present himself there immediately and an absolute prohibition on leaving it. For his part, my Captain’s friend was forbidden from leaving the regiment… I think this damned horse will drive me insane… Hardly had the orders of the Minister arrived than my Captain, under the pretext of going to present his thanks for the favour bestowed on him, left for Court, where he pointed out that he himself was rich, but his comrade had the same right to the King’s graces, that the command which he had been given would reward his friend’s services and add to his small fortune – and this would for his part make him very happy. Since the Minister only had it in mind to separate these two strange men and since generous behaviour always has an effect on people, it was decided… Damned beast, can’t you keep your head straight… it was decided that my Captain would stay in the regiment and his friend would be transferred to take command of the fortress.
Hardly had they been separated when they realized how much they needed each other and they both fell into the most profound melancholy. My Captain asked for six months’ leave to go back home for a rest. When he was two leagues away from the garrison, he sold his horse, disguised himself as a peasant and made his way towards the fortress his friend commanded. It appears that this had been arranged between them. He arrived… Oh, go where you like! Is there another gibbet you’d like to visit?… It’s all right for you to laugh, Monsieur! I don’t find it at all funny!… He arrived. But it was written up above that, despite the precautions they took to hide the satisfaction they felt at seeing each other again and the care they took to approach each other with the external appearance of deference that might be expected of a peasant in the presence of the commanding officer of a fortress, some soldiers and some officers, who were by chance present at theirmeeting, and who happened to know of their past adventures, became suspicious and went to warn the adjutant of the fortress.
The adjutant, a careful man, was amused by the situation but did not fail to attach to it the importance it merited. He set spies around the Commandant. Their first report was that the Commandant hardly ever went out and the peasant not at all. It was impossible for these two men to live together for a week without their strange obsession taking hold of them and this did not fail to happen.
You can see, Reader, how obliging I am. If I had a mind to do it, I could whip on the horses pulling the black-draped carriage, I could assemble together at the door of the nearest cottage Jacques, his master, the excise men or the mounted constabulary and the rest of the cortège. I could interrupt the story of Jacques’ Captain and make you as impatient as I wanted to. But to do all that I would have to lie, and I don’t like lies unless they are necessary and useful. The fact is that Jacques and his master saw no more of the draped carriage and that Jacques, although he was still very worried about his horse’s behaviour, continued his story.
JACQUES : One day the spies reported to the adjutant that there had been a violent argument between the Commandant and the peasant and that after this they had gone off, the peasant leading the way with the Commandant following him reluctantly, to the house of a banker in the town and that they were still there.
Afterwards it transpired that in despair of ever seeing each other again, they had resolved to fight to the end. Ever conscious of the duties imposed by the most tender of friendships, even while in the throes of the most incredible ferocity, my Captain, who was rich, as I’ve told you… I hope, Monsieur, that you’re not going to condemn me to finish our journey on this bizarre animal… my Captain, who was rich, had insisted on his comrade agreeing to accept a bill of exchange for twenty-four thousand pounds which would provide him with enough means to
Hardly had they been separated when they realized how much they needed each other and they both fell into the most profound melancholy. My Captain asked for six months’ leave to go back home for a rest. When he was two leagues away from the garrison, he sold his horse, disguised himself as a peasant and made his way towards the fortress his friend commanded. It appears that this had been arranged between them. He arrived… Oh, go where you like! Is there another gibbet you’d like to visit?… It’s all right for you to laugh, Monsieur! I don’t find it at all funny!… He arrived. But it was written up above that, despite the precautions they took to hide the satisfaction they felt at seeing each other again and the care they took to approach each other with the external appearance of deference that might be expected of a peasant in the presence of the commanding officer of a fortress, some soldiers and some officers, who were by chance present at theirmeeting, and who happened to know of their past adventures, became suspicious and went to warn the adjutant of the fortress.
The adjutant, a careful man, was amused by the situation but did not fail to attach to it the importance it merited. He set spies around the Commandant. Their first report was that the Commandant hardly ever went out and the peasant not at all. It was impossible for these two men to live together for a week without their strange obsession taking hold of them and this did not fail to happen.
You can see, Reader, how obliging I am. If I had a mind to do it, I could whip on the horses pulling the black-draped carriage, I could assemble together at the door of the nearest cottage Jacques, his master, the excise men or the mounted constabulary and the rest of the cortège. I could interrupt the story of Jacques’ Captain and make you as impatient as I wanted to. But to do all that I would have to lie, and I don’t like lies unless they are necessary and useful. The fact is that Jacques and his master saw no more of the draped carriage and that Jacques, although he was still very worried about his horse’s behaviour, continued his story.
JACQUES : One day the spies reported to the adjutant that there had been a violent argument between the Commandant and the peasant and that after this they had gone off, the peasant leading the way with the Commandant following him reluctantly, to the house of a banker in the town and that they were still there.
Afterwards it transpired that in despair of ever seeing each other again, they had resolved to fight to the end. Ever conscious of the duties imposed by the most tender of friendships, even while in the throes of the most incredible ferocity, my Captain, who was rich, as I’ve told you… I hope, Monsieur, that you’re not going to condemn me to finish our journey on this bizarre animal… my Captain, who was rich, had insisted on his comrade agreeing to accept a bill of exchange for twenty-four thousand pounds which would provide him with enough means to
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