CHAPTER III.

THE MAURITIUS.

Anchor at Port Louis-Regiments stationed thereState of society in the Isle of France-Mr. Jeremie French Creole ladies-Field sports of the island— Wild Bullock-shooting at Rodriguez-St. Patrick's influence-Varied population-Extraneous animals -Engage a passage for England-Second sightDu Perrell and Fillafaye at the Trou de FanfaronThe Southern Ocean-The Albatross, Cape Pigeon, and stormy Peterel-Porpoises and Whales-The Gale of Wind-Shot at an Albatros-Angling for Cape Pigeon-The Flying Dutchman and Spirits of the vasty deep-Arrival in Simon's Bay.

CHAPTER III.

THE MAURITIUS.

""Twas in a glorious Eastern Isle,

*

Where roses blossom through the year,

And palms their green-plumed branches rear."

THE sun with its last rays was gilding the lofty peak of the Peterbotte Mountain as we came to an anchor at the floating bellbuoy in the harbour of Port Louis. To every one on board it was a glad moment, and more particularly so to me, as I once more beheld Old England's proud banner floating in the breeze; and my ears were rejoiced by the well-known sound of the "retreat," its echoes faintly dying away on the still waters of the bay. It was not possible to get ashore

that night, but the short twilight, fast verging into darkness, still beheld me on deck feasting my eyes with the enlivening scene: and the long remembered "tattoo" had subsided into silence, and the gay landscape had been some time veiled in darkness, ere, leaving the poop, I descended to my cot, not to sleep, but to pass a restless night in the pleasing anticipation of being next day once more amongst my fellow-countrymen.

The "mountain of night," as we say in the East, weighed heavily during the hours of darkness, which to an impatient feeling seemed almost an age; at last, like some heavy fogbank, it fled at the magic touch of the sun : I then lost no time in getting ashore, and was soon hastily traversing the streets of Port Louis, my first destination being, of course, the "Barracks." I here found quartered the 29th, 99th, and 87th Regiments: amongst which corps I found several old friends, and was instantly overwhelmed with hospitable offers, that I gladly accepted, and which were kindly continued during the eight or ten days I remained in the Island.

As a quarter, the Mauritius appeared to be generally liked: although within the Tropics, the climate is uncommonly temperate and healthy, the colonial allowances good, and until the late disturbances amongst the French inhabitants, brought on by the Revolution of 1830,-which had caused rather a bad feeling against the military,-the society was described as having been pleasant, and on the most friendly footing. This bad feeling was of late increased by the arrival of Mr. Jeremie, who had been sent out by the British Government to rectify many abuses which were prevalent in the colony, and, amongst other things, to cause some amelioration in the state of the slaves. Both the Envoy and his mission were considered in so unpopular a light, that on one or two occasions violence had been used against him by the French colonists, and the military had been obliged to act in his defence.

All this had caused a general coolness to arise, put a stop to the friendly intercourse which previously existed, and had frozen the

genial smiles of the interesting and in many instances fair and beautiful Creoles, which were wont of yore to beam on the scarletcoated sons of Mars, oft igniting flames in their dauntless breasts requiring on many occasions, to be extinguished by the cooling dose of matrimony.*

The Sportsman had likewise the wherewithal to keep rust and dust from off his fowling piece-perhaps not on so large a scale as in the plains of Hindostan or the wilds at the Cape; yet, although he might not be here able to bag royal tigers, and eat elephant steaks for breakfast, still, a short sail of a few days to the Island of Rodriguez would enable him to have a slice of beef steak from off the numerous wild bullocks with which that isolated spot is said to abound: with a little fagging on the hills of Maurice itself he might stalk his deer-shoot (not spear) his wild hog;

* Many of our officers offered these sacrifices at the altar of Hymen, and the interesting Creoles with whom they thus indissolubly linked their fate, are said, in most cases, to have made truly exemplary wives.