Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds

On the road to Meune, Dogtanian is insulted by a cavalier with a black moustache, who calls him a country bumpkin. Sandy is too slow to catch up to his black horse, but when Dogtanian stops at an inn in Meune he discovers the man is his fellow-guest. He demands a duel, which is interrupted by the arrival of Milady. The man with the black moustache, who is anxious to keep his identity a secret, instructs Milady to go to England and spy on the Duke of Buckingham, who is suspected of having an affair with the Queen of France. Dogtanian is struck by the beauty of Milady. He demands to continue the duel, but the cavalier's squire and the innkeeper beat him to within an inch of his life. His money is taken to pay the innkeeper and the mysterious man takes his letter of introduction to Monsieur Treville. Dogtanian is badly hurt, but recovers with the help of the healing ointment his mother gave to him. He recovers his sword, which is being used as a kebab skewer, but must leave Sandy behin

Dogtanian is walking to Paris, carrying his saddle. On the road he is splashed by a coach and chases angrily after it. The occupant, a pretty young lady, apologises and cleans him off, winning his heart and leaving him with her handkerchief. Once in Paris, Dogtanian goes to the Muskehounds' headquarters and is told he must fight and defeat all the other young hopefuls before he can see Monsieur Treville. But his sword is broken, so he finds work with a swordsmith to earn a new one. After a day of sharpening weapons he is given a poor-quality sword. The girl from the road questions the swordsmith about his assistant, but by this time Dogtanian is gone. She buys an expensive sword. Tired and hungry, Dogtanian wanders the streets. When he stops to rest under a tree he is set upon by ruffians and forced to move on. A guard spots him and tries to arrest him as a vagrant. He collapses in the street and is woken by water falling on him. When he protests he sees that the culprit is his n

Dogtanian is awoken from a dream of Juliette by her uncle, who tells him he was brought into their house unconscious and can stay as long as he wants. He and Dogtanian rush out to watch a fight, which turns out to be Athos, the strongest of the Musketeers, fighting four of the Cardinal's Guards with his bare hands. Dogtanian learns of the rivalry between the two groups. One of the defeated guards happens to bear a strong resemblance to the Musketeer Porthos. Dressed in an identical uniform, he robs civilians while claiming to be Porthos. Dogtanian surprises him in the act of taking money from two women, and chases him. In the forest they encounter the third of the Muskehound trio, Aramis. He discourages the false Porthos from stealing his horse but will not help Dogtanian chase the thief, preferring to pray for his soul The Captain of the Guards, Widimer, leads a band of men to arrest Porthos. Dogtanian is at their head, for he believes he saw Porthos in the act of robbing innocen

It is a fine morning, and Dogtanian goes to see Monsieur Treville. He arrives at the Musketeers' headquarters just as Widimer rides up to arrest Athos and Aramis for drawing their swords on the Cardinal's Guards. Treville appears and points out that if the guards drew their swords also then they are guilty too - of fighting a duel, which His Majesty's law forbids. Widimer is defeated but spots Dogtanian and orders his men to arrest him. After a comedy chase through the streets of Paris, Dogtanian escapes by leaping from a rooftop onto a carriage, which by chance is taking a Countess and her son to see Monsieur Treville in the hope that the boy, Terence, can join the Musketeers. Treville is cautioning Athos and Aramis about their duelling activities when the Countess arrives. After dealing with her, he hears a fight outside and, investigating, sees Dogtanian fighting two of Widimer's men. He demands to know the name of this courageous young man. Dogtanian wins, and Widimer is about t

Still chasing the Man with the Black Moustache, Dogtanian bumps into Athos, who is showing off his fancy new baldric to an admiring guard. In the scuffle with Dogtanian it is revealed that the back part of the baldric is missing. Athos has been made to look silly, and he challenges Dogtanian to a duel. Next Dogtanian meets Aramis entertaining a lady friend. He also gets angry with the youngster and challenges him to a fight. Meanwhile his quarry, who is actually Count Rochefort, a spy for Cardinal Richelieu, gets away. Widimer learns that the Musketeers are going to duel and plans to catch them red-handed breaking the law. Dogtanian arrives for the duel and finds that Porthos has picked Athos and Aramis as his seconds. Noticing that Porthos is troubled by his wound, he offers him the healing ointment, but Porthos refuses. They fight, and prove to be evenly matched. When they are exhausted Widimer's men step in to arrest them, but Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds resist arrest and

