rry this threat into execution.
Having, in my rounds, visited the square, and comforted our prisoners as
much as I could venture to do, I again went on with my domiciliary
visits. At the next house at which I stopped the door was instantly
opened by the black servant.

"Oh, massa officer! oh, massa officer! you frighten de poor young ladies
till all die!" he exclaimed as we entered the hall. "Oh, ki! oh, ki!
dey kick and squeal on de sofa like little pigs going to have dey throat
cut. Oh, ki! oh, ki! what shall we do?"

"Where are the ladies?" I asked. "I will try what I can do to banish
their alarm."

"Dis way, den, sare--dis way," said the negro, ushering me in a great
hurry into a large and handsomely-furnished room, lighted by several
candles. There were several sofas. On two of them lay two ladies,
apparently in hysterics, while several other ladies and female
attendants, black and brown, were bending over them and applying
restoratives.

"There, sir! that is what you and your people have done!" exclaimed an
elderly and rather portly lady, turning round and advancing towards me
while she pointed at the younger females, whom I took to be her
daughters, on the sofa.

Some of my men were following me. When the ladies saw them they
shrieked louder than ever, so I ordered them all to go outside the house
with the exception of Tom Rockets, and then addressed myself to the lady
who had thus spoken to me--

"I regret excessively the cruel necessity thus imposed on me, madam,"
said I, "but accept the honour of an officer and a gentleman that no
harm shall be done to any member of your family. Let me entreat the
young ladies to calm their fears. My people are under perfect command,
as you may have seen by the way they obeyed my orders, so that you need
be under no apprehension either from them."

"I'll trust you, sir; I'll trust you," said the lady, frankly putting
out her hand. "There is something in your countenance and manner which
assures me that you speak the truth."

I could only bow to this pretty compliment--I hope it was deserved.
These words had great effect in calming the agitation of the young
ladies, and in a few minutes they were able to dismiss the negro girls
and the scent bottles and the plates of burnt feathers, and to sit up
and enter into conversation. The room was still too dark to enable me
to see much of their countenances, but I thought their voices sounded
very pleasant and swe