e, the most generally believed in France is that which I
have adopted--that the Commandant, when his prisoner was extremely ill,
left the fortress for two or three days, with the key of Toussaint's
cell in his pocket; that, on his return, he found his prisoner dead; and
that he summoned physicians from Pontarlier, who examined the body, and
pronounced a serious apoplexy to be the cause of death. It so happened
that I was able, in the spring of last year, to make some inquiry upon
the spot; the result of which I will relate.

I was travelling in Switzerland with a party of friends, with whom I had
one day discussed the fortunes and character of Toussaint. I had then
no settled purpose of writing about him, but was strongly urged to it by
my companions. On the morning of the 15th of May, when we were drawing
near Payerne from Freyburg, on our way to Lausanne, I remembered and
mentioned that we were not very far from the fortress of Joux, where
Toussaint's bones lay. My party were all eager that I should visit it.
There were difficulties in the way of the scheme--the chief of which was
that our passports were not so signed as to enable us to enter France;
and the nearest place where the necessary signature could be obtained
was Berne, which we had left behind us the preceding day. I had,
however, very fortunately a Secretary of State's passport, besides the
Prussian Consul's; and this second passport, made out for myself and a
_femme-de-chambre_, had been signed by the French Minister in London.
One of my kind companions offered to cross the frontier with me, as my
_femme-de-chambre_, and to help me in obtaining access to the prison of
Toussaint; an offer I was very thankful to accept. At Payerne, we
separated ourselves and a very small portion of luggage from our party,
whom we promised to overtake at Lausanne in two or three days. We
engaged for the trip a double _char-a-banc_, with two stout little
horses, and a _brave homme_ of a driver, as our courteous landlady at
Payerne assured us. Passing through Yverdun, we reached Orbe by five in
the afternoon, and took up our quarters at the "Guillaume Tell," full of
expectation for the morrow.

On the 16th, we had breakfasted, and were beginning the ascent of the
Jura before seven o'clock. The weather was fine, and we enjoyed a
succession of interesting objects, till we reached that which was the
motive of our excursion. First we had that view of the Alps which, if