Dogtanian sets out for the Musketeers' headquarters, where he is given a hero's welcome. However, Treville tells him he cannot become a Musketeer immediately. As a reward he is taken to the Palace gardens, where he slips away looking for Juliette and gets in a tangle with the royal underwear. Treville, meanwhile, has an audience with the King, but Cardinal Richelieu is there too. He wants his Guards to take over from the Musketeers as the guardians of the Palace, and suggests a test: if the Musketeers cannot go one day without drawing their swords, they will lose their traditional job. As Monsieur Treville announces this to his men, Dogtanian spots his horse Sandy in the street and runs to him. The stable-hand from Meune, Planchet, has brought him, and Dogtanian goes in search of his friends so he can borrow money to pay him. He finds Athos, Porthos and Aramis being humiliated at the hands of three of the Cardinal's Guards, after rescuing a comrade from their clutches, and cannot un

While Dogtanian dreams of his beloved Juliette, she is at the Palace being given instructions by the Queen to take a message to the Duke of Buckingham. If he and the Queen are found conspiring it will be disastrous for Anne and France itself. Juliette uses a walk with Dogtanian as cover for her mission, but Widimer follows them. While Dogtanian is chasing him off Juliette slips away, leaving a note in which she apologises and asks Dogtanian to meet her at the Pomme de Pup that night. The Three Muskehounds accompany Dogtanian to the restaurant as protection. Widimer and his guards come in and start a fight, but are beaten and humiliated once more. But eight o'clock comes and Juliette does not appear; she has been kidnapped by Count Rochefort and a party of guards.

Dogtanian comes in depressed from his date, for which Juliette never showed up. Her uncle is also worried, and more so when Rochefort rides up to tell him that he is holding Juliette prisoner. Dogtanian, Sandy and Planchet set out to look for her but fall asleep under a tree, exhausted. Juliette, prisoner in a cottage in the woods, tries to escape from her guard but is caught and tied up. She uses her mirror to flash a signal from the window. Sandy sees it and finds her, and takes the mirror back to Dogtanian. But Rochefort tricks the friends into pursuing him while Juliette is still in the cottage. Meanwhile Widimer, utterly disgraced in the eyes of the Cardinal, is wandering the streets drunk when he comes across Aramis and a lady friend. Mistaking Aramis for Buckingham, he challenges him but realises the mistake and runs off. Aramis sees Dogtanian pass by and asks what's wrong, but Dogtanian can only shake his head and howl for Juliette.

Juliette's uncle is kidnapped by the same trio who took Juliette. She, meanwhile, is being held by Rochefort's squire. She outwits him and flees, but Rochefort is already on his way to the cottage and soon discovers her escape. Rochefort and the Squire pursue Juliette, who falls into the river. Rochefort allows her to think she has got away so she will lead him to Buckingham. Juliette steals a boat and sets off for Paris, but is thwarted by a low bridge just as she meets Dogtanian and Planchet. The boat capsized, the three are drying their clothes when the boat's owner, an otter, comes by looking for it. He gives them a lift to Paris and Juliette arranges to meet Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds at the Ile St Louis. However, the island is guarded by the Cardinal's men. On Rochefort's order the Guards do not fight, but Juliette slips away in the confusion.

Dogtanian, Planchet and Sandy are still searching for Juliet. On the run from the Cardinal's Guards, she meets Planchet and begs him to lend her Sandy. She returns the horse but promptly disappears again. Meanwhile Richelieu, incensed by his subordinates' failures, turns to Milady in a bid to prevent the meeting between the Queen and the Duke of Buckingham. Milady lures Dogtanian to her house, where she drugs him and orders him to kill the Queen. Having disposed of the guards, Dogtanian enters the Queen's bedroom as Juliette is telling her of her failed mission. The Queen foils the attempt on her life, knocking Dogtanian unconscious. When he comes round he is himself again. Juliette helps him escape just as the King and the Cardinal burst in and take him to safety through a secret passage, but is angry with him for being so easily seduced by a beautiful lady. She confesses her love for Dogtanian, which leaves him jumping for joy.

The Cardinal and his accomplices are still trying to prove that a Musketeer attempted to kill the Queen, in order to disgrace Treville and assume sole command of the King's forces. Porthos reveals that he knows a lot about Milady. Treville decides to keep Dogtanian a prisoner in the Bastille until the affair blows over. Juliette eludes Widimer only to be captured by Milady. She escapes, they fight, and Juliette falls into a gorge. Dogtanian is tricked into believing that Juliette is a prisoner and goes to the rescue with the Three Muskehounds, though all risk expulson from the Musketeers for disobeying orders. They fall into the Cardinal's trap and are greatly outnumbered by guardsmen armed with spears and rifles. At the last moment Treville arrives with the entire corps of Musketeers, pretending to be on manoeuvres, and leads them to safety.

Rochefort brings the Cardinal bad news: Juliette has disappeared. Richelieu is furious. Back at home, Dogtanian's lunch vanishes. The culprit is Pip, a mouse whose family have lived in the house for generations. When the Cardinal's Guards break in, Pip helps Dogtanian spy on them and discover their plans. Juliette returns to the house and is captured. Dogtanian fights off the guards and Juliette escapes - straight into the arms of Widimer, who is in drag. The Three Muskehounds appear in the nick of time.

