CHAPTER XVI.

M. DARD, WHOM CONTRARY WINDS HAD DETAINED TEN DAYS IN THE PORT OF

ST. LOUIS, COMES ON SHORE TO SEE M. PICARD--AGONY OF M.

PICARD--HIS LAST WORDS--HIS DEATH--DESPAIR OF HIS CHILDREN--M.

THOMAS KINDLY TAKES CHARGE OF PICARD'S FAMILY--THE ELDEST OF THE

LADIES GOES AND MOURNS OVER THE GRAVE OF HER FATHER--HER

RESIGNATION--M. DARD DISEMBARKS, AND ADOPTS THE WRECKS OF THE

PICARD FAMILY--M. DARD MARRIES MISS PICARD, AND AT LAST RETURNS

TO FRANCE.

The day after we had taken possession of our new abode, my father sent

me to the Isle of Babaguey, to bring back the things which were left at

the house of the Resident. As I found myself considerably better during

the last few days, I hired a canoe and went, leaving the sick to the

care of Caroline. I soon reached the place of my destination, and

finished my business. I was upon the point of returning to Senegal, when

a wish came into my head of seeing Safal. Having made two negroes take

me to the other side of the river, I walked along the side of the

plantation, then visited our cottage, which I found just as we had left

it. At last I bent my steps towards the tomb of my step-mother, in which

were deposited the remains of my little sister. I seated myself under

the shrubs which shaded the place of their repose, and remained a long

while wrapt in the most melancholy reflections. All the misfortunes we

had experienced since our shipwreck, came across my mind, and I asked

myself, how I had been able to endure them? I thought that, at this

instant, a secret voice said to me, you will yet have greater to

deplore. Terrified by this melancholy presentiment, I strove to rise,

but my strength failing me, I fell on my knees upon the grave. After

having addressed my prayers to the Eternal, I felt a little more

tranquil; and, quitting this melancholy spot, old Etienne led me back to

Babaguey, where my canoe waited for me. The heat was excessive; however,

I endured it, rather than wait for the coolness of evening to return to

my father. On my arrival at St Louis, I found him in a violent passion

at a certain personage of the colony, who, without any regard to his

condition, had said the most humiliating things to him. This scene had

contributed, in no small degree, to aggravate his illness; for, on the

evening of the same day, the fever returned, and a horrible delirium

darkened all his faculties. We spent a terrible night, expecting every

moment to be his last. The following day found little change in his

condition, except a small glimmering of reason at intervals. In one of

these moments, when we hoped he would recover his health, M. Dard, whom

we thought already far from Senegal, entered our house. My father

instantly recognised him, and, making him sit near to his bed, took his

hand, and said, "My last hour is come; Heaven, to whose decrees I humbly

submit, will soon remove me from this world; but one consolation

remains with me,--the thought you will not abandon my children. I

recommend to you my oldest daughter; you are dear to her, doubt not;

would she were your wife, and that you were to her, as you have always

been to me, a sincere friend!" On saying these words, he took my hands

and pressed them to his burning lips. Tears suffocated my voice, but I

pressed him tenderly in my arms; and as he saw I was extremely affected

with his situation, he quickly said to me, "My daughter, I have need of

rest." I instantly quitted him, and was joined by M. Dard, when we

retired to another room, where we found Caroline and the good Mad.

Thomas. This worthy friend seeing the deplorable condition to which we

were reduced, endeavoured to console us, and to give us hope, saying,

that having heard of my father's illness on board the brig Vigilant, in

which he had embarked at the port of St Louis, he had obtained leave to

come on shore, and to go and offer us some assistance; after which he

left us, promising to return on the morrow.

Towards the middle of the night of the 15th August 1819, it struck me

that my father wished to speak with me. I drew near to him, and seeing

him pale and his eyes wild, I turned away my head to conceal the tears

which I could not suppress; but having perceived my distress, he said to

me in a mournful voice, "Why are you so much afflicted, my child? My

last hour approaches, I cannot escape it; then summon all the strength

of your soul to bear it with courage. My conscience is pure, I have

nothing with which to reproach myself; I will die in peace if you

promise to protect the children whom I will soon leave. Tell also to

feeling hearts the long train of uninterrupted misfortunes which have

assailed me; tell the abandoned condition in which we have lived; and

tell at last, that in dying, I forgave my enemies all the evils they had

made me as well as my family endure!" At these words I fell upon his

bed, and cried yes, dear father, I promise to do all you require of me.

I was yet speaking when Caroline entered the chamber, and throwing

herself upon his bed, tenderly embraced him, whilst he held me by the

hand. We gazed on one another in profound silence, which was only

interrupted by our sighs. During this heart-rending scene, my father

again said to me, "My good Charlotte, I thank you for all the care you

have bestowed on me; I die, but I leave you to the protection of friends

who will not abandon you. Never forget the obligations you already owe

M. Dard. Heaven assist you. Farewell, I go before you to a better

world." These words, pronounced with difficulty, were the last he

uttered. He instantly became much convulsed. All the physicians of the

colony were called, but the medicines they prescribed produced no

effect. In this condition he remained more than six hours, during which

time we stood suspended between hope and despair. O horrible night!

night of sorrow and desolation! who can describe all which the

unfortunate family of Picard suffered during thy terrible reign! But the

fatal period approached; the physician who prescribed it went out; I

followed, and, still seeking for some illusion in the misfortune which

menaced us, I tremblingly interrogated him. The worthy man would not

dissemble; he took me by the hand and said, my dear lady, the moment is

arrived when you have need to arm yourself with courage; it is all over

with M. Picard; you must submit to the will of God. These words were a

thunderbolt to me. I instantly returned, bathed in tears; but alas! my

father was no more.

Such an irreparable misfortune plunged us into a condition worse than

death. Without ceasing, I besought them to put a period to my deplorable

life. The friends about me used every endeavour to calm me, but my soul

was in the depth of affliction, and their consolations reached it not.

"O God!" cried I, "how is it possible thou canst yet let me live? Ought

not the misery I feel to make me follow my father to the grave?" It was

necessary to employ force to keep me from that plan of horror and

dismay. Madame Thomas took us to her house, whilst our friends prepared

the funeral of my unhappy father. I remained insensible for a long

while; and, when somewhat recovered, my first care was to pray the

people with whom we lived to carry the body of my father to the Isle of

Safal to be deposited, agreeably to his request, near the remains of his

wife. Our friends accompanied it. Some hours after the departure of the

funeral procession, Governor S----, doubtless reproaching himself with

the helpless condition in which we had been left for so long a time,

gave orders to take care of the remainder of our unfortunate family. He

himself came to the house of M. Thomas. His presence made such an

impression on me, that I swooned away. We did not, however, refuse the

assistance he offered us, convinced, as we were, that it was less to the

governor of Senegal we were indebted than to the French government,

whose intentions he was only fulfilling.

Several days passed before I could moderate my sorrow; but at last our

friends represented to me the duties I owed to the orphans who were left

with us, and to whom I had promised to hold the place of mother. Then

rousing myself from my lethargy, and recollecting the obligations I had

to fulfil, I bestowed all my affections on the innocent beings whom my

father had confided to me in his dying moments. Nevertheless I was not

at rest; the desire of seeing the place where reposed the mortal remains

of my worthy father tormented me. They wished to dissuade me; but when

they saw I had been frequently weeping in private, they no longer

withheld me. I went alone to Safal, leaving Caroline to take charge of

the children, two of whom were still in a dangerous condition. What

changes did I find at our cottage! The person from whom we had hired our

negroes had secretly removed them; rank weeds sprung up everywhere; the

cotton withered for want of cultivation; the fields of millet, maize,

and beans had been devoured by the herds of cattle from the colony; our

house was half plundered; the books and papers of my father taken away.

Old Etienne still remained; I found him cultivating cotton. As soon as

he saw me he drew near; and having inquired if he wished to remain at

the plantation, he replied, "I could stay here all my life; my good

master is no more, but he is still here; I wish to work for the support

of his children." I promised in my turn to take care of him during my

stay in Africa. At last I bent my steps towards my father's grave. The

shrubs which surrounded it were covered with the most beautiful verdure;

their thorny branches hung over it as if to shield it from the rays of

the sun. The silence which reigned around this solitary place was only

interrupted by the songs of the birds, and the rustling of the foliage,

agitated by a faint breeze. At the sight of this sacred retreat, I

suddenly felt myself penetrated by a religious sentiment, and falling on

my knees upon the grass, and resting my head upon the humid stone,

remained a long while in deep meditation. Then starting up, I cried,

"Dear manes of the best of fathers! I come not hither to disturb your

repose; but I come to ask of Him who is omnipotent, resignation to his

august decrees. I come to promise also to the worthy author of my

existence, to give all my care to the orphans whom he has left on earth.

I also promise to make known to feeling hearts all the misfortunes he

experienced before being driven to the tomb." After a short prayer, I

arose and returned to the cottage. To consecrate a monument to the

memory of my father, I took two cocoa-nuts, which he had planted some

time previous to his death, and replanted them beside the grave; I then

gave my orders to Etienne, and returned to the family at Senegal.

Next day M. Dard came to see us at the house of M. Thomas. This worthy

friend of my father, told us he would not abandon in Senegal the orphans

whom he had promised to assist. I come, added he, to return to the

governor the leave he had given me to pass six months in France, and I

charge myself with providing for all your wants till I can convey you

again to Paris. Such generous devotion affected me to tears; I thanked

our worthy benefactor, and he went into Mad. Thomas's room. When he had

gone, Mad. Thomas took me aside, and said, that M. Dard's intention was

not only to adopt the wrecks of our family, but he wished also to offer

me his hand as soon as our grief had subsided. This confidence, I own,

displeased me not; for it was delightful for me to think that so

excellent a man, who had already given us such substantial assistance in

our distress, did not think himself degraded by uniting his fate with

that of a poor orphan. I recollected what my father had said to me

during one of our greatest misfortunes. "M. Dard," said that worthy man,

"is an estimable youth, whose attachment for us has never diminished in

spite of our wretchedness; and I am certain he prefers virtue in a wife

above all other riches."

