o the enemies of La Belle France.

We were sorry that we could not more clearly explain to him our sense of
his hospitality. He waved his hand as we mounted, but declined to take
ours, and showed to the bystanders by every means in his power that he
was heartily glad to be rid of us.

"Never mind, we'll not be offended," said O'Driscoll, as we rode on.
"He is a fine old gentleman, and I dare say, if it were not for his fear
of the powers that be, he would have been as polite as ever to us."

We had gone on some miles when the clattering of an animal's hoofs
attracted our attention, and to our satisfaction we saw Delisle coming
along a track to our right. He had lost his way and met with all sorts
of adventures; but, as he spoke French well, he easily got out of them.
He also had been entertained very kindly by a creole family, who took
him for a French officer, but threatened if any heretical Englishman
came into their power they would do for him. At that time the Roman
Catholic inhabitants of the French colonies were bigoted in the
extreme--though surpassed probably by the Spaniards and Portuguese, who
even then would have thought they were doing God service to burn a
heretic.

It was now growing dark, or rather the sun was on the verge of the
horizon, and we knew that in another ten minutes day would have changed
into night, so rapid is the transition in those latitudes from light to
darkness. We began to wonder what had become of Robson. Half-seas-over
as he had been, as we grew more sober and capable of reflection we began
to fear that he had met with some accident. Still, as we should not
find him by stopping still, and our guard would not let us go out of our
road again--at least, the instant we gave signs of such an intention he
began tapping away at his hanger or presenting one of his long pistols
as a signal to us to keep in our straight course--on we jogged,
therefore, as fast as our mules could trot, for we had yet a long
distance to accomplish before we could reach Ou Trou, and were anxious
to be there. Fortunately, before long the moon rose. Oh! what a
magnificent pure orb she looked floating in the clear ether--a pure,
chaste globe, one could see its roundness--not like the patch of red
putty she generally seems in northern climes stuck on to a black board.
The dark outlines of the hills and tall trees stood clearly defined
against the bright sky, and in the damper and more sheltered spots
fire