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The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Vicomte De Bragelonne 79 at Prostate Health
"andwas comfortably digesting it, as you see. But come in, andtell me what brings you hither.""Good news, general.""Bah! Has Lambert sent us word that he will fightto-morrow?""No, but we have just captured a fishing-boat conveying fishto Newcastle.""And you have done very wrong, my friends. These gentlemenfrom London are delicate, must have their first course; youwill put them sadly out of humor this evening, and to-morrowthey will be pitiless. It would really be in good taste tosend back to Lambert both his fish and his fishermen, unless---- " and the general reflected an instant."Tell me," continued he, "what are these fishermen, if youplease?""Some Picard seamen who were fishing on the coasts of Franceor Holland, and who have been thrown upon ours by a gale ofwind.""Do any among them speak our language?""The leader spoke some few words of English."The mistrust of the general was awakened in proportion asfresh information reached him. "That is well," said he. "Iwish to see these men, bring them to me."An officer immediately went to fetch them."How many are there of them?" continued Monk; "and what istheir vessel?""There are ten or twelve of them, general, and they wereaboard of a kind of chasse-maree, as it is called --Dutch-built, apparently.""And you say they were carrying fish to Lamberts camp?""Yes, general, and they seem to have had good luck in theirfishing.""Humph! we shall see that," said Monk.At this moment the officer returned, bringing the leader ofthe fishermen with him. He was a man from fifty tofifty-five years old, but good-looking for his age. He wasof middle height, and wore a justaucorps of coarse wool, acap pulled down over his eyes, a cutlass hung from his belt,and he walked with the hesitation peculiar to sailors, who,never knowing, thanks to the movement of the vessel, whethertheir foot will be placed upon the plank or upon nothing,give to every one of their steps a fall as firm as if theywere driving a pile. Monk, with an acute and penetratinglook, examined the fisherman for some time, while the lattersmiled, with that smile half cunning, half silly, peculiarto French peasants."Do you speak English?" asked Monk, in excellent French."Ah! but badly, my lord," replied the fisherman.This reply was made much more with the lively and sharpaccentuation of the people beyond the Loire, than with theslightly-drawling accent of the countries of the west andnorth of France."But you do speak it?" persisted Monk, in order to examinehis accent once more."Eh! we men of the sea," replied the fisherman, "speak alittle of all languages.""Then you are a sea fisherman?""I am at present, my lord -- a fisherman, and a famousfisherman too. I have taken a barbel that weighs at leastthirty pounds, and more than fifty mullets; I have also somelittle whitings that will fry beautifully.""You appear to me to have fished more frequently in the Gulfof Gascony than in the Channel," said Monk, smiling."Well, I am from the south; but does that prevent me frombeing a good fisherman, my lord?""Oh! not at all; I shall buy your fish. And now speakfrankly; for whom did you destine them?""My lord, I will conceal nothing from you. I was going toNewcastle, following the coast, when a party of horsemen whowere passing along in an opposite direction made a sign tomy bark to turn back to your honors camp, under penalty ofa discharge of musketry. As I was not armed for fighting,"added the fisherman, smiling, "I was forced to submit.""And why did you go to Lamberts camp in preference tomine?""My lord, I will be frank; will your lordship permit me?""Yes, and even if need be shall command you to be so.""Well, my lord, I was going to M. Lamberts camp becausethose gentlemen from the city pay well -- whilst yourScotchmen, Puritans, Presbyterians, Covenanters, or whateveryou choose to call them, eat but little, and pay fornothing."Monk shrugged his shoulders, without, however, being able torefrain from smiling at the same time. "How is it that,being from the south, you come to fish on our coasts?""Because I have been fool enough to marry in Picardy.""Yes; but even Picardy is not England.""My lord, man shoves his boat into the sea, but God and thewind do the rest, and drive the boat where they please.""You had, then, no
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