to him, "at Nantes,
you will make out, or we will make out, the intentions of your enemies;
we will have horses always ready to convey you to Poitou, a bark in
which to gain the sea, and when once upon the open sea, Belle-Isle is
your inviolable port. You see, besides, that no one is watching you, no
one is following." He had scarcely finished when they discovered at
a distance, behind an elbow formed by the river, the masts of a huge
lighter 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 patron of the bark, "that it
is a truly remarkable thing--that lighter comes along like a hurricane."

Gourville started, and mounted to the deck, in order to obtain a better
view.

Fouquet did not go up with him, but said to Gourville, with 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 plainly seen the white wake illumined with the fires of the
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 yonder oarsmen prove the contrary."

"Well they may," said one of the rowers, "they are twelve, and we 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 le surintendant, more
for the sake of haste than of respect.

"What does it mean?" said Gourville, endeavoring to distinguish beneath
the tent, which was already apparent, travelers which 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 patron.

Fouquet shuddered.

"By what sign 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 surintendant by a look which said: "You were
there yourself yesterday."

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

"By this, monsieur," said the patron; "these people must have set