e of a refreshing
sleep.

"When the moon rose, dispelling by degrees the darkness of night, we
again pursued our journey. We made the least noise possible as we
advanced cautiously, our fears and apprehensions increasing at every
step. All at once our column halted; a deathlike silence prevailed,
and our hearts beat tumultuously within us. Was it the beat of the
drum that had startled us? No one could tell. We listened with
eagerness, but the sound had died away, and the stillness of night
remained undisturbed. Our anxiety became intense. Was the enemy in
pursuit of us? We remained in painful suspense, not knowing what
danger lurked ahead of us. The few minutes that succeeded seemed as
long as a whole year. We drew close together and whispered our
apprehensions to one another. We moved on slowly, our footsteps
falling noiselessly on the roadway, while we strained our eyes to
pierce the shadows of night to discover the cause of our fears. The
sound that had startled us was no more heard, and somewhat
encouraged, our uneasiness grew less.

"We had not advanced two hundred yards when we were halted by a
company of English soldiers. Ah! Petiots, our doom was sealed. We were
in a narrow path surrounded by the enemy, without the possibility of
escape. How shall I describe what followed. The women wrung their
hands and sobbed piteously in their despair. The children, terrified,
uttered shrill and piercing cries, while the men, goaded to madness,
vented their rage in hurried exclamations, and were determined to sell
their lives as dearly as possible.

"After a while, the tumult subsided, and order was somewhat restored.

"The officer in command approached us; 'Acadians,' said he, 'you have
fled from your homes after having reduced them to ashes; you have used
seditious language against England, and we find you here, in the
depth of night, congregated and conspiring against the king, our liege
lord and sovereign. You are traitors and you should be treated as
such, but in his clemency, the king offers his pardon to all who will
swear fealty and allegiance to him.'

"'Sir,' answered Rene Leblanc, under whose guidance we had left St.
Gabriel, 'our king is the king of France, and we are not traitors to
the king of England whose subjects we are not. If by the force of arms
you have conquered this country, we are willing to recognize your
supremacy, but we are not willing to submit to English rule, and for
that reason, we have