eaving the country. I would to God the | Prince. Their houses were pillaged here by time had come when I can go. I am the mob, on the day of arrest. They were heartily sick of both country and people.

accused of participation in the revolt of the military of St. Marc's, but it does not appear that there is enough to condemn them.

We had, in the month of January, an influx of priests, one Irish-Father O'Flinn (a truly excellent and good man)—and four or five Spanish, so that the country is better supplied with lessons of piety than at any time during the authority of the King. Many who knew the King best, thought he would never have another priest after the archbishop; and he was heard to swear against all churches because he happened to be taken ill in one. He often ridiculed the superstitions of the Catholic religion, and said if he were to be of any he would choose the Protestant. Nearly all the higher Haytiens are infidels.

Many of the people of this side have gone to Port-au-Prince. They say they are afraid some other tyrant may start up and oppress them. Mme. Christophe and her daughters are also gone. This lady said to Dr. Stewart, the other day, that she was convinced that he poisoned her husband, and that his debility, and inability to exert himself in opposition to the insurrectionary chiefs was owing to some drugs which the Doctor had given him expressly. What infatuation! I understand that the President has appropriated the rent of one or two of her estates to her maintenance. If I were she, I would go and live in the United States. It will be fong ere this people forget her husband, and she will always be subject to insult if she walk out of her house. These people are The beginning of March our reports were very illiberal and saucy. When she first very alarming. The generals of the re came into town, she was put into the house public had been driven out of St. Marc's out of which her son was taken to go to and Gonaives, and all the plain was in prison, where he was murdered. She re-revolt. Every young man at the Cape was mained there three days without food, except a little cassava bread, which an old woman brought her. What a change was this for these high dames, who had their nice repasts four or five times a-day! Both they and the King were very fond of good things, and of their being very often repeated. But the King did not mind the other tables of his household, for at the table of his "Etat Major," where I dined often in his latter days, I generally found a scurvy repast, and always very bad wine. Indeed, I complained to the attendant of the latter, and he furnished me with better; but the others at the table had the same, and not much of it, either!

Notwithstanding so many have left for Port-au-Prince, yet many more have settled here. The town is quite full, and it is very difficult to get a house. Rents are very high, and they talk of raising them still higher.

In February we had almost daily tumults. Battles were fought in the streets, lives were lost, and many were wounded. We had news from St. Marc's that the Eighth regiment (the commencers of the revolution) had risen against the authority of the President. On the 25th, Generals Richarde and Cymetiere, with the Colonel and some inferior officers, were arrested here, and shipped off, on the next day, for Port-au

enrolled in the national guard, and we were threatened with a vessel from the revolters. Numerous and strong patrols paraded the streets every night, and all was preparation and alarm. However, the republic became victorious. Richarde, Cymetiere, and several others, were shot at Port-au-Prince, after being tried by a court-martial, and order was again restored. They then had a grand mass at the Cape, and having set up a great image of the Virgin Mary, they returned her thanks for the deliverance they had experi enced.

It is to be remarked, that the troops of the north were employed to quell this insurrection. Indeed, it would be almost an impracticable affair to induce the republicans to fight. They, for their part, have no idea of any such thing. It was quite funny to observe their motions here at the Cape, when the danger was at its height. They were all for running home on board their ships. They did not come up here to fight. This was a bad country -a very bad country. It was not so at Port-au-Prince. There they knew how to be quiet. Yet they would (in times of perfect safety) say that they had conquered the people of the north; for which saying they were not in security enough to prevent the people of the north often giving them a good drubbing.

1

A MILITARY ADVENTURE IN THE PYR- tatters, and our beasts rolling heels over head down all sorts of places.'

ENEES.

CHAPTER XIII.

On arriving at our billet, we there found the Padre, who expressed his profound regrets at the insult offered by the villagers to my companion, and repeated his assurance that nothing of the kind should happpen again.

"Señor Padre," said I, "that is hardly sufficient. I think that people who misconduct themselves as the villagers have done, should be made sensible of their error by stringent measures."

66

"This time let it pass," said M. le Tisanier. Should the same thing happen again, I shall hold the alcalde responsible, and shall invite him " (M. le T. twists his mustache) "to promenade outside the village."

The Padre was in a little bit of a fidget. We had come upon him in the kitchen, with a ladle on the stove, and sleeves turned up. He was casting bullets.

"We must go on foot," he replied. "Very good," said I;" you know best. Only recollect my left leg is in far better walking order for half-a-league than for halfa-dozen. Suppose I knock up?"

"Chito! then I will carry you on my back."

"Be it so," said I, inwardly determining to drop dead tired for the fun of the thing, and take a spell out of the Padre as long as I found it pleasant. "Then, to-morrow after breakfast

"We must start before breakfast," said the Padre.

