imposture upon the British and Austrian

millionaires. In painting and gemmary,

Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a
quack, but in the matter of old wines he was
sincere. In this respect I did not differ from
him materially; --I was skilful in the Italian
vintages myself, and bought largely
whenever I could. It was about dusk, one
evening during the supreme madness of the
carnival season, that I encountered my
THE CASK OF friend. He accosted me with excessive
warmth, for he had been drinking much. The
AMONTILLADO man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting
parti-striped dress, and his head was
By Edgar Allan Poe - Published 1847 surmounted by the conical cap and bells. I
was so pleased to see him that I thought I
The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had should never have done wringing his hand. I
borne as I best could, but when he ventured said to him --"My dear Fortunato, you are
upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so luckily met. How remarkably well you are
well know the nature of my soul, will not looking to-day. But I have received a pipe of
suppose, however, that gave utterance to a what passes for Amontillado, and I have my
threat. At length I would be avenged; this doubts."
was a point definitely, settled --but the very
definitiveness with which it was resolved "How?" said he. "Amontillado, A pipe?
precluded the idea of risk. I must not only Impossible! And in the middle of the
punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is carnival!""I have my doubts," I replied; "and
unredressed when retribution overtakes its I was silly enough to pay the full Amontillado
redresser. It is equally unredressed when price without consulting you in the matter.
the avenger fails to make himself felt as You were not to be found, and I was fearful
such to him who has done the wrong. It of losing a bargain." "Amontillado!" "I have
must be understood that neither by word nor my doubts." "Amontillado!" "And I must
deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt satisfy them." "Amontillado!" "As you are
my good will. I continued, as was my in to engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If any
smile in his face, and he did not perceive one has a critical turn it is he. He will tell me
that my to smile now was atthe thought of --" "Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from
his immolation. Sherry." "And yet some fools will have it that
his taste is a match for your own. "Come, let
He had a weak point --this Fortunato -- us go." "Whither?" "To your vaults." "My
although in other regards he was a man to friend, no; I will not impose upon your good
be respected and even feared. He prided nature. I perceive you have an engagement.
himself on his connoisseurship in wine. Few Luchresi--" "I have no engagement; --
Italians have the true virtuoso spirit. For the come." "My friend, no. It is not the
most part their enthusiasm is adopted to suit engagement, but the severe cold with which
the time and opportunity, to practise I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are
insufferably damp. They are encrusted with You are rich, respected, admired, beloved;
nitre." "Let us go, nevertheless. The cold is you are happy, as once I was. You are a
merely nothing. Amontillado! You have been man to be missed. For me it is no matter.
imposed upon. And as for Luchresi, he We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot
cannot distinguish Sherry from be responsible. Besides, there is Luchresi
Amontillado." Thus speaking, Fortunato --" "Enough," he said; "the cough's a mere
possessed himself of my arm; and putting nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a
on a mask of black silk and drawing a cough." "True --true," I replied; "and, indeed,
roquelaire closely about my person, I I had no intention of alarming you
suffered him to hurry me to my palazzo. unnecessarily --but you should use all
proper caution. A draught of this Medoc will
There were no attendants at home; they defend us from the damps. Here I knocked
had absconded to make merry in honour of off the neck of a bottle which I drew from a
the time. I had told them that I should not long row of its fellows that lay upon the
return until the morning, and had given them mould.
explicit orders not to stir from the house.
These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to "Drink," I said, presenting him the wine. He
insure their immediate disappearance, one raised it to his lips with a leer. He paused
and all, as soon as my back was turned. I and nodded to me familiarly, while his bells
took from their sconces two flambeaux, and jingled. "I drink," he said, "to the buried that
giving one to Fortunato, bowed him through repose around us." "And I to your long life."
several suites of rooms to the archway that He again took my arm, and we proceeded.
led into the vaults. I passed down a long "These vaults," he said, "are extensive."
and winding staircase, requesting him to be "The Montresors," I replied, "were a great
cautious as he followed. We came at length and numerous family." "I forget your arms."
to the foot of the descent, and stood "A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure;
together upon the damp ground of the the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose
catacombs of the Montresors. The gait of fangs are imbedded in the heel." "And the
my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon motto?" "Nemo me impune lacessit."
his cap jingled as he strode. "The pipe," he "Good!" he said. The wine sparkled in his
said. "It is farther on," said I; "but observe eyes and the bells jingled. My own fancy
the white web-work which gleams from grew warm with the Medoc. We had passed
these cavern walls." He turned towards me, through long walls of piled skeletons, with
and looked into my eves with two filmy orbs casks and puncheons intermingling, into the
that distilled the rheum of intoxication. inmost recesses of the catacombs. I paused
again, and this time I made bold to seize
"Nitre?" he asked, at length. "Nitre," I Fortunato by an arm above the elbow.
replied. "How long have you had that
cough?" "Ugh! ugh! ugh! --ugh! ugh! ugh! -- "The nitre!" I said; "see, it increases. It
ugh! ugh! ugh! --ugh! ugh! ugh! --ugh! ugh! hangs like moss upon the vaults. We are
ugh!" My poor friend found it impossible to below the river's bed. The drops of moisture
reply for many minutes. "It is nothing," he trickle among the bones. Come, we will go
said, at last. "Come," I said, with decision, back ere it is too late. Your cough --" "It is
