At the same instant, Yves lifted a knife against the young man, which was about to fall upon him with all force of a Breton's arm, when the iron wrist of Porthos stopped it half-way.

Then, like low muttering thunder, his voice growled in the darkness, "I will not have him killed!" Biscarrat found himself between a protection and a threat, the one almost as terrible as the other.

However brave the young man might be, he could not prevent a cry escaping him, which Aramis immediately suppressed by placing a handkerchief over his mouth.

"Monsieur de Biscarrat," said he, in a low voice, "we mean you no harm, and you must know that if you have recognized us; but, at the first word, the first groan, the first whisper, we shall be forced to kill you as we have killed your dogs." "Yes, I recognize you, gentlemen," said the officer, in a low voice.
"But why are you here--what are you doing, here?
Unfortunate men! I thought you were in the fort." "And you, monsieur, you were to obtain conditions for us, I think ?" "I did all I was able, messieurs, but--" "But what ?" "But there are positive orders." "To kill us ?" Biscarrat made no reply.

It would have cost him too much to speak of the cord to gentlemen.