Some days after, our benefactor came to tell us he had disembarked all

his effects, and that he had resumed his functions as director of the

French school at Senegal. We talked a long while together concerning my

father's affairs, and he then left us. However, as one of my brothers

was very ill, he returned in the evening to see how he was. He found us

in tears; for the innocent creature had expired in my arms. M. Dard and

M. Thomas instantly buried him, for his body had already become putrid.

We took great care to conceal his death from his brother, who, having a

mind superior to his age, would doubtless have been greatly affected.

Nevertheless, on the following day, poor Charles inquired where his

brother Gustavus was; M. Dard, who was sitting near his bed, told him he

was at school; but he discovered the cheat, and cried, weeping, that he

wished a hat to go to school, and see if Gustavus was really living. M.

Dard had the kindness to go and purchase him one to quiet him, which,

when he saw, he was satisfied, and waited till the morrow to go and see

if his brother was at school. This young victim to misery dragged out

his melancholy existence during two months; and about the end of October

we had the misfortune of losing him also.

This last blow plunged me into a gloomy melancholy. I was indifferent to

every thing. I had seen, in three months, nearly all my relations die. A

young orphan (Alphonso Fleury), our cousin, aged five years, to whom my

father was tutor, and whom he had always considered as his own child, my

sister Caroline, and myself, were all that remained of the unfortunate

Picard family, who, on setting out for Africa, consisted of nine. We,

too, had nearly followed our dear parents to the grave. Our friends,

however, by their great care and attention, got us by degrees to recover

our composure, and chased from our thoughts the cruel recollections

which afflicted us. We recovered our tranquillity, and dared at last to

cherish the hope of seeing more fortunate days. That hope was not

delusive. Our benefactor, M. Dard, since then having become my husband,

gathered together the wrecks of our wretched family, and has proved

himself worthy of being a father to us. My sister Caroline afterwards

married M. Richard, agricultural botanist, attached to the agricultural

establishment of the colony.

Leaving Senegal with my husband and the young Alphonso Fleury, my

cousin, on board his Majesty's ship Menagere, on the 18th November 1820,

we safely arrived at L'Orient on the 31st December following. A few days

after our landing, we went to Paris, where we remained two months. At

last we reached my husband's native place, at Bligny-sous-Beaune, in the

department of the Cote d'Or, where I have had the happiness of finding

new relations whose tender friendship consoles me in part for the loss

of those of whom cruel death deprived me in Africa.

APPENDIX.

The following is the substance, abridged from MM. Correard and Savigny,

of what took place on the Raft during thirteen days before the Sufferers

were taken up by the Argus Brig.

* * * * *

After the boats had disappeared, the consternation became extreme. All

the horrors of thirst and famine passed before our imaginations;

besides, we had to contend with a treacherous element, which already

covered the half of our bodies. The deep stupor of the soldiers and

sailors instantly changed to despair. All saw their inevitable

destruction, and expressed by their moans the dark thoughts which

brooded in their minds. Our words were at first unavailing to quiet

their fears, which we participated with them, but which a greater

strength of mind enabled us to dissemble. At last, an unmoved

countenance, and our proffered consolations, quieted them by degrees,

but could not entirely dissipate the terror with which they were seized.

When tranquillity was a little restored, we began to search about the

raft for the charts, the compass, and the anchor, which we presumed had

been placed upon it, after what we had been told at the time of quitting

the frigate.[14] These things, of the first importance, had not been

placed upon our machine. Above all, the want of a compass the most

alarmed us, and we gave vent to our rage and vengeance. M. Correard then

remembered he had seen one in the hands of one of the principal workmen

under his command; he spoke to the man, who replied, "Yes, yes, I have

it with me." This information transported us with joy, and we believed

that our safety depended upon this futile resource: it was about the

size of a crown-piece, and very incorrect. Those who have not been in

situations in which their existence was exposed to extreme peril, can

have but a faint knowledge of the price one attaches then to the

simplest objects--with what avidity one seizes the slightest means

capable of mitigating the rigour of that fate against which they

contend. The compass was given to the commander of the raft, but an

accident deprived us of it forever: it fell, and disappeared between the

pieces of wood which formed our machine. We had kept it but a few hours,

and, after its loss, had nothing now to guide us but the rising and

setting of the sun.

[Footnote 14: M. Correard, fearing that on the event of their

being separated from the boats by any unforeseen accident, called

from the raft to an officer on board the frigate, "Are we in a

condition to take the route?--have we instruments and charts?" got

the following reply: "Yes, yes, I have provided for you every

necessary." M. Correard again called to him, "Who was to be their

commander?" when the same officer said, "'Tis I; I will be with

you in an instant;" but he instantly went and seated himself in

one of the boats!--Trans.]

We had all gone afloat without taking any food. Hunger beginning to be

imperiously felt, we mixed our paste of sea-biscuit[15] with a little

wine, and distributed it thus prepared. Such was our first meal, and the

best we had, during our stay upon the raft.

[Footnote 15: The biscuit had fallen into the sea, and was with

difficulty recovered.--Trans.]

An order, according to our numbers, was established for the distribution

of our miserable provisions. The ration of wine was fixed at three

quarters a-day.[16] We will speak no more of the biscuit, it having been

entirely consumed at the first distribution. The day passed away

sufficiently tranquil. We talked of the means by which we would save

ourselves; we spoke of it as a certain circumstance, which reanimated

our courage; and we sustained that of the soldiers, by cherishing in

them the hope of being able, in a short while, to revenge themselves on

those who had so basely abandoned us. This hope of vengeance, it must be

avowed, equally animated us all; and we poured out a thousand

imprecations against those who had left us a prey to so much misery and

danger.

[Footnote 16: The original French is _trois quarts_, which

certainly cannot mean _three quarts_. In all probability it is

three pints.--Trans.]

The officer who commanded the raft being unable to move, M. Savigny took

upon himself the duty of erecting the mast. He caused them to cut in two

one of the poles of the frigate's masts, and fixed it with the rope

which had served to tow us, and of which we made stays and shrowds. It

was placed on the anterior third of the raft. We put up for a sail the

main-top-gallant, which trimmed very well, but was of very little use,

except when the wind served from behind; and to keep the raft in this

course, we were obliged to trim the sail as if the breeze blew athwart

us.

In the evening, our hearts and our prayers, by a feeling natural to the

unfortunate, were turned towards Heaven. Surrounded by inevitable

dangers, we addressed that invisible Being who has established, and who

maintains the order of the universe. Our vows were fervent, and we

experienced from our prayers the cheering influence of hope. It is

necessary to have been in similar situations, before one can rightly

imagine what a charm it is to the heart of the sufferer the sublime idea

of a God protecting the unfortunate!

One consoling thought still soothed our imaginations. We persuaded

ourselves that the little division had gone to the isle of Arguin, and

that after it had set a part of its people on shore, the rest would

return to our assistance: we endeavoured to impress this idea on our

soldiers and sailors, which quieted them. The night came without our

hope being realized; the wind freshened, and the sea was considerably

swelled. What a horrible night! The thought of seeing the boats on the

morrow, a little consoled our men, the greater part of whom, being

unaccustomed with the sea, fell on one another at each movement of the

raft. M. Savigny, seconded by some people who still preserved their

presence of mind amidst the disorder, stretched cords across the raft,

by which the men held, and were better able to resist the swell of the

sea: some were even obliged to fasten themselves. In the middle of the

night the weather was very rough; huge waves burst upon us, sometimes

overturning us with great violence. The cries of the men, mingled with

the roaring of the flood, whilst the terrible sea raised us at every

instant from the raft, and threatened to sweep us away. This scene was

rendered still more terrible, by the horrors inspired by the darkness of

the night. Suddenly we believed we saw fires in the distance at

intervals. We had had the precaution to hang at the top of the mast, the

gun-powder and pistols which we had brought from the frigate. We made

signals by burning a large quantity of cartridges; we even fired some

pistols, but it seems the fire we saw, was nothing but an error of

vision, or, perhaps, nothing more than the sparkling of the waves.

We struggled with death during the whole of the night, holding firmly by

the ropes which were made very secure. Tossed by the waves from the back

to the front, and from the front to the back, and sometimes precipitated

into the sea; floating between life and death, mourning our misfortunes,

certain of perishing; we disputed, nevertheless, the remainder of our

existence, with that cruel element which threatened to ingulf us. Such

was our condition till day-break. At every instant were heard the

lamentable cries of the soldiers and sailors; they prepared for death,

bidding farewell to one another, imploring the protection of heaven, and

addressing fervent prayers to God. Every one made vows to him, in spite

of the certainty of never being able to accomplish them. Frightful

situation! How is it possible to have any idea of it, which will not

fall far short of the reality!

Towards seven in the morning the sea fell a little, the wind blew with

less fury; but what a scene presented itself to our view! Ten or twelve

unfortunates, having their inferior extremities fixed in the openings

between the pieces of the raft, had perished by being unable to

disengage themselves; several others were swept away by the violence of

the sea. At the hour of repast, we took the numbers anew; we had lost

twenty men. We will not affirm that this was the exact number; for we

perceived some soldiers who, to have more than their share, took rations

for two, and even three; we were so huddled together, that we found it

absolutely impossible to prevent this abuse.

In the midst of these horrors a touching scene of filial piety drew our

tears. Two young men raised and recognised their father, who had

fallen, and was lying insensible among the feet of the people. They

believed him at first dead, and their despair was expressed in the most

afflicting manner. It was perceived, however, that he still breathed,

and every assistance was rendered for his recovery in our power. He

slowly revived, and was restored to life, and to the prayers of his

sons, who supported him closely, folded in their arms. Whilst our hearts

were softened by this affecting episode in our melancholy adventures, we

had soon to witness the sad spectacle of a dark contrast. Two ship-boys

and a baker feared not to seek death, and threw themselves into the sea,

after having bid farewell to their companions in misfortune. Already the

minds of our people were singularly altered; some believed they saw

land, others ships which were coming to save us; all talked aloud of

their fallacious visions.

