With gentle care Nigel was placed upon it, and the ladies
lifting it from the ground proceeded towards the house. Soon after they
had reached it, the count arrived with the intelligence that the enemy
had been driven off the island, and that the boats of the squadron had
gone in pursuit of them. His sorrow at hearing of Nigel's dangerous
state was very great, and, ordering restoratives to be given him, he
immediately set off in search of the surgeon, who had come out with the
first party of the settlers, and had remained faithful to the truth. He
happily discovered him attending to some of the wounded men who had been
carried to one of the neighbouring houses. As soon as he could leave
them he hastened to Nigel's side. After examining his wound, he
expressed a hope that, by constant watchfulness and care, he would
recover, though the loss of blood had greatly exhausted him, and all
would depend on his being kept perfectly quiet. One thing was certain,
that he would be unable to move for many weeks to come, without risking
his life. On hearing the surgeon's report, Constance entreated her
father not to carry out his intention of proceeding to Europe.

"I will certainly on no account leave him," he answered. "Possibly the
ships may be delayed, or the governor will be unwilling to let them
sail, on the probability of the island being again attacked; but if so,
he must treat the Protestants with more justice than he has been doing
for some time, and we must live in hopes that fresh arrivals from Europe
will again turn the scale in our favour."

Whether or not the governor suspected that the Protestants hoped, with
increased numbers, to recover their influence, it was difficult to say.

The next day was devoted to rejoicings for the victory. The bells of
the Romish church rang out, the fort fired salutes, and a procession
with crucifixes, banners, and images, marched through the island. The
priests sang praises in honour of the Virgin Mary, whom they asserted
had given them the victory, in answer to their petitions. The
Protestants assembled in their place of worship to return thanks to God
for their deliverance. While the service, which had taken place at an
earlier hour than usual, was going forward, an officer and party of
soldiers arrived in front of the chapel. Without knocking, or asking
for admission, the officer entered the chapel with his hat on his head,
and, in a loud voice, exclaimed--

"I bring