D'Artagnan, the King Maker — page 275: what you’re looking at

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

258 A Corporeal Shade. “Zounds! They shall not murder a poor old man for doing his duty!” protested Porthos. “Do you under- stand this?” Dispensing with his informant and his interpreter, he drew back a little, only to plunge forward with lowered head, like a bull. Expecting no onslaught from this quarter, the crowd gave way right and left, and his first rush brought ‘him nearly up to the door set in the wall. In the recess, with his only garment half stripped off, lay the janitor’s emaciated body. “We'll teach you how to lock doors! We'll show you how to scale walls!’’ cried his tormentors, flagellating him with his own blessed cord. “And I,” roared Porthos, opening his arms over the victim so forcibly that he sent half a dozen of the fore- most sprawling at their friend’s treet: Wak will teach you not to disgrace humanity !” The shout in the unknown tongue startled everybody, but when they saw, flaming with indignation and splendid with gold lace, this superhuman knight, a panic thrilled them all. From several white mouths was uttered the common impression: “Don Sebastian! The ghost of King Sebastian!” Whereupon, nearly everybody of susceptible feelings turned and fled. Porthos thought the field was clear, but he had not counted on another element of the horde; this was the scum of the Lazaretto-Jewry, such as he had been among on his first acquaintance with Lisbon. Outcasts, reveling in the withdrawal of all constitutional repression, they were intoxicated with their sudden freedom and draughts of beverage more potent that Quaqua’s. They, had a chance to vent their hatred for all controllers, priests, soldiers, watchmen, and they abused the opportunity. They did not seek the ammunition in the convent so much as wreaking their spite. They wanted the blood of this monk, as a representative of his order. Recovering from any superstitious fears at seeing the supposed ghost in their midst, very corporeal, they mus- tered to attack him, trampling the janitor under foot as they gathered. Porthos used his sword reversed as a mace, then smote Eomicbooks.co