We lamented the loss of our unfortunate companions. At this moment we

were far from anticipating the still more terrible scene which took

place on the following night; far from that, we enjoyed a positive

satisfaction, so well were we persuaded that the boats would return to

our assistance. The day was fine, and the most perfect tranquillity

reigned all the while on our raft. The evening came, and no boats

appeared. Despondency began again to seize our men, and then a spirit of

insubordination manifested itself in cries of rage. The voice of the

officers was entirely disregarded. Night fell rapidly in, the sky was

obscured by dark clouds; the wind which, during the whole of the day,

had blown rather violently, became furious and swelled the sea, which in

an instant became very rough.

The preceding night had been frightful, but this was still more so.

Mountains of water covered us at every instant, and burst with fury into

the midst of us. Very fortunately we had the wind from behind, and the

strength of the sea was a little broken by the rapidity with which we

were driven before it. We were impelled towards the land. The men, from

the violence of the sea, were hurried from the back to the front; we

were obliged to keep to the centre, the firmest part of the raft, and

those who could not get there almost all perished. Before and behind the

waves dashed impetuously, and swept away the men in spite of all their

resistance. At the centre the pressure was such, that some unfortunates

were suffocate by the weight of their comrades, who fell upon them at

every instant. The officers kept by the foot of the little mast, and

were obliged every moment to call to those around them to go to the one

or the other side to avoid the wave; for the sea coming nearly athwart

us, gave our raft nearly a perpendicular position, to counteract which

they were forced to throw themselves upon the side raised by the sea.

The soldiers and sailors, frightened by the presence of almost

inevitable danger, doubted not that they had reached their last hour.

Firmly believing they were lost, they resolved to soothe their last

moments by drinking till they lost their reason. We had no power to

oppose this disorder. They seized a cask which was in the centre of the

raft, made a hole in the end of it, and, with small tin cups, took each

a pretty large quantity; but they were obliged to cease, for the

sea-water rushed into the hole they had made. The fumes of the wine

failed not to disorder their brains, already weakened by the presence of

danger and want of food. Thus excited, these men became deaf to the

voice of reason. They wished to involve, in one common ruin, all their

companions in misfortune. They avowedly expressed their intention of

freeing themselves from their officers, who, they said, wished to oppose

their design; and then to destroy the raft, by cutting the ropes which

united its different parts. Immediately after, they resolved to put

their plans in execution. One of them advanced upon the side of the raft

with a boarding-axe, and began to cut the cords. This was the signal of

revolt. We stepped forward to prevent these insane mortals, and he who

was armed with the hatchet, with which he even threatened an officer,

fell the first victim; a stroke of a sabre terminated his existence.

This man was an Asiatic, and a soldier in a colonial regiment. Of a

colossal stature, short hair, a nose extremely large, an enormous mouth,

dark complexion, he made a most hideous appearance. At first he had

placed himself in the middle of the raft, and, at each blow of his fist,

knocked down every one who opposed him; he inspired the greatest terror,

and none durst approach him. Had there been six such, our destruction

would have been certain.

Some men, anxious to prolong their existence, armed and united

themselves with those who wished to preserve the raft; among this

number were some subaltern officers and many passengers. The rebels drew

their sabres, and those who had none armed themselves with knives. They

advanced in a determined manner upon us; we stood on our defence; the

attack commenced. Animated by despair, one of them aimed a stroke at an

officer; the rebel instantly fell, pierced with wounds. This firmness

awed them for an instant, but diminished nothing of their rage. They

ceased to advance, and withdrew, presenting to us a front bristling with

sabres and bayonets, to the back part of the raft to execute their plan.

One of them feigned to rest himself on the small railings on the sides

of the raft, and with a knife began cutting the cords. Being told by a

servant, one of us sprung upon him. A soldier, wishing to defend him,

struck at the officer with his knife, which only pierced his coat; the

officer wheeled round, seized his adversary, and threw both him and his

comrade into the sea.

There had been as yet but partial affairs: the combat became general.

Some one cried to lower the sail; a crowd of infuriated mortals threw

themselves in an instant upon the haulyards, the shrouds, and cut them.

The fall of the mast almost broke the thigh of a captain of infantry,

who fell insensible. He was seized by the soldiers, who threw him into

the sea. We saved him, and placed him on a barrel, whence he was taken

by the rebels, who wished to put out his eyes with a penknife.

Exasperated by so much brutality, we no longer restrained ourselves, but

rushed in upon them, and charged them with fury. Sword in hand we

traversed the line which the soldiers formed, and many paid with their

lives the errors of their revolt. Various passengers, during these cruel

moments, evinced the greatest courage and coolness.

M. Correard fell into a sort of swoon; but hearing at every instant the

cries, _To arms! with us, comrades; we are lost!_ joined with the groans

and imprecations of the wounded and dying, was soon roused from his

lethargy. All this horrible tumult speedily made him comprehend how

necessary it was to be upon his guard. Armed with his sabre, he gathered

together some of his workmen on the front of the raft, and there charged

them to hurt no one, unless they were attacked. He almost always

remained with them; and several times they had to defend themselves

against the rebels, who, swimming round to the point of the raft,

placed M. Correard and his little troop between two dangers, and made

their position very difficult to defend. At every instant he was opposed

to men armed with knives, sabres, and bayonets. Many had carabines which

they wielded as clubs. Every effort was made to stop them, by holding

them off at the point of their swords; but, in spite of the repugnance

they experienced in fighting with their wretched countrymen, they were

compelled to use their arms without mercy. Many of the mutineers

attacked with fury, and they were obliged to repel them in the same

manner. Some of the labourers received severe wounds in this action.

Their commander could show a great number received in the different

engagements. At last their united efforts prevailed in dispersing this

mass who had attacked them with such fury.

During this combat, M. Correard was told by one of his workmen who

remained faithful, that one of their comrades, named Dominique, had gone

over to the rebels, and that they had seized and thrown him into the

sea. Immediately forgetting the fault and treason of this man, he threw

himself in at the place whence the voice of the wretch was heard calling

for assistance, seized him by the hair, and had the good fortune to

restore him on board. Dominique had got several sabre wounds in a

charge, one of which had laid open his head. In spite of the darkness we

found out the wound, which seemed very large. One of the workmen gave

his handkerchief to bind and stop the blood. Our care recovered the

wretch; but, when he had collected strength, the ungrateful Dominique,

forgetting at once his duty and the signal service which we had rendered

him, went and rejoined the rebels. So much baseness and insanity did not

go unrevenged; and soon after he found, in a fresh assault, that death

from which he was not worthy to be saved, but which he might in all

probability have avoided, if, true to honour and gratitude, he had

remained among us.

Just at the moment we finished dressing the wounds of Dominique, another

voice was heard. It was that of the unfortunate female who was with us

on the raft, and whom the infuriated beings had thrown into the sea, as

well as her husband, who had defended her with courage. M. Correard, in

despair at seeing two unfortunates perish; whose pitiful cries,

especially the woman's, pierced his heart, seized a large rope which he

found on the front of the raft, which he fastened round his middle, and

throwing himself a second time into the sea, was again so fortunate as

to save the woman, who invoked, with all her might, the assistance of

our Lady of Land. Her husband was rescued at the same time by the head

workman, Lavilette. We laid these unfortunates upon the dead bodies,

supporting their backs with a barrel. In a short while they recovered

their senses. The first thing the woman did was to acquaint herself with

the name of the person who saved her, and to express to him her

liveliest gratitude. Finding, doubtless, that her words but ill

expressed her feelings, she recollected she had in her pocket a little

snuff, and instantly offered it to him,--it was all she possessed.

Touched with the gift, but unable to use it, M. Correard gave it to a

poor sailor, which served him for three or four days. But it is

impossible for us to describe a still more affecting scene,--the joy

this unfortunate couple testified, when they had sufficiently recovered

their senses, at finding they were both saved.

The rebels being repulsed, as it has been stated above, left us a little

repose. The moon lighted with her melancholy rays this disastrous raft,

this narrow space, on which were found united so many torturing

anxieties, so many cruel misfortunes, a madness so insensate, a courage

so heroic, and the most generous--the most amiable sentiments of nature

and humanity.

The man and wife, who had been but a little before stabbed with swords

and bayonets, and thrown both together into a stormy sea, could scarcely

credit their senses when they found themselves in one another's arms.

The woman was a native of the Upper Alps, which place she had left

twenty-four years before, and during which time she had followed the

French armies in the campaigns in Italy, and other places, as a sutler.

"Therefore preserve my life," said she to M. Correard, "you see I am an

useful woman. Ah! if you knew how often I have ventured upon the field

of battle, and braved death to carry assistance to our gallant men.

Whether they had money or not, I always let them have my goods.

Sometimes a battle would deprive me of my poor debtors, but after the

victory, others would pay me double or triple for what they had consumed

before the engagement. Thus I came in for a share of their victories."

Unfortunate woman! she little knew what a horrible fate awaited her

among us! They felt, they expressed so vividly that happiness which they

alas so shortly enjoyed, that it would have drawn tears from the most

obdurate heart. But in that horrible moment, when we scarcely breathed

from the most furious attack,--when we were obliged to be continually on

our guard, not only against the violence of the men, but a most

boisterous sea, few among us had time to attend to scenes of conjugal

affection.

After this second check, the rage of the soldiers was suddenly appeased,

and gave place to the most abject cowardice. Several threw themselves at

our feet, and implored our pardon, which was instantly granted. Thinking

that order was reestablished, we returned to our station on the centre

of the raft, only taking the precaution of keeping our arms. We,

however, had soon to prove the impossibility of counting on the

permanence of any honest sentiment in the hearts of these beings.

