as taken
down by the mayor, attended by a notary, and then he was passed into the
church. Bramble and I of course were marched up with the others, the
captain of the privateer talking with us the whole way, through the
young man who interpreted, informing us that an express had been sent
over to Morlaix, to which town we should be escorted the next day, and
then have better accommodation. As we stood at the huge doors of the
church, which were opened for our reception, we perceived that the
altar and all the decorations had been removed, and that, with the
exception of the large wooden screen of carved oak near the altar, the
church was completely bare. Bramble spoke to the interpreter, and said
that he hoped the captain would request the mayor to allow the prisoners
to have straw to lie down upon, as the pavement would be very cold.
Although the mayor at first demurred at this demand, yet the captain of
the privateer, probably out of goodwill to Bramble, insisted, and the
straw was ordered to be sent in. At last the mayor became impatient, we
could delay no longer, and the doors were closed.

[Illustration: THE PRISON.--Marryat, Vol. X., p. 345.]

I had surveyed the church as we were escorted up to it. It was very
large, capable, I should think, of holding more than two thousand
people. The walls of the church were very massive, and the windows had
but very few panes of glass remaining in them, but they were so very
high as to prevent our climbing out of them, even if there had not been
six sentinels guarding us outside. At one corner, to the right of the
end of the church where the altar-piece had been, was a narrow stone
tower, apparently an addition made to the Lady's Chapel long after the
church had been originally built. When we were shut up we were enabled
to survey the interior at our leisure. The whole was completely bare to
the pavement until you came to the chancel part, near to which the altar
had been, where the wooden screens and seats still remained, in a sad
dilapidated state; but they must have once been very handsome, for the
carving, where it was perfect, was very beautiful. A small, thick wooden
door, loaded with ironwork, communicated with the narrow tower, which
had a flight of stone steps running up to the top, and narrow loopholes
to give light as you ascended. While the majority of the prisoners were
sitting down here and there on the pavement, few of them entering into
conversation, Bramble ha