"Sire, your majesty told me that there was a horse lying dead in the cross-road of the Bois-Rochin, and I began, therefore, by studying the roads. I say the roads, because the center of the cross-road is reached by four separate roads. The one that I myself took was the only one that presented any fresh traces. Two horses had followed it side by side; their eight feet were marked very distinctly in the clay. One of the riders was more impatient than the other, for the foot-prints of the one were invariably in advance of the other about half a horse's length." "Are you quite sure they came together?" said the king. "Yes, sire. The horses are two rather large animals of equal pace--horses well used to maneuvers of all kinds, for they wheeled round the barrier of the Rond-point together." "Well--and after?" "The two cavaliers paused there for a minute, no doubt to arrange the conditions of the engagement; the horses grew restless and impatient. One of the riders spoke, while the other listened and seemed to have contented himself by simply answering. His horse pawed the ground, which proves that his attention was so taken up by listening that he let the bridle fall from his hand." "A hostile meeting did take place, then?" "Undoubtedly." "Continue; you are a most accurate observer." "One of the two cavaliers remained where he was standing, the one, in fact, who had been listening; the other crossed the open space, and at first placed himself directly opposite to his adversary. The one who had remained stationary traversed the Rond-point at a gallop, about two-thirds of its length, thinking that, by this means he would gain upon his opponent; but the latter had followed the circumference of the wood." "You are ignorant of their names, I suppose?" "Completely so, sire. Only he who followed the circumference of the wood was mounted on a black horse." "How do you know that?" "I found a few hairs of his tail among the brambles which bordered the sides of the ditch." "Go on." "As for the other horse, there can be no trouble in describing him, since he was left dead on the field of battle." "What was the cause of his death?" "A ball which had passed through his temple." "Was the ball that of a pistol or a gun?" "It was a pistol-bullet, sire. Besides, the manner in which the horse was wounded explained to me the tactics of the man who had killed it. He had followed the circumference of the wood in order to take his adversary in flank. Moreover, I followed his foot-tracks on the grass." "The tracks of the black horse, do you mean?" "Yes, sire." "Go on, Monsieur d'Artagnan." "As your majesty now perceives the position of the two adversaries, I will, for a moment, leave the cavalier who had remained stationary for the one who started off at a gallop." "Do so." "The horse of the cavalier who rode at full speed was killed on the spot." "How do you know that?"