continued our
labours. Again the Frenchmen interfered. On a further consultation one
of our party recollected that graves were usually placed east and west
in England, and so we told our tyrants that we were only following one
of our own national customs, and to it we intended to adhere. From our
not recollecting the custom, all our other countrymen had been buried
north and south. After some further dispute about the matter we were
allowed to proceed, and thus poor Delisle rests in the position which is
considered most orthodox, though I cannot say that I should be inclined
to attach much importance to the matter. Sad and sick, I went back to
our stable. The exertion I had gone through almost finished me. The
other lieutenants wanted me to go to their house, but I had no spirits
for society. I preferred my own wretched abode and the companionship of
Tom Rockets and the old black woman. Never did one brother mourn for
another more sincerely than I did for Gerard Delisle. Thus the days and
weeks and months drew slowly along till April arrived. That month was
passed much as the others till on the 28th, a day not likely to be
forgotten by me. Several of my friends had come in to see me, and they
were all sitting about in the stable. We were bemoaning, as we often
did, our hard fate.

"As for me," I exclaimed, "I fully expect to lay my bones in that dark,
dreary savannah! What hope have I of ever getting away?"

Suddenly a voice was heard outside the door shouting lustily. We
thought it was one of our friends running about in the delirium of
fever, when in rushed Lieutenant Moriarty with an open letter in his
hand of a very official appearance.

"It was directed to me, so I broke the seal. You and Manby and I are
free. Hurrah, boys, hurrah!" he exclaimed. "Hurrah, hurrah!"

I thought at first that he was mad, and could not believe him till he
let me inspect the letter. It was from General D'Argue, informing us
that, in consequence of a request from Sir Peter Parker, we had leave to
embark on board a cartel for Jamaica. I turned the document over and
over again in my hand. There could be no doubt about its genuineness.
Ill and weak as we all were, for we still had the fever on us, we
resolved to set off the moment we were able. After the first ebullition
of our feelings was over, we recollected what must be the sensation of
the friends we were leaving behind, and Moriarty did his best to soothe
the