Supposing the enemy at hand, it really was desirable to know what they were about. So I ended by assenting, with one proviso, to all the Padre's propositions. The proviso was, that in the interval we received no intelligence sufficiently conclusive of itself, and rendering our reconnaissance superfluous.

CHAPTER XIV.

"No news of this French column," said he; "I have been waiting about here, expecting intelligence all the morning.' No intelligence arrived, and early next "Why not send out some of the vil-morning we set out to seek the foe. M. le lagers? I asked. "They might pick up Tisanier was up betimes to see us off. "Exinformation."

"Señor Capitan," he replied, "I have thought of a better plan than that. You and I were to have gone out shooting to-day. Suppose we go to-morrow morning."

With much pleasure," said I, "but what are we to effect by that?”

"We will take a new direction," he replied. "We will not go northwards, as hitherto; we will go southwards. This will bring us towards the point from which the enemy are approaching. We may obtain tidings; perhaps we may get a sight of them."

"You must be guide, then," I answered. "Of course, you know the ground."

"Trust me for that," said he. "I will not take you by the direct route across the open plain. We will strike off to the right, and skirt the foot of the hills."

"Why go over rough ground, in prefererence to level?" I asked.

pect to see me return," said I, "in a state of absolute exhaustion and immense inanition, with heels hanging down over the Padre's shoulders. In pity have a good dinner ready."

"I shall be prepared for you," said M. le Tisanier.

"Of course you feel easy," said I to the Padre as we went along, "respecting the four Frenchmen."

"No fear about them," replied the Padre. "They know it is their safety to keep quiet, and if they come to any harm, it will be their own act. If they attempt to move, or even show themselves abroad, they will be shot down luego, luego."

Our ramble proved well worth taking for its own sake; but we saw no Frenchmen, and very little game. The Padre was fortunate, and bagged a fox. My success was but scanty in respect to hares and partridges. After a long detour through a wild and very "Ah," said he, "you are, I perceive, a thinly inhabited district, and a few calls at novice in guerrilla warfare. Regular tactics scattered cottages, or rather hovels, the abode are your line. If they caught sight of us on of a rough and noble peasantry, all of whom the open plain, don't you see they would be received the Padre with profound veneration, sure to overtake and capture us? If we have and me as his companion with high Spanish the hills on our flank, cannot we at any courtesy, we reached at length a village time escape up the rocks and gullies? They which we had agreed to make the extreme are not likely to follow us there. If they limit of our excursion. Still obtaining no do, at any rate, I promise you some beauti-intelligence, we set out, after resting, on our ful shooting.' return. We now, however, took the direct "Let alone a little bloodletting among route over the plain, and found our journey the thorn-bushes," said I; "trousers in homeward far more agreeable than our jour

ney out. There was a point on which II would have given you such a bottle of deemed it requisite to obtain information, bordeaux! And port! As good port as you and, the Padre being in a remarkably con- can drink in the Peninsula, and far better versable vein, the present seemed a good op- than you ever are likely to drink in your portunity. own country."

"You mentioned," said I, " that the proprietors of your abode were worthy people. I should be sorry, for their sakes, if the house received damage from the enemy." He. "It is not altogether for their sakes that I wish to preserve the house." I. "Of course, not altogether. Your own property- your own effects

He. I have no property; I have no effects; I have nothing. It is a rule of my order. I am under a vow of poverty. No, no; my wish springs from a principle of honor."

1. Just what I should feel towards my own landlord. But you say it is not on your landlord's account.'

He."It is on account of the fraternity of which I am an unworthy member."

I. "O, O! then your fraternity have an interest in the premises?"

He. "Not exactly in the building itself, but in its contents. The fact is, our convent

par

but I forget. You, as a heretdon me; you, as an Englishman, can have ho acquaintance with our regulations. I will just explain. Our poor indigent community has some trifling property in lands, principally vineyards. I am their factor. That house is one of our depôts."

I. "Very good wine, too, the growth of your estates. Little did I imagine, while seated with you at table, or puffing a cigar, that we were sipping the property of the

Church."

He. "You may say smoking as well as sipping. The cigars also are the property of our humble fraternity."

I." And so it is you who have the management of all this. Surely it must give you no end of trouble."

He."Trouble? It is my business. Be sides that, it is a duty I owe my fraternity, consequently a duty of my profession. As to trouble, my only real trouble is in running foreign goods from the coast, or across the frontiers. I certainly do sometimes find a little trouble in that. But why should I complain? After all, it is exciting, and so far a pleasure. A man of my cloth ought always to be contented."

I." French goods?"

He. "French goods and English. French across the Pyrenees; English from the shores of the Mediterranean and Bay of Biscay. We sell again at a very fair profit-moderate as becomes our order, but fair nevertheless."

