ght-horseman, with a glass of brandy in his hand,
which he sipped slowly. "I hear you gentlemen of the Guards have been
in the trenches tonight, and that you did not get much the best of the
Rochellais."

D'Artagnan looked at Athos to know if he ought to reply to this intruder
who thus mixed unasked in their conversation.

"Well," said Athos, "don't you hear Monsieur de Busigny, who does you
the honor to ask you a question? Relate what has passed during the
night, since these gentlemen desire to know it."

"Have you not taken a bastion?" said a Swiss, who was drinking rum out
of beer glass.

"Yes, monsieur," said d'Artagnan, bowing, "we have had that honor. We
even have, as you may have heard, introduced a barrel of powder under
one of the angles, which in blowing up made a very pretty breach.
Without reckoning that as the bastion was not built yesterday all the
rest of the building was badly shaken."

"And what bastion is it?" asked a dragoon, with his saber run through a
goose which he was taking to be cooked.

"The bastion St. Gervais," replied d'Artagnan, "from behind which the
Rochellais annoyed our workmen."

"Was that affair hot?"

"Yes, moderately so. We lost five men, and the Rochellais eight or ten."

"Balzempleu!" said the Swiss, who, notwithstanding the admirable
collection of oaths possessed by the German language, had acquired a
habit of swearing in French.

"But it is probable," said the light-horseman, "that they will send
pioneers this morning to repair the bastion."

"Yes, that's probable," said d'Artagnan.

"Gentlemen," said Athos, "a wager!"

"Ah, wooi, a vager!" cried the Swiss.

"What is it?" said the light-horseman.

"Stop a bit," said the dragoon, placing his saber like a spit upon the
two large iron dogs which held the firebrands in the chimney, "stop a
bit, I am in it. You cursed host! a dripping pan immediately, that I may
not lose a drop of the fat of this estimable bird."

"You was right," said the Swiss; "goose grease is kood with basdry."

"There!" said the dragoon. "Now for the wager! We listen, Monsieur
Athos."

"Yes, the wager!" said the light-horseman.

"Well, Monsieur de Busigny, I will bet you," said Athos, "that my three
companions, Messieurs Porthos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan, and myself, will
go and breakfast in the bastion St. Gervais, and we will remain there an
hour, by the watch, whatever the enemy may do to dislodge us."

Porthos and Aramis looked at ea