r and pay them, I
believe that we should have starved.

At last I was able to get about a little, though the fever was still on
me, and I managed to crawl to the house to see some of my
brother-officers. The greater number of them were sick, or had been ill
and nearer death's door. I inquired for my old shipmate and friend,
Delisle. "He is ill in that room," was the reply. I went forthwith to
him. A few short weeks of sickness had made a great change in his
countenance. He took my hand when I approached the wretched pallet on
which he was stretched.

"I am glad to see you recovering, my dear Hurry," he said in a low,
feeble voice. "It is all up with me, though. I shall never be a
post-captain--never command a ship--my last battle is fought. I must
yield to God's will. It seems hard, though. You know all about my
friends. If you ever reach home, go and tell them about me. I can't
talk more. I am weak--very weak--couldn't hail the maintop if I was to
try. Oh, it's hard, very hard, to be thus cut off by the arm of this
vile climate--very, very."

He was silent. I tried to console him, to raise his spirits, for I was
certain they had a good deal to do in enabling a person to recover. In
vain were all my efforts. He sank slowly, and before morning one who
had long been my friend and the companion of my Orlopian days on board
the Orpheus, and lately my messmate also in the Bristol, was no more.
The blow prostrated me in body and spirits, and I felt inclined to give
in, and lay my head down beside his. Soon after daylight we sallied
forth with the body of our brother-officer, and took our way towards the
dreary savannah. We were followed by some of our guards and other
individuals, anxious, we concluded, to watch our proceedings. Our party
was but small, for alas! the greater number of the lieutenants were
unable from sickness to attend the funeral. We were a melancholy
party--pale, haggard, and squalid. We placed the body on the grass.
What a fine, handsome young fellow he looked! We began to dig his
grave. Without consideration, we began to dig it east and west. When
we had proceeded some way in our work, our French masters interfered and
said that we ought to dig it north and south, that only Christian men,
good Catholics, should be buried east and west, that they might be ready
to rise when summoned by the sound of the last trump. We resolved,
however, not to give in to so absurd a demand, and