uring shed with our weary beasts, we, not less weary, I suspect,
fell asleep.

We were awakened at an early hour the next morning by the sound of
English voices, and, getting up from our straw couches, we found several
of the officers lately belonging to the Minerva, who also had been sent
to this place, and, hearing of our arrival, had come to look for us.
They gave us an account of the way in which their ship had been taken.
We were not aware that they had been captured, and together we bemoaned
our hard fate in thus being made prisoners at the commencement of a war
which probably would be a long one. Having stretched ourselves, we
looked out at the door of our shed. The prospect was very rural and
very tropical, but, as just then we wanted some of the civilised
comforts of life, a few substantial houses would have been more
gratifying to our sight. However, at that moment a voice was heard
indulging in a half-French, half-negro song, and a jolly fat blackamoor
appeared, with a white apron on, a bowl under one arm and a towel over
the other.

"Ah, there comes our perruquier. He's a capital fellow. You'll want
his aid, some of you. Venez ici, Antoine!" sang out one of our friends.

Antoine, nothing loth, turned aside to us, for every new chin added to
his wealth; and he very soon had us shaven and shorn as clean as the
friar the old nursery song tells about, and all the time he was talking
and laughing and singing in the most cheery way imaginable. Our friends
then brought us some milk and bread for breakfast, and, hungry as we
were, we were right glad to partake of it. This done, we sallied forth
to inspect the town, as we had hitherto persisted in calling it. What
was our disappointment and disgust to find that it was not superior to a
village of very poor pretensions, and that there was scarcely a house
fit, in any way, for us to occupy. There were, however, three shops,
great rivals, each trying to ascertain what atrociously bad articles
they could pass off on their customers, and how high the price they
might venture to demand. Thoroughly disappointed, we returned to our
shed to rest during the heat of the day. In the afternoon we again
sallied out, and succeeded in securing a tumble-down looking house, with
three rooms in it and several out-houses adjoining.

This miserable place, then, was to be our abode for weeks and months,
perhaps for years! We were all of us but scantily supplied with
cloth