It was nearly midnight; and after an hour of apparent tranquillity, the

soldiers rose afresh. Their mind was entirely gone; they ran upon us in

despair with knives and sabres in their hands. As they yet had all their

physical strength, and besides were armed, we were obliged again to

stand on our defence. Their revolt became still more dangerous, as, in

their delirium, they were entirely deaf to the voice of reason. They

attacked us, we charged them in our turn, and immediately the raft was

strewed with their dead bodies. Those of our adversaries who had no

weapons endeavoured to tear us with their sharp teeth. Many of us were

cruelly bitten. M. Savigny was torn on the legs and the shoulder; he

also received a wound on the right arm, which deprived him of the use of

his fourth and little finger for a long while. Many others were wounded;

and many cuts were found in our clothes from knives and sabres.

One of our workmen was also seized by four of the rebels, who wished to

throw him into the sea. One of them had laid hold of his right leg, and

had bit most unmercifully the tendon above the heel; others were

striking him with great slashes of their sabres, and with the butt end

of their guns, when his cries made us hasten to his assistance. In this

affair, the brave Lavilette, ex-serjeant of the foot artillery of the

Old Guard, behaved with a courage worthy of the greatest praise. He

rushed upon the infuriated beings in the manner of M. Correard, and soon

snatched the workman from the danger which menaced him. Some short while

after, in a fresh attack of the rebels, sub-lieutenant Lozach fell into

their hands. In their delirium, they had taken him for Lieutenant

Danglas,[17] of whom we have formerly spoken, and who had abandoned the

raft at the moment when we were quitting the frigate. The troop, to a

man, eagerly sought this officer, who had seen little service, and whom

they reproached for having used them ill during the time they garrisoned

the Isle of Rhe. We believed this officer lost, but hearing his voice,

we soon found it still possible to save him. Immediately MM. Clairet,

Savigny, L'Heureux, Lavilette, Coudin, Correard, and some workmen,

formed themselves into small platoons, and rushed upon the insurgents

with great impetuosity, overturning every one in their way, and retook

M. Lozach, and placed him on the centre of the raft.

[Footnote 17: Danglas had gone upon the raft at first, on which

his post had been assigned; "but when he saw the danger which he

ran upon this frightful machine, he instantly quitted it on

pretence of having forgot something on board, and never

returned."--Trans.]

The preservation of this officer cost us infinite difficulty. Every

moment the soldiers demanded he should be delivered to them, designating

him always by the name of Danglas. We endeavoured to make them

comprehend their mistake, and told them that they themselves had seen

the person for whom they sought return on board the frigate. They were

insensible to every thing we said; every thing before them was Danglas;

they saw him perpetually, and furiously and unceasingly demanded his

head. It was only by force of arms we succeeded in repressing their

rage, and quieting their dreadful cries of death.

Horrible night! thou shrouded with thy gloomy veil these frightful

combats, over which presided the cruel demon of despair.

We had also to tremble for the life of M. Coudin. Wounded and fatigued

by the attacks which he had sustained with us, and in which he had

shown a courage superior to every thing, he was resting himself on a

barrel, holding in his arms a young sailor boy of twelve years of age,

to whom he had attached himself. The mutineers seized him with his

barrel, and threw him into the sea with the boy, whom he still held

fast. In spite of his burden, he had the presence of mind to lay hold of

the raft, and to save himself from this extreme peril.

We cannot yet comprehend how a handful of men should have been able to

resist such a number so monstrously insane. We are sure we were not more

than twenty to combat all these madmen. Let it not, however, be

imagined, that in the midst of all these dangers we had preserved our

reason entire. Fear, anxiety, and the most cruel privations, had greatly

changed our intellectual faculties. But being somewhat less insane than

the unfortunate soldiers, we energetically opposed their determination

of cutting the cords of the raft. Permit us now to make some

observations concerning the different sensations with which we were

affected.

During the first day, M. Griffon entirely lost his senses. He threw

himself into the sea, but M. Savigny saved him with his own hands. His

words were vague and unconnected. A second time he threw himself in,

but, by a sort of instinct, kept hold of the cross pieces of the raft,

and was again saved.

The following is what M. Savigny experienced in the beginning of the

night. His eyes closed in spite of himself, and he felt a general

drowsiness. In this condition the most delightful visions flitted across

his imagination. He saw around him a country covered with the most

beautiful plantations, and found himself in the midst of objects

delightful to his senses. Nevertheless, he reasoned concerning his

condition, and felt that courage alone could withdraw him from this

species of non-existence. He demanded some wine from the master-gunner,

who got it for him, and he recovered a little from this state of stupor.

If the unfortunates who were assailed with these primary symptoms had

not strength to withstand them, their death was certain. Some became

furious; others threw themselves into the sea, bidding farewell to their

comrades with the utmost coolness. Some said--"Fear nothing; I am going

to get you assistance, and will return in a short while." In the midst

of this general madness, some wretches were seen rushing upon their

companions, sword in hand, demanding _a wing of a chicken and some

bread_ to appease the hunger which consumed them; others asked for their

hammocks to go, they said, _between the decks of the frigate to take a

little repose_. Many believed they were still on the deck of the Medusa,

surrounded by the same objects they there saw daily. Some saw ships, and

called to them for assistance, or a fine harbour, in the distance of

which was an elegant city. M. Correard thought he was travelling through

the beautiful fields of Italy. An officer said to him--"I recollect we

have been abandoned by the boats; but fear nothing. I am going to write

to the governor, and in a few hours we shall be saved." M. Correard

replied in the same tone, and as if he had been in his ordinary

condition.--"Have you a pigeon to carry your orders with such celerity?"

The cries and the confusion soon roused us from this languor; but when

tranquillity was somewhat restored, we again fell into the same drowsy

condition. On the morrow, we felt as if we had awoke from a painful

dream, and asked at our companions, if, during their sleep, they had not

seen combats, and heard cries of despair. Some replied, that the same

visions had continually tormented them, and that they were exhausted

with fatigue. Every one believed he was deceived by the illusions of a

horrible dream.

After these different combats, overcome with toil, with want of food and

sleep, we laid ourselves down and reposed till the morrow dawned, and

showed us the horror of the scene. A great number in their delirium had

thrown themselves into the sea. We found that sixty or sixty-five had

perished during the night. A fourth part at least, we supposed, had

drowned themselves in despair. We only lost two of our own numbers,

neither of whom were officers. The deepest dejection was painted on

every face; each, having recovered himself, could now feel the horrors

of his situation; and some of us, shedding tears of despair, bitterly

deplored the rigour of our fate.

A new misfortune was now revealed to us. During the tumult, the rebels

had thrown into the sea two barrels of wine, and the only two casks of

water which we had upon the raft. Two casks of wine had been consumed

the day before, and only one was left. We were more than sixty in

number, and we were obliged to put ourselves on half rations.

At break of day, the sea calmed, which permitted us again to erect our

mast. When it was replaced, we made a distribution of wine. The unhappy

soldiers murmured and blamed us for privations which we equally endured

with them. They fell exhausted. We had taken nothing for forty-eight

hours, and we had been obliged to struggle continually against a strong

sea. We could, like them, hardly support ourselves; courage alone made

us still act. We resolved to employ every possible means to catch fish,

and, collecting all the hooks and eyes from the soldiers, made

fish-hooks of them, but all was of no avail. The currents carried our

lines under the raft, where they got entangled. We bent a bayonet to

catch sharks; one bit at it, and straightened it, and we abandoned our

project. Something was absolutely necessary to sustain our miserable

existence, and we tremble with horror at being obliged to tell that of

which we made use. We feel our pen fall from our hands: a mortal cold

congeals all our members, and our hair bristles erect on our foreheads.

Readers! we implore you, feel not indignant towards men already

overloaded with misery. Pity their condition, and shed a tear of sorrow

for their deplorable fate.

The wretches, whom death had spared during the disastrous night we have

described, seized upon the dead bodies with which the raft was covered,

cutting them up by slices, which some even instantly devoured. Many

nevertheless refrained. Almost all the officers were of this number.

Seeing that this monstrous food had revived the strength of those who

had used it, it was proposed to dry it, to make it a little more

palatable. Those who had firmness to abstain from it, took an additional

quantity of wine. We endeavoured to eat shoulder-belts and

cartouch-boxes, and contrived to swallow some small bits of them. Some

eat linen: others the leathers of the hats, on which was a little

grease, or rather dirt. We had recourse to many expedients to prolong

our miserable existence, to recount which would only disgust the heart

of humanity.

The day was calm and beautiful. A ray of hope beamed for a moment to

quiet our agitation. We still expected to see the boats or some ships,

and addressed our prayers to the Eternal, on whom we placed our trust.

The half of our men were extremely feeble, and bore upon their faces the

stamp of approaching dissolution. The evening arrived, and we found no

help. The darkness of the third night augmented our fears, but the wind

was still, and the sea less agitated. The sun of the fourth morning

since our departure shone upon our disaster, and showed us ten or twelve

of our companions stretched lifeless upon the raft. This sight struck us

most forcibly, as it told us we would be soon extended in the same

manner in the same place. We gave their bodies to the sea for a grave,

reserving only one to feed those who, but the day before, had held his

trembling hands, and sworn to him eternal friendship. This day was

beautiful. Our souls, anxious for more delightful sensations, were in

harmony with the aspect of the heavens, and got again a new ray of hope.

Towards four in the afternoon, an unlooked for event happened which gave

us some consolation. A shoal of flying fish passed under our raft, and

as there were an infinite number of openings between the pieces which

composed it, the fish were entangled in great quantities. We threw

ourselves upon them, and captured a considerable number. We took about

two hundred and put them in an empty barrel; we opened them as we caught

them, and took out what is called their milt. This food seemed

delicious; but one man would have required a thousand.[18] Our first

emotion was to give to God renewed thanks for this unhoped for favour.