I. "A heavy deduction, though, the fiscal exactions of your government, no doubt."

-

"Fiscal?" he exclaimed, frowning hor ribly. "Fiscal? Do you think me, in managing the concerns of my venerable brotherhood, capable of such a dereliction of principle do you consider me such an ass as to permit any deduction like that? Why, if we conducted our little business subject to fiscal obstructions, we might as well have no management at all. Señor Capitan, although this conversation was brought on by a remark on your part, the subject is one on which I have long wished to confer with you confidentially, and I thank you for the op portunity. And now let me bespeak your kind, benevolent offices on behalf of my selfdenying, humble brethren. As I said before, we profess poverty, we have nothing. Charitable laics, touched by our dependent He (benignantly). "One thing at a time. and destitute condition, have from time to As to the wine we drink, you mistake, how-time bequeathed us trifles of landed property, ever, if you suppose that is the wine we which we frugally farm to the best advan grow. The wine grown on our lands is the tage, taking the chance-you know it is a ordinario sort -abundant, indeed, as to toss-upof profit or loss. The produce, quantity, and in that respect valuable; but when realized, we turn to account as well as not of a sort fit to be drunk by my order. our poor opportunities permit; and my obNo, no; we exchange it for better. For ex-ject is to supplicate your best offices in behalf ample, what you have been drinking I trust you will admit is a good sound wine.' I. "As good a Spanish red wine as I ever tasted; "—and it was no compliment.

I. "Well, I like that idea of a vow of poverty amazingly. You don't intend to convert me?"

He. "Yes, yes; and we sometimes exchange for foreign wines. Would that you had been here before the branch convent, which is now your hospital, was ransacked by the French. Have I not good reason for shooting a Frenchman whenever I can? Ah,

of our little store in the village, which, as well as one or two others in different locali ties, is under my charge and responsibility. Some damage our store has suffered already. After the plunder of the convent by the French, your own troops, on their arrival in the village, found their way into the cellar of the house, and were beginning to make free with the wine, when you happily arrived, and order was soon restored. All I ask is, that

as long as you remain here, or have influence | statement that, subsequently to our deparin this neighborhood, you will kindly give ture, when M. le Tisanier, having made his our depôt the benefit of your protection, so preliminary arrangements for our dinner, far as you may be able. I ask it, not only had visited the hospitals, and was returning on my own account, but for the sake of my through the village, he was again set upon venerable brethren. Our wants are few. by the inhabitants. The villagers, taking adThe French silks and English prints we sell vantage of the Padre's absence, surrounded for what we can get. We also drive a tri- and insulted him, menaced both him and the fling business in English cutlery and French four prisoners with death, and pelted him quincaillerie. The poor must do something with stones, one of which had taken effect, to live. As to the convent in Vittoria, I very much to the detriment of his physiogforward to it from time to time, as best I nomy. On reaching home, however, he o0can, and, when I have got them, only little cupied himself as usual, without doing anysupplies of such common necessaries as bor- thing to excite suspicion; but, after a while, deaux, port, champagne, sherry, French he sent off Francisco with a message to the brandy when I can get it good, sardines," two wounded Spaniards" at the convent, gruyère cheese, caviar, vermicelli, macaroni, and with directions to await their further inspicery, Dutch herrings, maraschino, Ham-structions. After being detained a couple of burg sausages, and a few other little knicknackeries not worth enumerating. Our wants are few."

hours, which he spent in the study of English, under the tuition of the convalescent soldiers, with whom Francisco was popular, the two Spaniards merely gave him directions to go home again, and he returned to the house.

Had liberal Spain, when she laid hands on the property of the religious orders, gone through as she began, made a clean work of On entering the kitchen, he was surprised it, and reformed ALL that we consider the to see what to all appearance was a dinner errors and abuses of Romanism, I, as an ar- ready-cooked, arranged on a tray, and under dent Protestant, should have cordially re- covers. M. le Tisanier, pointing to the tray, joiced. But merely to confiscate endowments, bade him carry it to the Alcalde's, with a mesand to leave other things as they are, is a sage that he himself would be there immedidifferent thing. There can be no doubt of it, ately. The Alcalde was from home; and that at the beginning of this century, when Francisco, on coming out after leaving the Napoleon I. attempted to make Spain a pro- tray, beheld in the street a spectacle which, vince of France, the Spanish clergy, by their as he elegantly expressed himself, "revolved influence with the nation, and by their suc- his interior" (revolvio-me las tripas). Close cess in maintaining the spirit of national re-at hand appeared, all bearing their muskets sistance, were the saviours of their country. That these have been made the victims and the only victims of reform, is hard indeed.

I walked on, listening to the Padre's discourse with so much interest, that we arrived close upon our village before I recollected his promise of a lift, and my own fixed purpose of taking it out of him. We were now not a quarter of a mile from our journey's end; and I was beginning to muse, with complacent anticipation, on the capital dinner which M. le Tisanfer was to have ready on our arrival, when we noticed Francisco coming down the lane to meet us.

