62 SUFFERINGS OF LIEUTENANT 0*BRIKN. 



venture. "And where would be the service of attempting it?" replietl the 

 Frenchman, " when the English would have the vessels before they had 

 completed one such voyage." 



The prospect down the banks of the Seine was very striking and beautiful. 

 However, the view was shortly after of a ditferent nature, and our prospect 

 was changed to the very agreeable one which the inside of the common jail 

 presented, with the keeper and his dear companion. They accosted us in no 

 very pathetic terms, and assured us, that unless we instantly paid for two 

 nights' lodgings, we should be placed in the cells along with prisoners, whose 

 society was not over pleasant. We well knew that what those kind people 

 said was a law. However, we took the liberty of asking, why they demanded 

 payment for two nights ; they replied, "you are going to have a day's rest, 

 and the officer that escorted you assured us of the fact." 



This officer, whose name (to the best of my recollection) was Galway, lived 

 with us in all the small towns we passed through, professed a great deal of 

 friendship for us, while we were paying his expenses, and repeatedly declared, 

 that he would prevent our being confined in the jail of Rouen : that he 

 himself would be responsible for as, and we shonld remain at an inn : but, 

 alas ! so shallow was this officer's memory, that he forgot to pay us one day's 

 allowance (the last day), and did not recollect to leave with the officer who 

 succeeded him, the certificates that he had received from our officers, specifying 

 that we were also officers, noticing the mistake at Brest, &c., which would 

 have been of material service ; nor do I suppose he recollected, that there was 

 a jail in this city ; for we never saw him after we had been placed under 

 lock and key. We of course came into terms with our host and his rib, andv 

 paid them two shillings each for the two nights' lodging; which pleased them 

 ao much, that they conducted us with a great deal of politesse to an apartment, 

 in which were two prisoners and three beds ; two were pointed out for us ; 

 our room mates we discovered were debtors : the landlady very charitably 

 observed that she was certain we were very faint, and wanted some refresh- 

 ment. She would send us a bottle of good wine and some bread for the 

 present, and would procure us, pauvres enfans, a comfortable dinner, in about 

 an hour's time ; and then she and her husband, after a thousand courtesies and 

 bows, withdrew, not forgetting to turn the key in the door, and to take it 

 with them. We all agreed that this was a considerate, charitable, good woman : 

 but more did we extol her, when we saw the bottle of y\\ne and bread appear 

 — the man who brought it was a smart, active turnkey ; he informed us, 

 mistress, was very busy cooking dinner for the English captains ; that he had 

 the pleasure of waiting very frequently on British officers in that prison— they 

 were very extravagant, liked to live well, &c. But this conversation did not 

 by any means suit his present guests : so we made signs to the fellow to be off; 

 he quitted us, taking the same precaution that his master had done. Our 

 finances were ebbing fast, and we began to think the dinner that was 

 preparing for us, would help them out amazingly. I have already observed, 

 that we had 5^. per diem allowed us ; but we were very frequently cheated 

 even out of this miserable pittance : and had we not each procured a little 

 cash at Morlaix, on our private bills, we should certainly have perished for 

 want. The table was now prepared with a table cloth, a rare article in a 

 common jail, and in a short time dinner appeared, with two bottles of wine ! 

 It consisted of a little fresh fish, and a small joint of boiled mutton ; the 

 dishes were cleared in a short time, without the smallest hope of a second 

 course. We were now anxious to know what the generous good dame could 

 or would demand for this sumptuous repast; and inquired of our active waiter, 

 who went to his mistress to know : she very kindly replied, not to make our- 

 selves uneasy, it would be time enough the next day. We accordingly waited 