[Footnote 18: These fish are very small, the largest not equal in

size to a small herring.]

An ounce of gunpowder having been found in the morning, was dried in the

sun during the day, which was very fine; a steel, gun-flints, and tinder

made also a part of the same parcel. After a good deal of difficulty we

set fire to some fragments of dry linen. We made a large opening in the

side of an empty cask, and placed at the bottom of it several wet

things, and upon this kind of scaffolding we set our fire; all of which

we placed on a barrel that the sea-water might not extinguish it. We

cooked some fish and eat them with extreme avidity; but our hunger was

such, and our portion so small, that we added to it some of the

sacrilegious viands, which the cooking rendered less revolting. This

some of the officers touched for the first time. From this day we

continued to eat it; but we could no longer dress it, the means of

making a fire having been entirely lost; the barrel having caught fire

we extinguished it without being able to preserve anything to rekindle

it on the morrow. The powder and tinder were entirely done. This meal

gave us all additional strength to support our fatigues. The night was

tolerable, and would have been happy, had it not been signalized by a

new massacre.

Some Spaniards, Italians, and negroes, had formed a plot to throw us all

into the sea. The negroes had told them that they were very near the

shore, and that, when there, they would enable them to traverse Africa

without danger. We had to take to our arms again, the sailors, who had

remained faithful to us, pointing out to us the conspirators. The first

signal for battle was given by a Spaniard, who, placing himself behind

the mast, holding fast by it, made the sign of the Cross with one hand,

invoking the name of God, and with the other held a knife. The sailors

seized him and threw him into the sea. An Italian, servant to an officer

of the troops, who was in the plot, seeing all was discovered, armed

himself with the only boarding axe left on the raft, made his retreat to

the front, enveloped himself in a piece of drapery he wore across his

breast, and of his own accord threw himself into the sea. The rebels

rushed forward to avenge their comrades; a terrible conflict again

commenced; both sides fought with desperate fury; and soon the fatal

raft was strewed with dead bodies and blood, which should have been shed

by other hands, and in another cause. In this tumult we heard them again

demanding, with horrid rage, the head of Lieut. Danglas! In this assault

the unfortunate sutler was a second time thrown into the sea. M. Coudin,

assisted by some workmen, saved her, to prolong for a little while her

torments and her existence.

In this terrible night Lavillette failed not to give proofs of the

rarest intrepidity. It was to him and some of these who have survived

the sequel of our misfortunes, that we owed our safety. At last, after

unheard of efforts, the rebels were once more repulsed, and quiet

restored. Having escaped this new danger, we endeavoured to get some

repose. The day at length dawned upon us for the fifth time. We were

now no more than thirty in number. We had lost four or five of our

faithful sailors, and those who survived were in the most deplorable

condition. The sea-water had almost entirely excoriated the skin of our

lower extremities; we were covered with contusions or wounds, which,

irritated by the salt water, extorted from us the most piercing cries.

About twenty of us only were capable of standing upright or walking.

Almost all our fish was exhausted; we had but four days' supply of wine:

in four days, said we, nothing will be left, and death will be

inevitable. Thus came the seventh day of our abandonment. In the course

of the day two soldiers had glided behind the only barrel of wine that

was left; pierced it, and were drinking by means of a reed. We had sworn

that those who used such means should be punished with death; which law

was instantly put in execution, and the two transgressors were thrown

into the sea.

This same day saw the close of the life of a child named Leon, aged

twelve years. He died like a lamp which ceases to burn for want of

aliment. All spoke in favour of this young and amiable creature, who

merited a better fate. His angelic form, his musical voice, the interest

of an age so tender, increased still more by the courage he had shown,

and the services he had performed, for he had already made in the

preceding year a campaign in the East Indies, inspired us all with the

greatest pity for this young victim, devoted to so horrible and

premature a death. Our old soldiers and all our people in general did

every thing they could to prolong his existence, but all was in vain.

Neither the wine which they gave him without regret, nor all the means

they employed, could arrest his melancholy doom, and he expired, in the

arms of M. Coudin, who had not ceased to give him the most unwearied

attention. Whilst he had strength to move, he ran incessantly from one

side to the other, loudly calling for his unhappy mother, for water and

food. He trode indiscriminately on the feet and legs of his companions

in misfortune, who, in their turn, uttered sorrowful cries, but these

were very rarely accompanied with menaces; they pardoned all which the

poor boy had made them suffer. He was not in his senses, consequently

could not be expected to behave as if he had had the use of his reason.

There now remained but twenty-seven of us. Fifteen of that number

seemed able to live yet some days; the rest, covered with large wounds,

had almost entirely lost the use of their reason. They still, however,

shared in the distributions, and would, before they died, consume thirty

or forty bottles of wine, which to us were inestimable. We deliberated,

that by putting the sick on half allowance was but putting them to death

by halves; but after a counsel, at which presided the most dreadful

despair, it was decided they should be thrown into the sea. This means,

however repugnant, however horrible it appeared to us, procured the

survivors six days' wine. But after the decision was made, who durst

execute it? The habit of seeing death ready to devour us; the certainty

of our infallible destruction without this monstrous expedient; all, in

short, had hardened our hearts to every feeling but that of

self-preservation. Three sailors and a soldier took charge of this cruel

business. We looked aside and shed tears of blood at the fate of these

unfortunates. Among them were the wretched Sutler and her husband. Both

had been grievously wounded in the different combats. The woman had a

thigh broken between the beams of the raft, and a stroke of a sabre had

made a deep wound in the head of her husband. Every thing announced

their approaching end. We console ourselves with the belief that our

cruel resolution shortened but a brief space the term of their

existence. Ye who shudder at the cry of outraged humanity, recollect,

that it was other men, fellow-countrymen, comrades, who had placed us in

this awful situation!

This horrible expedient saved the fifteen who remained; for when we were

found by the Argus brig, we had very little wine left, and it was the

sixth day after the cruel sacrifice we have described. The victims, we

repeat, had not more than forty-eight hours to live, and by keeping them

on the raft, we would have been absolutely destitute of the means of

existence two days before we were found. Weak as we were, we considered

it as a certain thing, that it would have been impossible for us to have

lived only twenty-four hours more without taking some food. After this

catastrophe, we threw our arms into the sea; they inspired us with a

horror we could not overcome. We only kept one sabre, in case we had to

cut some cordage or some piece of wood.

A new event, for every thing was an _event_ to wretches to whom the

world was reduced to the narrow space of a few toises, and for whom the

winds and waves contended in their fury as they floated above the abyss;

an event happened which diverted our minds from the horrors of our

situation. All on a sudden a white butterfly, of a species common in

France, came fluttering above our heads, and settled on our sail. The

first thought this little creature suggested was, that it was the

harbinger of approaching land, and we clung to the hope with a delirium

of joy. It was the ninth day we had been upon the raft; the torments of

hunger consumed our entrails; and the soldiers and sailors already

devoured with haggard eyes this wretched prey, and seemed ready to

dispute about it. Others looking upon it as a messenger from Heaven,

declared that they took it under their protection, and would suffer none

to do it harm. It is certain we could not be far from land, for the

butterflies continued to come on the following days, and flutter about

our sail. We had also on the same day another indication not less

positive, by a Goeland which flew around our raft. This second visitor

left us not a doubt that we were fast approaching the African soil, and

we persuaded ourselves we would be speedily thrown upon the coast by the

force of the currents.

This same day a new care employed us. Seeing we were reduced to so small

a number, we collected all the little strength we had left, detached

some planks on the front of the raft, and, with some pretty long pieces

of wood, raised on the centre a kind of platform, on which we reposed.

All the effects we could collect were placed upon it, and rendered to

make it less hard; which also prevented the sea from passing with such

facility through the spaces between the different planks, but the waves

came across, and sometimes covered us completely.

On this new theatre we resolved to meet death in a manner becoming

Frenchmen, and with perfect resignation. Our time was almost wholly

spent in speaking of our unhappy country. All our wishes, our last

prayers, were for the prosperity of France. Thus passed the last days of

our abode upon the Raft.

Soon after our abandonment, we bore with comparative ease the immersions

during the nights, which are very cold in these countries; but latterly,

every time the waves washed over us, we felt a most painful sensation,

and we uttered plaintive cries. We employed every means to avoid it.

Some supported their heads on pieces of wood, and made with what they

could find a sort of little parapet to screen them from the force of the

waves; others sheltered themselves behind two empty casks. But these

means were very insufficient; it was only when the sea was calm that it

did not break over us.

An ardent thirst, redoubled in the day by the beams of a burning sun,

consumed us. An officer of the army found by chance a small lemon, and

it may be easily imagined how valuable such a fruit would be to him. His

comrades, in spite of the most urgent entreaties, could not get a bit of

it from him. Signs of rage were already manifested, and had he not

partly listened to the solicitations of those around him, they would

have taken it by force, and he would have perished the victim of his

selfishness. We also disputed about thirty clover of garlic which were

found in the bottom of a sack. These disputes were for the most part

accompanied with violent menaces, and if they had been prolonged, we

might perhaps have come to the last extremities. There was found also

two small phials, in which was a spirituous liquid for cleaning the

teeth. He who possessed them kept them with care, and gave with

reluctance one or two drops in the palm of the hand. This liquor which,

we think, was a tincture of guiacum, cinnamon, cloves, and other

aromatic substances, produced on our tongues an agreeable feeling, and

for a short while removed the thirst which destroyed us. Some of us

found some small pieces of powder, which made, when put into the mouth,

a kind of coolness. One plan generally employed was to put into a hat a

quantity of sea-water, with which we washed our faces for a while,

repeating it at intervals. We also bathed our hair, and held our hands

in the water.[19] Misfortune made us ingenious, and each thought of a

thousand means to alleviate his sufferings. Emaciated by the most cruel

privations, the least agreeable feeling was to us a happiness supreme.

