26. The Rencontre.They rode on in this way for ten minutes. Suddenly two dark forms seemed to separate from the mass, advanced, grew in size, and as they loomed up larger and larger, assumed the appearance of two horsemen.
"Aha!" cried D’Artagnan, "they’re coming toward us."
"So much the worse for them," said Porthos.
"Who goes there?" cried a hoarse voice.
The three horsemen made no reply, stopped not, and all that was heard was the noise of swords drawn from the scabbards and the c*****g of the pistols with which the two phantoms were armed.
"Bridle in mouth!" said D’Artagnan.
Porthos understood him and he and the lieutenant each drew with the left hand a pistol from their bolsters and c****d it in their turn.
"Who goes there?" was asked a second time. "Not a step forward, or you’
