. We had several sepoy
regiments, and the French general, in order to inspire the colonial
troops with contempt for them, publicly promised that whoever should
capture a sepoy should have him for a slave; but the militia appear to
have thought that by so doing they might possibly catch a Tartar, for
not a sepoy was made prisoner.

I made some satisfactory sales at Bourbon, and as soon as the ship was
repaired she followed the men-of-war to the Isle of France. The island
is about thirty-five miles long, and one hundred and fifteen in
circumference, with a surface greatly diversified by hill and plain,
wood and plantation, with several considerable mountains, the chief of
which, Le Pouce and Pieter Botte, in the neighbourhood of Port Louis,
are well-known. The harbour was a complete forest of masts, filled with
vessels of all sorts and sizes, from the huge line-of-battle ship to the
humble canoe, not unlike a butcher's tray, scooped out of a single log.
The British flag waved triumphantly on all the batteries; and Indiamen,
transport prizes, merchant craft of all descriptions, displayed English
colours, in most cases flying over the French. Numerous boats, too,
were plying to and fro filled with naval and military officers, captains
of Indiamen, sailors, lascars, negroes, and Frenchmen, some on business,
some on pleasure, but all seeming to be in a hurry. I looked out with
no little curiosity for any craft which might answer the description of
our late antagonist, the _Mignonne_. If she had entered the harbour,
she had again escaped before the capture of the place, for she was
nowhere to be seen. It would have been satisfactory to have seen our
friend caged, but it was too probable that he was still roving over the
ocean, on the watch to plunder any English craft he could venture to
attack.

The scene on shore was even more animated than on the water. The
streets were crowded with people of many nations: naval and military
officers, English and French Government civilians, merchants and other
traders, Asiatics and negroes, almost naked slaves dragging along
horse-loads in carts, with mongrels of every shade of colour. The town,
though in a bustle, was perfectly orderly; the shops were all open, and
their owners seemed to be driving a thriving trade, as were also the
keepers of taverns, which were full of visitors from fleet and camp. We
fortunately had several articles among the cargo of the _Barbara_, of
whic