Thus we sought with avidity a small empty phial which one of us

possessed, and in which had once been some essence of roses; and every

one as he got hold of it respired with delight the odour it exhaled,

which imparted to his senses the most soothing impressions. Many of us

kept our ration of wine in a small tin cup, and sucked it out with a

quill. This manner of taking it was of great benefit to us, and allayed

our thirst much better than if we had gulped it of at once.

[Footnote 19: People in a similar situation as that described

here, have found great benefit by soaking their clothes in the

sea, and then dressing themselves with them. This means was not

resorted to by the sufferers on the fatal raft.

Mungo Park when much afflicted by thirst in the Desert, found

great relief by keeping a pebble in his mouth.--Trans.]

Three days passed in inexpressible anguish. So much did we despise life,

that many of us feared not to bathe in sight of the sharks which

surrounded our raft; others placed themselves naked upon the front of

our machine, which was under water. These expedients diminished a little

the ardour of their thirst. A species of molusca, known to seamen by the

name of _gatere_, was sometimes driven in great numbers on our raft; and

when their long arms rested on our naked bodies, they occasioned us the

most cruel sufferings. Will it be believed, that admist these terrible

scenes, struggling with inevitable death, some of us uttered

pleasantries which made us yet smile, in spite of the horrors of our

situation? One, besides others, said jestingly, "_If the brig is sent to

search for us, pray God it has the eyes of Argus_," in allusion to the

name of the vessel we presumed would be sent to our assistance. This

consolatory idea never left us an instant, and we spoke of it

frequently.

On the 16th, reckoning we were very near land, eight of the most

determined among us resolved to endeavour to gain the coast. A second

raft, of smaller dimensions, was formed for transporting them thither;

but it was found insufficient, and they at length determined to await

death in their present situation. Meanwhile night came on, and its

sombre veil revived in our minds the most afflicting thoughts. We were

convinced there were not above a dozen or fifteen bottles of wine in our

barrel. We began to have an invincible disgust at the flesh which had

till then scarcely supported us; and we may say, that the sight of it

inspired us with feelings of horror, doubtless produced by the idea of

our approaching destruction. On the morning of the 17th, the sun

appeared free from clouds. After having addressed our prayers to the

Eternal, we divided among us a part of our wine. Each, with delight, was

taking his small portion, when a captain of infantry, casting his eyes

on the horizon, perceived a ship, and announced it to us by an

exclamation of joy. We knew it to be a brig, but it was at a great

distance; we could only distinguish the masts. The sight of this vessel

revived in us emotions difficult to describe. Each believed his

deliverance sure, and we gave a thousand thanks to God. Fears, however,

mingled with our hopes. We straightened some hoops of casks, to the ends

of which we fixed handkerchiefs of different colours. A man, with our

united assistance, mounted to the top of the mast, and waved these

little flags. For more than half an hour, we were tossed between hope

and fear. Some thought the vessel grew larger, and others were convinced

its course was from us. These last were the only ones whose eyes were

not blinded by hope, for the ship disappeared.

From the delirium of joy, we passed to that of despondency and sorrow.

We envied the fate of those whom we had seen perish at our sides; and we

said to ourselves, "When we shall be in want of every thing, and when

our strength begins to forsake us, we will wrap ourselves up as well as

we can, we will stretch ourselves on this platform, the witness of the

most cruel sufferings, and there await death with resignation." At

length, to calm our despair, we sought for consolation in the arms of

sleep. The day before, we had been scorched by the beams of a burning

sun; to-day, to avoid the fierceness of his rays, we made a tent with

the main-sail of the frigate. As soon as it was finished, we laid

ourselves under it; thus all that was passing without was hid from our

eyes. We proposed then to write upon a plank an abridgement of our

adventures, and to add our names at the bottom of the recital, and fix

it to the upper part of the mast, in the hope it would reach the

government and our families.

After having passed two hours, a prey to the most cruel reflections, the

master gunner of the frigate, wishing to go to the front of the raft,

went out from below the tent. Scarcely had he put out his head, when he

turned to us, uttering a piercing cry. Joy was painted upon his face;

his hands were stretched towards the sea; he breathed with difficulty.

All he was able to say was: "SAVED! SEE THE BRIG UPON US!" and in fact

it was not more than half a league distant, having every sail set, and

steering right upon us. We rushed from our tent; even those whom

enormous wounds in their inferior extremities had confined for many

days, dragged themselves to the back of the raft, to enjoy a sight of

the ship which had come to save us from certain death. We embraced one

another with a transport which looked much like madness, and tears of

joy trickled down our cheeks, withered by the most cruel privations.

Each seized handkerchiefs, or some pieces of linen, to make signals to

the brig, which was rapidly approaching us. Some fell on their knees,

and fervently returned thanks to Providence for this miraculous

preservation of their lives. Our joy redoubled when we saw at the top of

the fore-mast a large white flag, and we cried, "It is then to Frenchmen

we will owe our deliverance." We instantly recognised the brig to be the

Argus; it was then about two gun-shots from us. We were terribly

impatient to see her reef her sails, which at last she did, and fresh

cries of joy arose from our raft. The Argus came and lay-to on our

starboard, about half a pistol-shot from us. The crew, ranged upon the

deck and on the shrouds, announced to us, by the waving of their hands

and hats, the pleasure they felt at coming to the assistance of their

unfortunate countrymen. In a short time we were all transported on board

the brig, where we found the lieutenant of the frigate, and some others

who had been wrecked with us. Compassion was painted on every face; and

pity drew tears from every eye which beheld us.

We found some excellent broth on board the brig, which they had

prepared, and when they had perceived us they added to it some wine, and

thus restored our nearly exhausted strength. They bestowed on us the

most generous care and attention; our wounds were dressed, and on the

morrow many of our sick began to revive. Some, however, still suffered

much, for they were placed between decks, very near the kitchen, which

augmented the almost insupportable heat of these latitudes. This want of

space arose from the small size of the vessel. The number of the

shipwrecked was indeed very considerable. Those who did not belong to

the navy were laid upon cables, wrapped in flags, and placed under the

fire of the kitchen. Here they had almost perished during the course of

the night, fire having broken out between decks about ten in the

evening; but timely assistance being rendered, we were saved for the

second time. We had scarcely escaped when some of us became again

delirious. An officer of infantry wished to throw himself into the sea,

to look for his pocket-book, and would have done it had he not been

prevented. Others were seized in a manner not less frenzied.

The commander and officers of the brig watched over us, and kindly

anticipated our wants. They snatched us from death, by saving us from

our raft; their unremitting care revived within us the spark of life.

The surgeon of the ship, M. Renaud, distinguished himself for his

indefatigable zeal. He was obliged to spend the whole of the day in

dressing our wounds; and during the two days we were on the brig, he

bestowed on us all the aid of his art, with an attention and gentleness

which merit our eternal gratitude.

In truth, it was time we should find an end of our sufferings; they had

lasted thirteen days, in the most cruel manner. The strongest among us

might have lived forty-eight hours, or so, longer. M. Correard felt that

he must die in the course of the day; he had, however, a presentiment we

would be saved. He said, that a series of events so unheard of would not

be buried in oblivion; that Providence would at least preserve some of

us to tell to the world the melancholy story of our misfortunes.

Such is the faithful history of those who were left upon the memorable

raft. Of one hundred and fifty, fifteen only were saved. Five of that

number never recovered their fatigue, and died at St Louis. Those who

yet live are covered with scars; and the cruel sufferings to which they

have been exposed, have materially shaken their constitution.--Naufrage

de la Fregate la Meduse; par A. Correard et J. B. H. Savigny. Seconde

Edition. Paris, 8vo. 1818.

NOTES.

NOTE A, p. 100.

In preparing their corn for food, the natives use a large wooden mortar

called a _paloon_, in which they bruise the seed until it parts with the

outer covering, or husk, which is then separated from the clean corn, by

exposing it to the wind, nearly in the same manner as wheat is cleaned

from the chaff in England. The corn thus freed from the husk, is

returned to the mortar, and beaten into meal; which is dressed variously

in different countries; but the most common preparation of it among the

nations of the Gambia, is a sort of pudding, which they call kouskous.

It is made by first moistening the flour with water, and then stirring

and shaking it about in a large calabash, or gourd, till it adheres

together in small granules, resembling sago. It is then put into an

earthen pot, whose bottom is perforated with a number of holes; and this

pot being placed upon another, the two vessels are luted together,

either with a paste of meal and water, or cow-dung, and placed upon the

fire. In the lower vessel is commonly some animal food and water, the

steam or vapour of which ascends through the perforations in the bottom

of the upper vessel, and softens and prepares the kouskous, which is

very much esteemed throughout all the countries that I visited. I am

informed, that the same manner of preparing flour is very generally used

on the Barbary coast, and that the dish so prepared is there so called

by the same name. It is therefore probable, that the Negroes borrowed

the practise from the Moors.

For gratifying a taste for variety, another sort of pudding, called

_realing_, is sometimes prepared from the meal of corn; and they have

also adopted two or three different modes of dressing their rice. Of

vegetable food, therefore, the natives have no want; and although the

common class of people are but sparingly supplied with animal food, yet

this article is not wholly withheld from them.--Park's Travels, in 1795,

1796, and 1797, pp. 10, 11. Lond. 1799, 4to.

NOTE B, p. 103.

I cannot withhold the following notice of the worthy Major's death,

extracted from a work lately published, entitled Travels, in Western

Africa, in the years 1818, 1819, 1820 and 1821, by Major William Gray.

Lond. 1825, 8vo.

"On that day (24th December) Major Peddie was attacked with a violent

fever, from which he experienced little relief until the morning of the

1st of January 1817, when, thinking himself better, he left his bed, but

was soon obliged to resume it, and in a few hours breathed his last.