The Cardinal's men still have not captured Juliette; Rochefort blames the 'young upstart' Dogtanian. It is imperative that she be prevented from reaching Buckingham. The guards come to Dogtanian's house, but he and Juliet escape while Pip causes a diversion. Porthos pretends to be Dogtanian and is arrested. Dogtanian takes Juliet to Porthos' house, but she is impatient and leaves. Dogtanian searches for her throughout Paris, causing chaos as he assaults anything in a pink dress. He eventually finds her with another man and flies into a rage, but apologises when he learns that this is the Duke of Buckingham, the 'Prime Minister of Engerland', and escorts them to the Palace. The Cardinal's men still have not captured Juliette; Rochefort blames the 'young upstart' Dogtanian. It is imperative that she be prevented from reaching Buckingham. The guards come to Dogtanian's house, but he and Juliet escape while Pip causes a diversion. Porthos pretends to be Dogtanian and is arrested. Dog

Dogtanian and Pip are indulging in a little horseplay when they run into a beautiful lady. She turns out to be none other than Milady, and tricks Dogtanian into losing his nice new dagger. He manages to snatch it back and he and the Three Muskehounds pursue Milady on horseback, but she gets away. Richelieu, meanwhile, has a cunning plan to disgrace the Queen by persuading the King to hold a ball at which his wife should wear her diamond studs, now in England in Buckingham's possession. He dispatches Milady to London to get the jewels. Juliette begs Dogtanian to travel to England and retrieve the diamonds in time for the ball. He seeks permission from Treville, who agrees on condition that the Three Muskehounds accompany him.

The four friends set off for the port to catch a ship to England. Thanks to Rochefort they find their way blocked by a gang of workmen, whom Aramis stays behind to teach a lesson, then by a queue of carts which Athos deals with while the others ride on. Dogtanian and Porthos come to a bridge which has been rigged to collapse. It falls on Porthos and only Dogtanian makes it to the port, where he finds Widimer examining the embarking passengers. He and Pip disguise themselves as an old woman and a baby, but Widimer discovers the trick and Dogtanian must duel him on the gangplank. The ship sails with Dogtanian safely aboard, and the Three Muskehounds arrive in time to wave him off from the shore. He and Pip spend the voyage fishing and daydreaming, and soon arrive in the 'largest and most exciting of European capitals', London. They succeed in gaining an audience with Buckingham by showing the dagger, only to find that he has already given the diamonds to a messenger from Queen Anne: M

Dogtanian and Buckingham ride to the port, where they discover that Milady has already set sail for France. They give chase in the Duke's own small boat. Milady cuts their sails down with some skilful knife-throwing, but Dogtanian lassos two sharks and persuades them to tow the vessel by using Pip as bait. They board the ship and Milady attempts to flee but falls from the rigging and is badly injured. Dogtanian and Buckingham interrogate her and recover the diamonds. Widimer is waiting on shore, but the Three Muskehounds appear to rescue Dogtanian and the friends deliver the jewels in the nick of time for the Queen to wear them at the royal ball. Buckingham and the Musketeers ambush Richelieu and Rochefort and pursue them. Dogtanian and Rochefort have a food fight in the palace kitchen.

As Dogtanian practises his swordsmanship, Aramis rides up to tell him that there is a vacant place in the Musketeers and Dogtanian must compete against other hopefuls to win it. Treville confesses that he wants Dogtanian to win but strictly forbids the Three Muskehounds to help him. Widimer enters one of his Guards in the hope that he will enter the Muskehounds and spy on them. The competitors run a horse race, in which the Guards' candidate cheats but some trickery by Pip and a parrot gets Dogtanian and Sandy back in the running, and swim a river, Pip again sabotaging the other candidates. Now only Dogtanian and Widimer's man are left to undertake the final task: making their way through the forest at night to retrieve a hat, avoiding various traps. The Three Muskehounds find Widimer at the finishing post and drive him away, while Pip and Sandy get rid of the Cardinal's Guard. This makes Dogtanian the winner, but Richelieu objects on the grounds of outside assitance and Dogtanian's

Notorious pirate and thief The Blue Falcon is coming to Paris. The citizens lock their doors and windows, and the streets are deserted except for the brave Musketeers - and Widimer, who's drunk again. He is approached by a gypsy fortune-teller who tells him that great wealth and power will be his if he finds the other half of a treasure map she possesses. The missing piece is hidden in a looking-glass. The Cardinals' Guards disguise themselves and steal all the mirrors in Paris, but fail to find the map. The only mirror left is in the Queen's bedroom. Richelieu spreads a rumour that there will be a great fire in the city, and the Musketeers leave the palace unguarded to control the chaos in the streets. The missing map is found in the Queen's handmirror, and Rochefort and the gypsy gallop to the place where the treasure is buried. Pip clings to Rochefort's horse and endures a rough ride during which all his clothes fall off. The gypsy woman reveals herself to be the Blue Falcon i

