him with the purpose of making sure. Fortunately, deceived by
d'Artagnan's trick, they neglected to reload their guns.

When they were within ten paces of him, d'Artagnan, who in falling had
taken care not to let go his sword, sprang up close to them.

The assassins comprehended that if they fled toward the camp without
having killed their man, they should be accused by him; therefore
their first idea was to join the enemy. One of them took his gun by
the barrel, and used it as he would a club. He aimed a terrible blow
at d'Artagnan, who avoided it by springing to one side; but by this
movement he left a passage free to the bandit, who darted off toward the
bastion. As the Rochellais who guarded the bastion were ignorant of the
intentions of the man they saw coming toward them, they fired upon him,
and he fell, struck by a ball which broke his shoulder.

Meantime d'Artagnan had thrown