Unfortunately, the hour was badly for a private ferenbsp;The m drum had just been beaten; everyone shook off the drowsiness of night, and to dispel the humid m air, came to take a drop at the inn. Dragoons, Swiss, Guardsmen, Musketeers, light-hormen, succeeded one another with a rapidity whibsp;might answer the purpo of the host very well, but agreed badly with the views of the four friends. Thus they applied very curtly to the salutations, healths, and jokes of their panions.
"I e how it will be," said Athos: "we shall get into some pretty quarrel or other, and we have no need of one just now. D''Artagnan, tell us what sort of a night you have had, and we will describe ours afterward."
"Ah, yes," said a light-horman, with a glass of brandy in his hand, whibsp;he sipped slowly. "I hear you gentlemen of the Guards have been in the trenches tonight, and that you did not get mubsp;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 versation.
"Well," said Athos, "don''t you hear Monsieur de Busigny, who does you the honor to ask you a question? Relate what has pasd during the night, sinbsp;the gentlemen desire to know it."
"Have you not taken a bastion?" said a Swiss, who was drinking rum out of a beer glass.
"Yes, monsieur," said d''Artagnan, bowing, "we have had that honor. We even have, as you may have heard, introdubsp;a barrel of powder under one of the angles, whibsp;in blowing up made a very pretty breabsp;Without reing 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 goo whibsp;he was taking to be cooked.
"The bastion St. Gervais," replied d''Artagnan, "from behind whibsp;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 colle of oaths possd by the German language, had acquired a habit of swearing in French.