been seen from her since; but he trusted
that this was only a fit of apprehension, natural to one who loved so
passionately, and that it would but enhance the bliss that was to
succeed.

If, as usual, L'Ouverture had to report the situation of Cap Francais as
precarious, he brought good tidings of the South. An express had met
him on his journey homewards, with news of the total defeat of the
insurgent mulattoes by Vincent. Rigaud had surrendered his designs, and
had actually sailed, with his principal officers, for France. Thus was
the last torch of war extinguished in the colony, and matters of
peaceful policy alone lay before this Council of Five.

The announcement of the entire pacification of the island was the first
made by L'Ouverture, when his friends and counsellors looked eagerly to
him for what he should say.

"Vincent is a fine fellow," said Dessalines, "and a credit to his
colour."

"He has been in the most pressing danger," observed Toussaint. "God
willed that he should escape, when escape appeared impossible."

"What is to be done now with these cowardly devils of mulattoes?" asked
Dessalines.

Monsieur Pascal glanced at Raymond, to see how he bore this. Raymond
chanced to meet his eye, and replied to the glance.

"You will not take me for a cowardly mulatto, Monsieur Pascal, if I do
not resent Dessaline's words. He is speaking of the rebels, not of the
many mulattoes who, like myself, disapprove and despise all such
jealousy of race as leads to the barbarism of aggressive war."

"Yet," said Christophe, "I wish that we should all avoid such language
as provokes jealousy of race."

"In council one must speak plainly," replied Dessalines. "I hope
Monsieur Pascal agrees with me; for doubtless certain affairs of the
whites will be in question, with regard to which they may be uncivilly
spoken of. I was going to say, for instance (what L'Ouverture's
secretary ought to be able to bear), that if we wish this state of peace
to last, we must studiously keep the whites down--exclude them from all
situations of power and trust. You all know that, in my opinion, they
ought every one to have been done with some time ago. As that was not
effected, the next best, policy is to let them die out. One may compute
pretty well the time that this will take. If nothing better remains for
them here than to live upon their estates, without a chance of
distinction, or of employment in public affairs, they w