return, they throw us chains and the whip, we shall know how to
answer. But not a blow must be struck till they have shown whether they
are brethren or foes. Our dark skin is no disgrace; but the first drop
of a brother's blood dyes us all in infamy. Let the infamy be theirs
who assault us. At this moment our first duty is to our white brethren
of this island; in this time of our high excitement, they are full of
grief; they are guiltless of this attack upon our liberty; they are as
willing as we to live and die under the rule of L'Ouverture: and under
the special protection of L'Ouverture, they shall, if they please, live
and die. Beware of imputing to them the sins of their colour; protect
them from your hearts--defend them with your lives. In the hour of
danger, as you invoke the blessing of Heaven, save first the Creole
whites, and next your wives and your children."

Such were the exhortations spoken everywhere by Christophe, La Plume,
and Clerveaux. It could not be expected of Dessalines that he should
deliver the last clauses with perfect fidelity. The solemnity of the
hour had, however its tranquillising effect, even upon his ruling
passion. Even his heart, which usually turned to stone at the sight of
a white, was moved by the visible distress of the proprietors of that
race, who were, with scarcely an exception, in despair. In private,
they execrated the spirit and conduct of their former neighbours, now in
Paris, whose representations were the chief cause of the expedition now
projected. Instead of remaining or returning, to ascertain the real
state of things in Saint Domingo--instead of respecting the interests
and wishes of those who were entirely satisfied under the government of
L'Ouverture, they had prejudiced the mind of the First Consul, and
induced him to bring back the ruin and woe which had passed away. The
ladies wept and trembled within their houses; their fathers, husbands,
and brothers flocked to every point where L'Ouverture halted, to assure
him of their good-will to his government, and to remind him of the
difficulty and danger of the position in which they were placed. These
last carried some comfort home with them. All who had seen Toussaint's
face had met there the gaze of a brother. If there were two or three
who went with doubtful minds, prepared to exult at the depression of the
blacks, but thinking it well to bespeak protection, in case of the
struggle ending the wrong wa