Fight at the Red Dovecot

The Fight at the Red Dovecot is a pivotal nocturnal brawl in which Athos, Porthos, and Aramis defend the honor of a mysterious lady against four drunken assailants, an encounter that unexpectedly brings them face to face with Cardinal Richelieu himself and leads to the cardinal's discovery of their loyalty and discretion.

Setting and Background

The Red Dovecot was a drinking establishment on the route to Jarrie, discovered by Athos two days earlier. On the evening of the fight, the three Musketeers—Athos, Porthos, and Aramis—were returning from the tavern, mounted on their battle steeds and enveloped in their war cloaks, with their hands upon their pistol butts. They were quite on their guard, for fear of an ambuscade. The night was dark, and the road was quiet. The three friends rode together, occupying the middle of the road, when about a quarter of a league from the village of Boisnau they fancied they heard the sound of horses approaching them. They immediately halted, closed in, and waited. As the moon broke from behind a cloud, they saw at a turning of the road two horsemen who, on perceiving them, stopped in their turn, appearing to deliberate whether they should continue their route or go back. The hesitation created some suspicion in the three friends, and Athos, advancing a few paces in front of the others, cried in a firm voice, "Who goes there?"

The Encounter with the Cardinal

The two riders proved to be Cardinal Richelieu and his attendant. When Athos demanded the countersign, a clear voice accustomed to command replied, "Beware of what you are about, gentlemen!" Athos, recognizing the authority of the speaker, identified himself and his companions as King's Musketeers of the company of Treville. The cardinal, letting his cloak fall and uncovering his face, revealed himself. He questioned Athos closely, demanding his name three times before Athos finally gave it. The cardinal then revealed that he knew all three Musketeers by name, acknowledging that he knew they were not quite his friends but that he knew them to be brave and loyal gentlemen. He invited them to accompany him as an escort, saying he would have an escort to excite envy in his Majesty if they should meet him. The three Musketeers bowed to the necks of their horses and followed.

The Brawl at the Tavern

As they rode, Athos informed the cardinal that they had had a quarrel at the Red Dovecot with four ill-looking faces. When the cardinal expressed his displeasure at quarrelers, Athos explained the circumstances. The quarrel had arisen because the four men were drunk and, knowing there was a lady who had arrived at the cabaret that evening, they wanted to force her door. The three Musketeers had intervened to defend the lady's honor. In the ensuing fight, Aramis received a slight sword wound in the arm, but not enough to prevent him from mounting to the assault the next day. Athos, without drawing his sword, took the man who offended him round the body and threw him out of the window, breaking his thigh. Porthos, knowing that dueling was prohibited, seized a bench and gave one of the brigands such a blow that his shoulder was broken. Aramis, after trying to appease his comrades, was treacherously wounded across the left arm, then drew his sword and ran his attacker through the body. The three men were thus placed hors de combat in a single cabaret squabble.

The Cardinal's Reaction and Aftermath

The cardinal listened to this account with interest. When Athos mentioned that the lady had a cavalier shut up with her who did not show himself, the cardinal replied, "'Judge not rashly', says the Gospel." The cardinal then revealed that he himself was going to the Red Dovecot and would know if they had told him the truth. Athos replied haughtily that they were gentlemen and would not be guilty of a falsehood to save their heads. The cardinal accepted this assurance. When they arrived at the silent, solitary inn, the cardinal knocked three times in a peculiar manner. A man enveloped in a cloak came out immediately, exchanged some rapid words with the cardinal, then mounted his horse and set off in the direction of Surgeres, which was likewise the way to Paris. The cardinal then told the Musketeers, "You have told me the truth, my gentlemen, and it will not be my fault if our encounter this evening be not advantageous to you." He then alighted and entered the inn, leaving the three Musketeers to wait in a ground-floor chamber. The encounter at the Red Dovecot thus became the occasion for the cardinal to witness firsthand the courage and discretion of the three Inseparables, and to form a more favorable opinion of them despite their known opposition to his policies.