th his wife and little daughter, gave us a thrilling story.
Except their house-keeper, a young English girl, they three were the
only white persons on their beautiful "North End" estate when on Sunday
night their slaves came to them in force demanding "freedom papers."

"Not under compulsion, never!"

"Den obbe set eb'ryt'ing on fiah! Wen yo' house bu'n up we try t'ink
w'at too do wid you and de missie!" They rushed away to the
sugar-works, yelling: "Git bagasse foo bu'n him out!"

The household loaded all the firearms in the house, filled all vessels
with water, and piled blankets here and there to fight fire. Then they
made merry. The wife played her piano till after midnight. Whether
moved by this show or not, the blacks failed to return, and next day
the family escaped to the schooner.

To grandmamma and the wife of the American consul, the oldest ladies on
the vessel, was given, at nightfall, the only sofa on board. The rest
dropped asleep on boxes and bundles anywhere. For my couch the
boatswain lent me his locker, and for a pillow a bag of something that
felt like rope ends, and for three successive mornings I was wakened
with:

"Sorry to disturb you, little miss, but I must get to my locker."

XXXIII

(AUTHORITY, ORDER, PEACE)

Three days of heat, glare, hubbub, and anxious suspense dragged away,
and Thursday's gorgeous sunset brought a change. The Danish frigate,
bright with flags and swarming with sailors, swept in, dropped anchor,
and wrapped herself in thunder and white smoke. Soon she lowered a
boat, a glittering officer took its tiller-ropes, its long oars
flashed, and it bore away to the fort. But evening fell, a starry
silence reigned, and when a late moon rose we slept.

Next morning we knew that Captain Erminger, of the frigate, had assumed
command over the whole island, declared martial law, landed his
marines, and begun operations. Soon the harbor was populous again,
with refugees returning home. Tom came with his boat. Just as we
started landward a schooner came round the bluffs bringing the
Spaniards. At early twilight these landed and marched with much
clatter through the vacant streets to the town's various points of
entrance, there to mount guard, the Danes having gone to scatter the
insurgents.

The pursuing forces, in two bodies, were to move toward each other from
opposite ends of the island, spanning it from sea to sea and meeting in
the centre, thus entirely