"This was a sad commencement of the new year, and the melancholy event

cast a heavy gloom on the minds of every individual connected with the

expedition. It made so deep an impression on some, that it was with much

difficulty they could be prevailed on not to abandon the enterprise.

Never was a man more sincerely beloved, nor more truly regretted, by all

who knew him. His remains were deposited, amidst the heartfelt regrets

of his friends and companions, on the following day, in the court-yard

of Mr Beatman, under the shade of two orange-trees; and an appropriate

epitaph, written by Captain Campbell, and carved on a slab of native

mahogany, was placed on his grave." pp. 67.

NOTE C, p. 108.

When we had reached the other side of the river, they drew the piroque

on land. This is the only way that the people of the country have to

secure their little boats, which the surge would instantly fill, when

they cannot cast anchor at a sufficient distance from the shore.

This manoeuvre did not occupy a long time, and I bent my steps to the

village of Sor. I was kindly welcomed as usual; and I requested them to

point out to me the best place for hunting; for I had that day left my

interpreter, because I had gained a sufficient knowledge of the language

of the country to understand all that the negroes said to me, and to

make myself understood by them. They led me in a direction whence I had

seen a troop of antelopes scamper off; but I thought no more of the

chase after I had seen a tree, the enormous dimensions of which

completely rivetted my attention. It was a calabash tree, otherwise

called the monkey-bread tree, which the Woloffs call _goui_ in their

language. Its height was nothing extraordinary, being but about sixty

feet; but its trunk was of prodigious dimensions. I spanned it thirteen

times with my arms stretched out, but it was more; and, for greater

exactness, I at last measured it with twine, and found its circumference

to be sixty-five feet, its diameter consequently nearly twenty-two feet.

I believe there has never been any thing seen equal to it in any

country; and, I am persuaded that, had our ancient travellers known it,

they would not have failed to have included it among the wonders of the

world. It is also very astonishing that this tree has been totally

neglected by those who have given us the history of Senegal, especially

as there are but few common to the country.

The trunk of the one which I saw was twenty-two feet in diameter, about

eight or twelve feet in height, with many branches, some of which

stretched out horizontally, and touched the ground with their tops.

These were very large, some being about forty-five or fifty-five feet in

length. Each branch would have made one of the largest trees in Europe;

and the tout ensemble of the monkey-bread tree looked less like a single

tree than a forest. This was not all. The negro who conducted me took me

to a second, which was sixty-three feet in circumference, that is

twenty-one feet in diameter, and appeared to be about one hundred and

ten feet in length, without counting the root which was concealed under

the waters of a neighbouring river, the depth of which I had no means of

ascertaining. The same negro told me of a third which was not far from

the place where we were, and added that, without leaving the island, I

would see a great many more which were not much inferior in size, pp.

54, 55.--Histoire Naturelle du Senegal; avec le Relation abregee d'un

Voyage fait en ce Pays, pendant les annees, 1749, 1750, 1751, 1752 and

1753. Par M. Adanson, Correspondant de l'Academie Royale des Sciences,

Paris, 1757, 4to.

It was night before we reached Cogne. Our route was bordered with

gum-trees, the yellow flowers of which, arranged in circular bunches,

spread a delicious perfume. We also saw some _rates_. The bark of this

tree yields a yellow dye; its leaf is without indentation, and of a

beautiful green; it is not very high; the wood is white, and the bark is

easily reduced to powder. This was the first time that I saw the baobab,

that enormous tree which has been described by Adanson, and which bears

his name. I measured one, and found it to be forty feet in

circumference. Stripped at this time of its foliage, it resembled an

immense wooden tower. This majestic mass is the only monument of

antiquity to be met with in Africa. I am astonished that the negroes

have not paid to this tree the same honours that the Druids did to the

oak; for to them the baobab is perhaps the most valuable of vegetables.

Its leaves are used for leaven, its bark furnishes indistructible

cordage; and the bees form their hives in the cavities of its trunk. The

negroes, too, often shelter themselves from storms in its time-worn

caverns. The baobab is indisputably the monarch of African trees, p.

41.--Travels in the interior of Africa, to the sources of the Senegal

and Gambia, by G. Mollien. Lond. 1820, 4to.

Mollien was one of the shipwrecked in the Medusa, and who got to the

shores of the desert in the boats.--_Trans._

NOTE D, p. 110.

The kingdom of Kajaaga, in which I was now arrived, is called by the

French Gallam; but the name that I have adopted is universally used by

the natives.--Park's Travels, c. v. p. 1.

NOTE E, p. 111.

About eight o'clock, we passed a large town called Kabba, situated in

the midst of a beautiful and highly cultivated country; bearing a

greater resemblance to the centre of England, than what I should have

supposed had been the middle of Africa. The people were everywhere

employed in collecting the fruit of the Shea-trees, from which they

prepare the vegetable butter, mentioned in a former part of this work.

These trees grow in great abundance all over this part of Bambaraa. They

are not planted by the natives, but are found growing naturally in the

woods; and, in clearing wood-land for cultivation, every tree is cut

down but the Shea. The tree itself very much resembles the American oak;

and the fruit, from the kernel of which, being first dried in the sun,

the butter is prepared by boiling the kernel in water, has somewhat the

appearance of a Spanish olive. The kernel is enveloped in a sweet pulp,

under a thin green rind; and the butter produced from it, besides the

advantage of its keeping the whole year without salt; is whiter, firmer,

and, to my palate, of a richer flavour, than the best butter I ever

tasted made from cows' milk. The growth and preparation of this

commodity seem to be among the first objects of African industry in this

and the neighbouring states; and it constitutes a main article of their

inland commerce.--Park's Travels, pp. 202, 203.

II.

NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTIVITY OF M. DE BRISSON

IN THE DESERTS OF AFRICA,

IN THE YEAR 1785.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.

After making several voyages to Africa, which had been attended with

much difficulty, trouble and loss, I received orders, in the month of

June 1785, from Mons. le Marechal de Castries, Minister and Secretary of

the Marine Department, to embark for the island of St Louis, in Senegal,

in the Ship St Catherine, Captain le Turc commander, the same officer

who gained so great a character last war, when commander of the

Flessinguois.

Having examined all the coasts from France to the Canary Islands, on the

10th of July following, we passed between these isles and that of Palma,

about three o'clock in the afternoon.

Previous to our leaving France, I had taken care to apprise the Captain

of the danger to which we should be exposed, in these latitudes, from

the violence of the currents. I remarked to him, that every time I had

passed that way, I found cause to fear our being windbound on the coasts

of Barbary. This advice, the result of experience, should have met with

attention from Captain le Turc; I therefore again repeated it, the

moment I perceived the sea began to assume a clearer tinge, and inquired

if he did not intend to sound. _What are you afraid of?_ said he, _the

land! we are more than eighty leagues from it._

Allow me here to express my disapprobation of that immoderate

self-conceit and confidence, for which the captains of trading vessels,

especially those who visit these coasts, are so remarkable. However

important an advice may be, they are not disposed to pay any regard to

it; and of whatever kind the impending dangers appear, so much

confidence have they in their own abilities, that they are better

pleased to repair damage than prevent it.

The under captain made me a very similar reply with his superior. Alas!

too soon they experimentally found my fears were far from groundless!

At midnight, I was awakened by a violent motion of the ship, and,

thinking we were aground, I immediately leaped on deck. Judge my

surprise, when I observed a kind of creek formed by the rocks. The

mariners were all sound asleep. I quickly awaked them:--_Save

yourselves_, cried I, _we are near the shore!_ The captain got up in

great consternation; and in his alarm, in which his officers partook,

ordered them to steer towards the rocks. The vessel thus directed, and

hurried at the same time by the force of contending currents, struck

thrice on the sands, and remained immoveable.

Suddenly a horrid cry was heard; the masts were shaken; and the sails

being violently shattered, were torn to pieces. The terror became

universal, and the cries of the mariners were blended with the horrid

noise of the roaring waves, enraged as it were that their course should

be stopped by the rocks and the vessel, between which they were to pass.

So great was the consternation that no one thought of doing any thing

for his preservation. O, my wife!--O, my children!--they cry to one

another, raising their hands to heaven. Meantime, they cut the masts by

the board, in order, if possible, to right the ship. Vain trouble--the

cabin is already filled with water.

In this dismal situation, I made up to the Captain, who, in his

perplexity, could pay attention to nothing. It was but eighteen months

before, that Captain Cassin had experienced a similar accident near Cape

Blanc. In his desperation, he had occasioned the loss of many unhappy

wretches by blowing out his own brains. I began to fear that Captain le

Turc might act in the same manner, and that we should lose him too. I

therefore besought him to have patience, and endeavoured to raise his

spirits and courage, but in vain. We had without doubt perished, if M.

Yan, his first lieutenant, M. Suret, a passenger, three English sailors

and some others, encouraged by my example, had not assisted in throwing

over the long boat into the sea, and preventing it afterwards from being

broken to pieces against the ship, or sunk. We were compelled to

struggle the whole night with a boisterous sea, in hopes that, when day

appeared, we might effect a landing on the coast, and shun the rocks

which surrounded us on every side.

Having taken every precaution, I went into the boat with a few of the

sailors, and desired they would throw to us some ropes from the ship, to

moor our boat, by which means they might pull the boat again to the

vessel, in case we were lucky enough to get a safe landing. This was the

only method we could think of for preserving the Captain, his mate, and

about three-fourths of the hands, who did not incline to hazard

themselves in the boat, for the first trial.

Scarcely had we made two strokes with the oars, when the ebbing and

flowing of the waves tore them from the hands of the rowers, and the

boat was overset; the waves parted us, and cast us all on the shore,

except the Sieur Devoise, brother of the Consul of Tripoli, in Syria. I

plunged again into the sea, and was lucky enough, at that instant, to

snatch him from the grave.

