o be indifferent whether they
trampled you under feet or not. The "_rough allies_," so called, had
no feeling for men smaller and weaker than themselves. From this gang,
you could seldom get a civil answer. Their yells, and whooping, more
like savages than white men, were very troublesome. The conduct of
these, proved that it was natural for the strong to tyrannize over the
weak. I have often thought that our assemblage of prisoners, resembled
very much the Grecian and Roman democracies, which were far, very far,
beneath the just, rational, and wisely guarded democracy of our dear
America, for whose existence and honor we are all still heartily
disposed to risk our lives, and spill our blood.

As not allowing us prisoners a due and comfortable portion of clean
food, is the heavy charge I have to make against the British nation,
I shall here, once for all, attempt to describe the agonies I myself
sometimes felt, and observed others to endure, from cravings of
hunger; which are keen sensations in young men, not yet arrived to
their full growth. The hungry prisoner is seen to traverse the alleys,
backwards and forwards, with a gnawing stomach, and a haggard look;
while he sees the fine white loaves on the tables of the bread-seller,
when all that he possesses cannot buy a single loaf. I have known many
men tremble, and become sick at their stomachs, at the sight of bread
they could not obtain. Sometimes a prisoner has put away a portion of
his bread, and sworn to himself that he would not eat it until such an
hour after breakfast; he has, however, gone to it, and picked a few
crumbs from it, and replaced it; and sometimes he could no longer
resist the grinding torments of hunger, but devoured it with more than
canine appetite; for it must be understood that the interval between
the evening and morning meal was the most distressing. An healthy,
growing young man, feels very uncomfortable if he fasts five hours;
but to be without food, as we often were, for fourteen hours, was a
cruel neglect, or a barbarous custom. Our resource from hunger was
sleep; not but that the sensations of hunger, and the thoughts of the
deprivation, often prevented me from getting asleep; and at other
times, when wrapt in sleep, I have dreamed of setting down to a table
of the most delicious food, and most savory meats, and in the greatest
profusion; and amidst my imagined enjoyment, have waked in
disappointment, agony and tears. This was the keene