THE whole of these circumstances took a firm hold upon my youthful
imagination. Marie, inspired by compassion and gratitude, applauded my
enthusiasm, and Pierrot excited our interest so much, that I determined
to visit him and offer him my services in extricating him from his
perilous position. As the nephew of one of the richest colonists in the
Cap, I was, in spite of my youth, a captain in the Acul Militia. This
regiment, and a detachment of the Yellow Dragoons, had charge of Fort
Galifet; the detachment was commanded by a non-commissioned officer, to
whose brother I had once had the good fortune to render an important
service, and who therefore was entirely devoted to me.
(Here the listeners at once pronounced the name of Thaddeus.)
You are right, gentlemen (replied the captain), and as you may well
believe, I had not much trouble in penetrating to the cell in which the
negro was confined. As a captain in the militia, I had of course the
right to visit the fort; but to evade the suspicions of my uncle, whose
rage was still unabated, I took care to go there at the time of his
noonday _siesta_. All the soldiers too, except those on guard, were
asleep, and guided by Thaddeus I came to the door of the cell. He opened
it for me, and then discreetly retired.
The negro was seated on the ground, for, on account of his height, he
could not stand upright. He was not alone, an enormous dog was crouched
at his feet, which rose with a growl, and moved toward me.
“Rask,” cried the negro.
The dog ceased growling, and again laid down at his master’s feet, and
began eating some coarse food.
I was in uniform, and the daylight that came through the loophole in the
wall of the cell was so feeble that Pierrot could not recognize my
features.
“I am ready,” said he, in a clear voice.
“I thought,” remarked I, surprised at the ease with which he moved,
“that you were in irons.”
He kicked something that jingled.
“Irons; oh, I broke them.”
There was something in the tone in which he uttered these words, that
seemed to say, “I was not born to wear fetters.”
I continued: “I did not know that they had permitted you to have a dog
with you.”
“They did not allow it; I brought him in.”
I was more and more astonished. Three bolts closed the door on the
outside, the loophole was scarcely six inches in width, and had two iron
bars across it.
He seemed to divine my thoughts, and raising as nearly erect as the low
roof would permit, he pulled out with ease a large stone placed under
the loophole, removed the iron bars, and displayed an opening
sufficiently large to permit two men to pass through. This opening
looked upon a grove of bananas and cocoa-nut trees which covered the
hill upon which the fort was built.
Surprise rendered me dumb; at that moment a ray of light fell on my
face. The prisoner started as if he had accidentally trodden upon a
snake, and his head struck against the ceiling of the cell. A strange
mixture of opposing feelings passed over his face—hatred, kindness, and
astonishment were all mingled together; but recovering himself with an
effort, his face once more became cold and calm, and he gazed upon me as
if I was entirely unknown to him.
“I can live two days more without eating,” said he.
I saw how thin he had become, and made a movement of horror.
He continued, “My dog will only eat from my hand, and had I not enlarged
the loophole, poor Rask would have died of hunger. It is better that he
should live, for I know that I am condemned to death.”
“No,” I said; “no, you shall not die of hunger.”
He misunderstood me.
“Very well,” answered he, with a bitter smile, “I could have lived two
days yet without food, but I am ready: to-day is as good as to-morrow.
Do not hurt Rask.”
Then I understood what he meant when he said “I am ready.” Accused of a
crime the punishment of which was death, he believed that I had come to
announce his immediate execution; and yet this man endowed with
herculean strength, with all the avenues of escape open to him, had in a
calm and childlike manner repeated “I am ready!”
“Do not hurt Rask,” said he, once more.
I could restrain myself no longer.
“What!” I exclaimed, “not only do you take me for your executioner, but
you think so meanly of my humanity, that you believe I would injure this
poor dog, who has never done me any harm!”
His manner softened, and there was a slight tremor in his voice as he
offered me his hand, saying,
“White man, pardon me, but I love my dog, and your race have cruelly
injured me.”
I embraced him, I clasped his hand, I did my best to undeceive him.
“Do you not know me?” asked I.
“I know that you are white, and that a negro is nothing in the eyes of
men of your colour; besides you have injured me.”
“In what manner?” exclaimed I, in surprise.
“Have you not twice saved my life?”
This strange accusation made me smile; he perceived it, and smiled
bitterly.
“Yes, I know it too well: once you saved my life from an alligator, and
once from a planter, and what is worse I am denied the right to hate
you, I am very unhappy.”
The strangeness of his language and of his ideas surprised me no longer;
it was in harmony with himself.
“I owe more to you than you can owe to me. I owe you the life of Marie,
of my betrothed.”
He started as though he had received some terrible shock. “Marie!”
repeated he in stilled tones, and his face fell in his hands which
trembled violently, whilst his bosom rose and fell with heavy sighs.
I must confess that once again my suspicions were aroused, but this time
there were no feelings of anger or jealousy. I was too near my
happiness, and he was trembling upon the brink of death, so that I could
not for a moment look upon him as a rival, and even had I done so, his
forlorn condition would have excited my compassion and sympathy.
At last he raised his head.
“Go,” said he; “do not thank me.”
After a pause he added, “And yet my rank is as lofty as your own.”
These last words roused my curiosity, I urged him to tell me of his
position, and his sufferings, but he maintained an obstinate silence.
My proceedings, however, had touched his heart, and my entreaties
appeared to have vanquished his distaste for life. He left his cell, and
in a short time returned with some bananas and a large cocoa-nut. Then
he reclosed the opening and began to eat. As we conversed, I remarked
that he spoke French and Spanish with equal facility, and that his
education had not been entirely neglected. He knew many Spanish songs,
which he sang with great feeling. Altogether he was a mystery that I
endeavoured in vain to solve, for he would give me no key to the riddle.
At last, with regret, I was compelled to leave him, after having urged
on my faithful Thaddeus to permit him every possible indulgence.