Our unfortunate friends on board the ship, had now no prospect of

assistance from us; but I speedily endeavoured to refresh them with

hope; and for this end again threw myself into the water, accompanied by

Sieur Yan, who always zealously supported me. He soon engaged the rest

to assist us in attempting to recover the boat, which we did with much

difficulty. Our labour was however abundantly repaid, when we had

brought the whole crew safe to land.--Thus did we escape this first

danger, only to fall victims to a second vastly more terrible.

I inquired at the Captain, at what distance he supposed we were from

Senegal; but his answer was not satisfactory. Ignorant to what hand we

should turn, I informed my companions in misfortune, that I could not

flatter myself with the hopes of conducting them to any village of the

tribe of Trargia, where I might perhaps have been known by some Arab who

had relations at the island of St Louis. "In this case," said I, "our

captivity would have been shorter and less rigorous; but I am afraid we

may fall in with some hordes of the tribe of the Ouadelims and

Labdesseba, a ferocious people, who live in a manner truly savage, who

always wander through the deserts, and subsist on the milk of their

camels."

We had no sooner landed, than I persuaded my companions to ascend the

rocks to discover upon what country Providence had cast us. When we

reached the summit, we perceived a vast plain, covered with white sand,

and interspersed with certain plants, resembling branches of coral.

These plants carry a small grain, of the same colour, and almost the

same shape, with mustard. The Arabians call it Avezoud: they gather it

and make it up into a paste, on which they feast. We observed that the

distant hills were covered with a species of wild fern, which bore the

appearance of an extensive forest.

In proceeding towards the hills, I found some camel's dung under my

feet, and soon after observed the animals pasturing here and there.

There remained therefore no doubt of the country being inhabited, a

discovery which was very agreeable to us; for although we were entirely

ignorant what sort of people they were into whose hands we had fallen,

we were very happy in the thoughts of approaching some inhabited

village, as hunger began to press very hard. I knew better than any of

them, from former experience, what we had to fear from hunger, and still

more from thirst.

I was occupied with these dismal reflections, when I observed at a

distance some children eagerly gathering together their herds of goats,

and driving them away before them. I instantly concluded that we were

discovered, and that our presence had occasioned some terror amongst

them. The cries of the children spread the alarm to the neighbouring

camps, and the inhabitants very soon appeared coming out to meet us.

When they had observed us a little, they separated from one another,

skipping and bouncing about upon the sand; they covered their faces with

their hands, and screamed out with horrid cries. We had now every reason

to believe these people were acquainted with Europeans. Their gestures,

and operations in order to surround us, bore no favourable aspect. I

therefore charged my unfortunate companions, by all means to keep

together, and to proceed in order, till I should be within hearing of

the natives. In my former voyages to Senegal, I had acquired a few

Arabian words, which I hoped would prove useful on this occasion. First,

then, I fastened a white handkerchief to the top of my cane, in the

manner of a flag. Perhaps, thought I, they may have some acquaintance

with this signal, the rather, if any of them may have seen it at

Senegal, or if they have observed any vessel on their coasts, they may

perhaps conceive that we are unhappy Frenchmen whom shipwreck has thrown

on their coasts.

When we drew near to the savages, some of our people, among whom were

the first and second lieutenants, went apart from the rest; they were

immediately beset and seized by the collar. It was not till this moment,

that, by the reflection of the sun upon the polished steel of their

poignards, we observed they were armed. Ignorant of this, I had

consequently advanced without fear. As the two unhappy men who had been

seized did not appear again, I did what I could to compose my

companions; but my attempts were vain; terror seized them, and they all

began to cry out in despair, and disperse from one another. The Arabs,

armed with great cutlasses and small clubs, fell upon them with

incredible ferocity; and I soon saw some of them lying wounded, and

others stript and naked, stretched out expiring on the sand.

Amidst this horrid massacre, I observed an unarmed Arab. From his

appearance, I conceived he was one of those who had accompanied Prince

Allicoury, in a former visit which he made to the Isle of St Louis. I

immediately ran up to him, and threw myself into his arms. After

examining me some time, he cast a disdainful look on me, on the Sieur

Devoise, the mate of the ship, and five others of my companions who

never would leave me, sufficient to convince us our situation was not

more favourable than our neighbours. He then took my hand, examined it

attentively, counted my fingers, slipped his hand into mine, and, after

making several motions with his head, he inquired at me, Who are you?

What are you doing here? How came you hither? I traced upon the sand,

the figure of a ship, and by means of a few Arabic words with which I

was acquainted, and my gestures, I succeeded so far as to make him

understand, that I entreated his assistance to conduct us to the place

appointed for us. I also informed him, that I had about me what would

abundantly repay him for his trouble--an argument which I found he more

readily understood, and much more weighty in his mind than any other;

for he immediately entwisted his fingers with mine, to show me that,

from that moment, we became closely united, and upon the spot desired me

to give him the effects of which I had spoken. I then delivered to him

two very elegant watches, one of which was a repeater, with their

chains, a gold buckle for the neckcloth, two pair of silver buckles, a

ring set with diamonds, a goblet and silver cover, and the sum of two

hundred and twenty livres in specie. I easily observed that if the

jewels were acceptable, the silver was much more so. He concealed his

treasure with great care and secrecy in his shirt, which was blue,

promising me at the same time, that he would not forsake me. The

precaution which I had taken to preserve these jewels, in the hope of

gaining, by their means, the good will of any person into whose hands I

should fall, proved in the end a cause of very great regret to me.

As soon as my Arab had secured his booty, he inquired upon what coast we

had been shipwrecked. I pointed it out to him, and he immediately called

upon some of his people, whom he desired to follow him. From the manner

in which they approached him, I perceived that my protector was a man of

some note; indeed he proved to be their priest, whom they called Talbe.

Having reached the sea-shore, they began to raise a great shout of joy;

but the jealousy which was visible on their countenances, speedily

damped their spirits. They wished that we would swim to the ship, and

recover all that possibly could be saved; but we excused ourselves,

alleging that we could not swim; and they were thus obliged to go

themselves. It was impossible for those who remained on the shore to

conceal their fear, lest their neighbours who swam should be greater

sharers in the spoil than they. The women, in particular, showed

excessive uneasiness on this head.

Meanwhile, the news of our shipwreck spread quickly through the country,

and the covetous savages flocked from all quarters, in such numbers, as

could not fail to excite suspicion: they soon came to blows, and several

of them lost their lives. The furious women who could not reach the ship

to pillage, fell upon us, and tore from our backs the few remaining

clothes: they attached themselves particularly to me, because mine had

been better preserved, and therefore merited the preference.

My master, who was a very great warrior, and who perceived that the

number of Arabs was continually increasing, called two of his friends,

whom he had, very craftily, made sharers with him, in the property of

twelve of the shipwrecked people, who had surrendered themselves to him.

This was the best expedient to form a party, and to preserve the share

which he had in reserve for himself. After having made the necessary

arrangement, for securing his share of the booty taken from the ship,

and the slaves which he had acquired, he separated us from the crowd,

putting us under shelter to prevent our being insulted. This was a

miserable hut covered with moss, and situated more than a league from

the sea, where we were all lodged, or rather crammed together.

The first care of our patron was to visit us frequently, fearing that we

should conceal any thing from him. Unhappily for my comrades, they could

get nothing preserved, from the harsh manner in which he treated them.

He stripped them even to their shirt and handkerchief; and gave them to

understand, if he did it not himself, others would. He seemed inclined

to come to the same extremities with me, but I observed to him that I

had already given him enough; so he left me undisturbed.

I had not yet learned into what tribe we had fallen. In order therefore

to get information, I addressed myself to our master, with whom I had

the following conversation, partly by words, and partly by signs. "What

is your name, and to what tribe do you belong? and why have you fled

from the companies which are more advanced upon the sea-coast?"--"My

name is Sidy Mahammet del Zouze; my tribe is that of Labdesseba; and I

fled from the Ouadelims, because we could not live on good terms with

them. But as to you, what is your name? and are you brother to these

people?" (pointing to my companions). I answered all his questions; but

was not a little distressed to learn, that we had fallen into the hands

of the fiercest of all the inhabitants of the Arabian Deserts. I

foresaw, from this hour, what distress and uneasiness we were to suffer,

till the time we should be delivered.--Well, then! how shall that be?

Alas, I durst not any longer flatter myself with this idea.

My fears were too well founded. My master, after having secreted in the

sand the little treasure with which I had enriched him, returned to the

sea-coast, to see what further accrued to him from the pillage of the

ship. During his absence, a troop of the Ouadelims came to attack our

retreat. They plundered, pillaged and ransacked the whole; they seized

us, some by the neck, and others by the hair. Two of them turned to me,

took hold of me by the arms, and threw me sometimes on the one side, and

sometimes on the other. The few clothes I had remaining, seemed to be

the object of their jealous fury. Others at the same time running up to

me, surrounded me, lifted me up, and dragged me to a lonely place, and

after having pulled off my shirt and neckcloth, they threw me behind

some heaps of sand. There they committed every sort of outrage on my

person. I thought I was now in my last moments, and expected I should

expire under their blows. The ropes they had prepared to bind me, seemed

to announce death to me. I was thus cruelly perplexed, when one of my

master's associates came running up to us quite out of breath. "Stop,"

cried he, "you have committed unheard of enormities in the hut of Sidy

Mahammet, our Talbe. Not satisfied with carrying off his slave, you have

trampled under foot, in your fury, the sacred books of our religion. The

priest enraged at your sacrilegious conduct, has required the old men of

the two parties to assemble, and judge the culprits in open council.

Believe me, returning the slave is the only way you have to appease his

rage, and to prevent the consequences."[20] This threatening produced

the effect intended by the messenger of Mahammet. I was delivered back

into his hands, by those who had treated me so cruelly after separating

me from my companions. And he carried me immediately away, to deliver me

up to fresh torments.

[Footnote 20: I was not at this time so well acquainted with

Arabic as to understand this conversation, and several others

which I will recite; but after I acquired some knowledge of the

language, my master caused me repeat them to him.]