CHRISTIAN, CARBON DE CASTEL-JALOUX, LE BRET, the CADETS, then CYRANO.

[Firing is heard in the distance.]

[Firing is heard again, nearer this time.]

[Those who have lifted up their heads prepare to sleep again.]

[He comes down. LE BRET advances anxiously to meet him.]

[He enters the tent and disappears.]

LE BRET:

It's terrible!

CARBON:

Not a morsel of food left.

LE BRET:

Mordious!

CARBON:

[making a sign that he should speak lower] Curse under your breath. You will awaken them. [to the CADETS] Hush! Go back to sleep. [to LE BRET] He who sleeps can dine by dreaming of food.

LE BRET:

That's not much comfort to those who cannot sleep! What starvation!

CARBON:

Oh, damn their firing! It will wake my boys. [to the CADETS, who lift up their heads] Go back to sleep!

A CADET:

[moving] Damn! Again!

CARBON:

’Tis nothing! It's just Cyrano coming back!

A SENTINEL:

[from offstage] Halt! Who goes there?

VOICE OF CYRANO:

Bergerac.

SENTINEL:

[on the embankment] Stop! Who goes there?

CYRANO:

[appearing at the top of the embankment] It's Bergerac, you idiot!

LE BRET:

Heavens!

CYRANO:

[making signs that he should not awaken the others] Hush!

LE BRET:

Are you wounded?

CYRANO:

No. You should know by now they make a habit of missing me every morning.

LE BRET:

This is too much! To risk your life every morning in order to deliver letters!

CYRANO:

[stopping before CHRISTIAN] I promised that he would write often. [He looks at CHRISTIAN.] He sleeps. How pale he is! But still handsome, despite his sufferings. If his poor lady-love knew that he is dying of hunger…

LE BRET:

Get yourself to bed, quickly.

CYRANO:

Don't scold me, Le Bret! The risk I take is smaller than you think.
I've found an easy spot to pass through the Spanish lines, where the men go to sleep drunk every night.

LE BRET:

You should try to bring us back some food next time.

CYRANO:

A man must carry no weight if he is to get by there! But there will be a surprise for us tonight. If I'm not mistaken, the French will either eat or die tonight.

LE BRET:

Oh! What's going on? Tell me!

CYRANO:

No, not yet. I'm not certain of it yet. You'll see.

CARBON:

We're the besiegers, and yet we're starving! How disgraceful!

LE BRET:

Alas, this siege is full of complications! While we're besieging, we ourselves are caught in a trap and are besieged by the Cardinal Infante of Spain.

CYRANO:

It would come full circle if he were besieged as well!

LE BRET:

This isn't funny. I'm serious.

CYRANO:

Oh! Of course!

LE BRET:

To think that you should risk your precious life everyday, for the sake of a letter. [seeing him turning to enter the tent] Where are you going?

CYRANO:

To write another one!