"we will go back; your health is precious. nothing," he said; "let us go on. But first,
another draught of the Medoc." I broke and roof of the catacombs, and was backed by
reached him a flagon of De Grave. He one of their circumscribing walls of solid
emptied it at a breath. His eyes flashed with granite.
a fierce light. He laughed and threw the
bottle upwards with a gesticulation I did not It was in vain that Fortunato, uplifting his
understand. I looked at him in surprise. He dull torch, endeavoured to pry into the depth
repeated the movement --a grotesque one. of the recess. Its termination the feeble light
"You do not comprehend?" he said. "Not I," did not enable us to see. "Proceed," I said;
I replied. "Then you are not of the "herein is the Amontillado. As for Luchresi
brotherhood." "How?" "You are not of the --" "He is an ignoramus," interrupted my
masons." "Yes, yes," I said; "yes, yes." friend, as he stepped unsteadily forward,
"You? Impossible! A mason?" "A mason," I while I followed immediately at his heels. In
replied. "A sign," he said, "a sign." "It is niche, and finding an instant he had
this," I answered, producing from beneath reached the extremity of the niche, and
the folds of my roquelaire a trowel. "You finding his progress arrested by the rock,
jest," he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces. stood stupidly bewildered. A moment more
"But let us proceed to the Amontillado.""Be and I had fettered him to the granite. In its
it so," I said, replacing the tool beneath the surface were two iron staples, distant from
cloak and again offering him my arm. He each other about two feet, horizontally.
leaned upon it heavily. We continued our From one of these depended a short chain,
route in search of the Amontillado. We from the other a padlock. Throwing the links
passed through a range of low arches, about his waist, it was but the work of a few
descended, passed on, and descending seconds to secure it. He was too much
again, arrived at a deep crypt, in which the astounded to resist. Withdrawing the key I
foulness of the air caused our flambeaux stepped back from the recess. "Pass your
rather to glow than flame. hand," I said, "over the wall; you cannot
help feeling the nitre. Indeed, it is very
At the most remote end of the crypt there damp. Once more let me implore you to
appeared another less spacious. Its walls return. No? Then I must positively leave
had been lined with human remains, piled to you. But I must first render you all the little
the vault overhead, in the fashion of the attentions in my power." "The Amontillado!"
great catacombs of Paris. Three sides of ejaculated my friend, not yet recovered from
this interior crypt were still ornamented in his astonishment. "True," I replied; "the
this manner. From the fourth side the bones Amontillado."
had been thrown down, and lay
promiscuously upon the earth, forming at As I said these words I busied myself
one point a mound of some size. Within the among the pile of bones of which I have
wall thus exposed by the displacing of the before spoken. Throwing them aside, I soon
bones, we perceived a still interior crypt or uncovered a quantity of building stone and
recess, in depth about four feet, in width mortar. With these materials and with the
three, in height six or seven. It seemed to aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall
have been constructed for no especial use up the entrance of the niche. I had scarcely
within itself, but formed merely the interval laid the first tier of the masonry when I
between two of the colossal supports of the discovered that the intoxication of Fortunato
had in a great measure worn off. The voice, which I had difficulty in recognizing as
earliest indication I had of this was a low that of the noble Fortunato.
moaning cry from the depth of the recess. It
was not the cry of a drunken man. There The voice said-- "Ha! ha! ha! --he! he! he! --
was then a long and obstinate silence. I laid a very good joke, indeed --an excellent jest.
the second tier, and the third, and the We will have many a rich laugh about it at
fourth; and then I heard the furious the palazzo --he! he! he! --over our wine --
vibrations of the chain. The noise lasted for he! he! he!" "The Amontillado!" I said. "He!
several minutes, during which, that I might he! he! --he! he! he! --yes, the Amontillado.
hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I But is it not getting late? Will not they be
ceased my labours and sat down upon the awaiting us at the palazzo, the Lady
bones. When at last the clanking subsided, I Fortunato and the rest? Let us be gone."
resumed the trowel, and finished without "Yes," I said, "let us be gone." "For the love
interruption the fifth, the sixth, and the of God, Montresor!" "Yes," I said, "for the
seventh tier. The wall was now nearly upon love of God!" But to these words I
a level with my breast. I again paused, and hearkened in vain for a reply. I grew
holding the flambeaux over the mason- impatient. I called aloud -- "Fortunato!" No
work, threw a few feeble rays upon the answer. I called again -- "Fortunato!" No
figure within. A succession of loud and shrill answer still. I thrust a torch through the
screams, bursting suddenly from the throat remaining aperture and let it fall within.
of the chained form, seemed to thrust me There came forth in return only a jingling of
violently back. For a brief moment I the bells. My heart grew sick; it was the
hesitated, I trembled. Unsheathing my dampness of the catacombs that made it so.
rapier, I began to grope with it about the I hastened to make an end of my labour. I
recess; but the thought of an instant forced the last stone into its position; I
reassured me. I placed my hand upon the plastered it up. Against the new masonry I
solid fabric of the catacombs, and felt re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the
satisfied. I reapproached the wall; I replied half of a century no mortal has disturbed
to the yells of him who clamoured. I re- them. In pace requiescat!
echoed, I aided, I surpassed them in volume
and in strength. I did this, and the clamourer
grew still.

It was now midnight, and my task was

drawing to a close. I had completed the
eighth, the ninth and the tenth tier. I had
finished a portion of the last and the
eleventh; there remained but a single stone
to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with
its weight; I placed it partially in its destined
position. But now there came from out the
niche a low laugh that erected the hairs
upon my head. It was succeeded by a sad