D'Artagnan, the King Maker — page 187: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

176 The Grip of Porthos. much dreaded was the coast, still studded with wreckage, loomed up a tolerably large vessel, the one which had fired the guns. It was the more ponderous in appearance as it was of the old type, retaining in more than name the forecastle and the monstrous poop. It bore the royal standard of Spain. Farther off, nearing gradually, was another of like dimensions. But confronting them, on D’Artagnan’s left hand, each wave-top seemed transformed into an embarkation of some sort; the heaving sea was teeming with flashing oar and bellying sail. Vessels innumerable thronged the expanse to the very ‘horizon, where still more sails dotted the verge. “Peril of my soul!” cried the startled officer, “‘all the navies have made Salinas their rendezvous!’ The mere enumeration of their local names would fill pages of an archaic dictionary. But if dissimilar in build, size and rig, they were alike in their ensigns—on a white field of the universal flag, five black heads showed plainly. “The Moorish Chiefs killed by King Alfonso the De- liverer,” thought the Frenchman, delighted after having been stupefied. “That is the old Portuguese flag, not displayed these fifty years! Come on! come on!” shouted he, as if he could be heard a mile off; “you cannot overdo it !”’ With admirable manceuvring in so diverse a fleet, the larger vessels were seen to steer out free of the smaller ones, and take up position to form a barrier against the Spanish. The soldier criticized the operation with an unerring eye. “Surpassing fine!’ ejaculated he, clapping this hands. “Ts there a Richelieu of the ocean, then, who provides a million-and-a-half of floats for Don Juan, as ours did the same number in silver pieces?” “Tf there is, his name is Pedro!” uttered a voice, softly, in his ear. The new royal life guardsman spun round swiftly and with delight—and no awe—gripped the brown ‘hand of- fered him. “If my heart jumps like that again, it will be out of Eomicbooks..co