Henri. I am Jacques. You are not awake yet, and the place is
dark. I am your friend Jacques, five inches shorter than Henri. You
see?"

"You here, Jacques! and Therese! Surely I am not awake yet."

"Yes, you are, now you know Therese--whom you will henceforth look upon
as my wife. We are both free of the whites now, for ever."

"Is it possible?"

"It is true; and we will fell you all presently. But first explain why
you called me Henri as you woke. If we could see Henri--Why did you
name Henri--"

"Because he was the next person I expected to see. I met one on the way
who knew where he was, and took a message to him."

"If we could learn from Henri--" said Jacques.

"Here is Henri," said the calm, kindly, well-known voice of the powerful
Christophe, who now showed himself outside. The other went out to him,
and greeted him heartily.

"What news, Henri?" asked Toussaint. "How are affairs at Cap? What is
doing about the proclamation there?"

"Affairs are going badly at Cap. The mulattoes will no more bear our
proclamation than the whites would bear theirs. They have shut up
General Laveaux in prison; and the French, without their military
leader, do not know what to do next. The commissary has no authority,
and talks of embarking for France; and the troops are cursing the
negroes, for whose sake, they say, their General is imprisoned, and will
soon die of the heats."

"We must deliver General Laveaux," said Toussaint. "Our work already
lies straight before us. We must raise a force. Henri, can you bring
soldiers?"

"Ay, Henri," said Jacques, "what force can you bring to join ours?
General Toussaint Breda has six thousand here at hand, half of whom are
disciplined soldiers, well armed. The rest are partially armed, and
have strong hearts and ready hands."

Toussaint turned round, as if to know what Jacques could mean.

"General," said Jacques, "the army I speak of is there, among those
fields, burning to greet you their commander; but in the meantime, I
believe, supping heartily on whatever they can find in your wilderness
here, in the shape of maize, pumpkins, and plantains--and what else, you
know better than? That is right, Therese; rest yourself in the piazza,
and I will bring you some supper, too."

"Six thousand, did you say, Jacques?" said Henri. "I can rally two
thousand this night, and more will join on the way."

"We must free Laveaux before sunrise," said Toussaint. "Will