As he approached with hasty strides, his visage was clouded. He made an angry gesture, as if signalling us to halt.

"That endiablado doctor," said he, (may his soul never see the inside of purgatory!) has armed the four Frenchmen, seized all the ammunition in the village, and barricaded the house!"

CHAPTER XV.

WE halted. As the tidings brought by Francisco derrived Padre of utterance, I demanded particulars.

It appeared from Francisco's indignant

and fully accoutred, the four French soldiers, headed by M. le Tisanier, who marched en militaire, with his drawn sword sloped on his shoulder. This armed party, compelling him to return with them, entered the Alcalde's house, demanded all the arms on the premises, obtained a gun, a blunderbuss, a pair of Spanish rapiers, and a quantity of ammunition. They then, leaving behind them a basket which contained several bottles of the Padre's wine, went back to the house, which immediately on their entering they barricaded, leaving the astonished Francisco in the street.

The villagers noticed these proceedings with consternation, but had been taken by surprise, and were overawed by the military display. After the closing of the house, they assembled tumultuously in the street, and meditated all sorts of things. But M. le Tisanier, appearing at the window of an entresuelo (a closet or small chamber half-way up-stairs), warned them to disperse if they did not wish to be fired upon; an admonition which they were the more readily induced to follow by a bullet that whistled over their heads. They then withdrew to their huts, anxiously watching the closed house,

>

Not choosing to answer the former of these inquiries, I addressed myself to the latter. Very poor indeed. Only a brace and a half of birds, and a couple of hares. The Padre, though, has brought home a fox. Dinner ready?

"Santiago de Compostella!" gasped the Padre, at length recovering partially his He. "Your dinner? O, yes, that was senses and his breath, and dashing his ready some hours ago. It awaits you at the bonnet on the ground. "For which of my Alcalde's-hope you'll enjoy it. It will many sins was I withheld from cutting that merely require warming." hangdog's throat the first moment that I set eyes on him? Santiago! Trecientos mil diablos!"

66

Compose yourself, Señor Padre," said I. "At least wait till we see how things look, and till we can judge for ourselves. If the Doctor has been menaced and assaulted, what wonder that he should place himself in security till our return? The business, according to my view of it, is not so serious as you appear to think."

"Ah!" said the Padre, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, " you are very kind. I totally forgot what I had just told you

I. Shall we not, then, have the pleasure of your company?

He. "To tell you the truth, I have made up my mind to remain where I am. The villagers, as you perceive, have maltreated me; so the idea occurred to me, my best plan would be to fortify the house."

I. "In our absence, quite right. But now that the Padre has returned, as well as myself, no further precaution is requisite." He. "Pardon me. I take quite a different view of the subject."

I (a little annoyed). "Explain your self." He. that, with the exception of the wine, I had sent off all our stores to Vittoria. O, no! I mistake! Three dozen Lamego hams! Beautiful! - delicate? The choicest rarity in these parts! O, my Lamego hams! To think that the poor provision for my selfdenying, self-mortifying, exemplary brethren should go to feed those hounds, of Frenchmen! "

"Never mind," I replied, still striving to tranquillize his agitated feelings; "should the worst come to the worst, we'll have them out of that long before they finish your hams. But, not to lose time, suppose I just step forward, and try the effects of a parley."

CHAPTER XVI.

"In case you should receive satisfactory intelligence that my countrymen are approaching in force, and supposing you should in consequence deem it requisite to evacuate this hamlet and fall back on Vittoria, permit me to inquire, would you not feel it your duty to invite me to accompany you as a prisoner?"

I. "Probably."

He. "Of course you would. Now, that being your duty, I have been led to consider what, under the circumstances, is my duty. And it strikes me, I confess, that in the pros pect of a speedy re-union with my country. men, the most proper thing I can do is-to remain where I am."

proving successful, very awkwardly situated among the people of this place. You know their feeling, and I might no longer be able to restrain them."

I. "Permit me, however, to suggest, that ON approaching the house, which had now if you persist in this view, and if we should become a place d'armes, I saw no one stir-be induced in consequence to adopt vigorous ring. Every shutter was closed. It was a measures, you may find yourself, on their square low building, as old as the Moors, flat-roofed, solidly built of stone. Its little windows were high above the level of the ground. As I drew nigh, I remarked that the large massive door, which usually stood He. "Permit me, on the other hand, to open all day, was, as well as the shutters, suggest, that should I maintain myself in closed. Spanish-fashion, I took the liberty this house till my countrymen arrive, the of kicking at the said door, in the absence exploit will cover me with glory, my com of any such superfluities as bell or knocker. rades will rush to congratulate me, and I A voice responded over my head, "Quien shall be appreciated throughout the French es?" (Who is it ?)

army. In short, M. le Capitaine, I consider