where first the healing of his wound, and then the want
of money, had detained him hitherto. He had travelled on foot, almost a
beggar. He gave exactly the same reasons for leaving Artigues as had
been given by the other Martin Guerre, namely, a domestic quarrel caused
by jealous suspicion, the desire of seeing other countries, and an
adventurous disposition. He had gone back to his birthplace, in Biscay;
thence he entered the service of the Cardinal of Burgos; then the
cardinal's brother had taken him to the war, and he had served with the
Spanish troops; at the battle of St. Quentiny--his leg had been shattered
by an arquebus ball. So far his recital was the counterpart of the one
already heard by the judges from the other man. Now, they began to
differ. Martin Guerre stated that he had been conveyed to a house by a
man whose features he did not distinguish, that he thought he was dying,
and that several hours elapsed of which he could give no account, being
probably delirious; that he suffered later intolerable pain, and on
coming to himself, found that his leg had been amputated. He remained
long between life and death, but he was cared for by peasants who
probably saved his life; his recovery was very slow. He discovered that
in the interval between being struck down in the battle and recovering
his senses, his papers had disappeared, but it was impossible to suspect
the people who had nursed him with such generous kindness of theft.
After his recovery, being absolutely destitute, he sought to return to
France and again see his wife and child: he had endured all sorts of
privations and fatigues, and at length, exhausted, but rejoicing at being
near the end of his troubles, he arrived, suspecting nothing, at his own
door. Then the terror of the old servant, a few broken words, made him
guess at some misfortune, and the appearance of his wife and of a man so
exactly like himself stupefied him. Matters had now been explained, and
he only regretted that his wound had not at once ended his existence.

The whole story bore the impress of truth, but when the other prisoner
was asked what he had to say he adhered to his first answers, maintaining
their correctness, and again asserted that he was the real Martin Guerre,
and that the new claimant could only be Arnauld du Thill, the clever
impostor, who was said to resemble himself so much that the inhabitants
of Sagias had agreed in mistaking him for the said Arnauld