The Blue Falcon is still at large and wreaking havoc on the high seas. Treville sends Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds after him. Richelieu allows Rochefort to undertake the same mission. Milady appears at the port and vows revenge, swearing that Dogtanian and his friends will never see France again. Sailing for the south coast of Spain, the Muskehounds have just discovered that Rochefort and Widimer, who has stowed away, are following them in a second ship when a violent storm blows up and both ships are destroyed by a typhoon. Dogtanian and Pip come to alone in the wreckage and board a spooky deserted ship, which turns out to be manned by Milady and a gang of vicious cats. Milady lights a fuse which leads to kegs of gunpowder. Dogtanian and Pip escape in the nick of time, just before the ship blows up. They float in a barrel until an island comes into view, paddle to shore and collapse.

Dogtanian and Pip are still stranded on the island. Pip is hungry so they walk inland to find some food, they find some fruit which Pip knocks from the top of a tree. Before Pip can tuck in they hear a strange noise and go to investigate. They find a "monster with a tail where its mouth should be", also known as an elephant stuck in the mud. They go in to rescue it, Dogtanian doing most of the work, but before it's out a crocodile comes in. Pip tries to catapult a rock at the croc, but launches himself onto its back, Dogtanian tries to duel it but has to run and is caught in its mouth. The elephant uses his trunk to throw some trees on the croc and saves the day.

The King decides to give the jewels to the King of Spain, their original owner, as a goodwill gesture. Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds are chosen to deliver them, to Richelieu's annoyance. The circus is in town, and the star turn is Marco the mouse with his impression of the Cardinal. His guards break up the show and arrest Marco. Richelieu tricks him into working against the Musketeers. Marco visits Pip, who defended him at the circus, and persuades him and his friends to help look for Marco's missing father. Richelieu's men imprison Pip in the cathedral of Notre Dame and Dogtanian and the others in a disused church. With the Muskehounds out of the way, the Cardinal's men will be chosen for the mission. But when Marco collects his reward he realises that he has been duped and returns to rescue his friends.

Dogtanian, Pip and the Three Muskehounds set off for Spain. Widimer tries to stop them by sabotaging a high bridge. Pip spots that the rope has been cut and the friends make it to the other side in the nick of time. They make camp, but in the night a band of gypsies steals their horses - with the exception of Sandy, who will not allow himself to be stolen. The gypsy leader explains that the governor of the nearby town has kidnapped his granddaughter and is demanding ten horses, which he wants as a gift for a visiting dignitary. The Muskehounds work out that this must be Rochefort. Porthos impersonates the Count and promises the governor a position in Paris. When the real Rochefort arrives, Porthos has him tied up and commands the governor to take him to Paris. By the time Widimer comes to Rochefort's rescue the Muskehounds have retrieved their horses and are on their way. The gypsy's granddaughter has been returned and the grateful gypsy gives Pip some seeds which can cure any poiso

The Muskehounds cross the Pyrenese mountains into Spain, unaware that a mysterious horseman has sent a carrier pigeon warning of their arrival. They arrive in Madrid on the day of a bull-fight, but one of the bulls has escaped and is about to trample a baby. Athos uses his great strength to defeat the bull and is treated as a hero. A beautiful senorita takes him to her house and gives him wine. She turns out to be Milady in disguise, and slips him a drug which robs him of his strength. His friends are summoned and told that they must hand over the jewels or she will kill Athos. Pip finds Athos and gives him the gypsy seeds. He recovers and breaks free of his ropes. There is a fight, and Milady escapes once again.

Dogtanian and his friends arrive back in France. Richelieu has decided to get rid of Dogtanian once and for all. Though Rochefort protests, the Cardinal gives Widimer poison and instructs him to give it to Dogtanian in a bottle of wine. Rochefort sends a message warning of the danger and challenging Dogtanian to a duel. When Widimer arrives, Dogtanian pretends to be unaware of the trick and insists that Widimer drink a toast with him. The terrified Captain admits it's poison and leaves in disgrace. After contemplating suicide, he decides to abandon the service of the Cardinal and be a free man. Dogtanian arrives for his fight with Rochefort, while the Musketeers, told of the duel by Planchet and Juliette, try to stop it. Rochefort is shot by Milady, who was aiming for Dogtanian. His code of honour broken, he vows never to pick up a sword again. The Muskehounds chase Milady but let her go as being of no importance. When they arrive home there is a message: Dogtanian must go to the