ne, who acted in
the capacity of judge, sheriff and jailor, and carried back to my
dungeon, where I was soon waited on by the Missionary to read prayers
with me; but it was so extremely cold, he could not stand it but a few
minutes at a time. In conversation with him, I told him I thought it
was very hard to lose my life without a trial, and as I was innocent
of the charge alledged against me. He said it was very true, but that
the Governor had charged him not to give me the least hopes of life,
as he would absolutely hang me.

I remained in this dismal situation three days, when De Jeane came
and took out one of the criminals who was in the dungeon with me, and
held a short conference with him, then came and told me, the Governor
had sent him to tell me to prepare for another world, as I had not
long to live, and then withdrew. I enquired of the criminal, who was a
Frenchman, what De Jeane wanted with him? But he would not tell me.

The evening following he told his brother in distress, that De Jeane had
offered him twenty pounds to hang Mr. Dodge (meaning me) but that he had
refused unless he had his liberty; De Jeane then said, that we should
both be shot under the gallows.

Being at last drove almost to despair, I told De Jeane to inform the
Governor I was readier to die at that time than I should ever be, and
that I would much rather undergo his sentence, than be tortured in the
dreadful manner I then was. He returned for answer, that I need not
hurry them, but prepare myself, as I should not know my time until half
an hour before I was turned off.

Thus did I languish on in my dungeon, without a friend being allowed to
visit me, denied the necessaries of life, and must have perished with
the cold it being in the depth of winter, had not my fellow-prisoners
spared me a blanket from their scanty stock. Thus denied the least
comfort in life together with the unjust and savage threatning I
received every day, brought me so very low, that my inability to answer
De Jeane's unreasonable questions, with which he daily tormented me
respecting innocent men, obliged him to notice my situation, and no
doubt thinking I should die in their hands, they thought proper to
remove me to the barracks, and ordered a Doctor to attend me. The
weather had been so extreme cold, and my legs had been bolted in such a
manner, that they were so benumbed, and the sinews contracted, that I
had not the least use of them; and the severity of