n houses in
the town; some to see whether it was yet possible to entrench their
plantations. Some declared their intention of conveying the ladies of
their families to the convent; the place always hitherto esteemed safe,
amidst all commotions. It soon appeared, however, that this was not the
opinion of the sisters themselves, on the present occasion, nor of the
authorities of the town; for the muffled nuns were seen hurrying down to
the quay, under the protection of soldiers, in order to take refuge on
board the vessels in the bay. All night long, boats were plying in the
harbour, conveying women, children, plate, and money, on board the ships
which happened to be in the roads.

The landlord would have been glad of the help of any of his guests, in
clearing his house; but they had no sympathy to spare--no time to think
of his plate and wines. As the whites disappeared from the room, the
blacks poured in. They allowed the landlord to sweep away his plate,
but they laid hands on the wines; and many a smart speech, and many a
light laugh, resounded within those walls till morning, while
consternation reigned without. When these thoughtless creatures
sauntered to their several homes in the sunrise, they found that such of
their fellow-servants as they had been accustomed to look up to, as
abler and more trusted than themselves, had disappeared, and no one
would tell whither they were gone--only that they were quite safe.

When Monsieur Papalier returned to the hotel, from his cruise for
information, he found his neighbour Bayou impatiently waiting on
horseback, while Henri, still in his white apron, was holding the other
horse.

"Here, sir--mount, and let us be off," cried Bayou. "We owe it to my
friend Henri, here, that we have our horses. The gentlemen from the
country very naturally took the first that came to hand to get home
upon. They say Leroy is gone home on a dray-mule. I rather expect to
meet Toussaint on the road. If he sees the fires, he will be coming to
look after me."

"He cannot well help seeing the fires," replied Papalier. "They are
climbing up the mountain-side, all the way along the Haut du Cap. We
shall be singed like two porkers, if we do not ride like two devils; and
then we shall be lucky if we do not meet two thousand devils by the
way."

"Do you suppose the road is safe, Henri?" asked Bayou. "I know you will
tell me truth."

"Indeed, master, I know nothing," replied Henri. "