PAUL AND VIRGINIA. I53 



We immediately bent our courfe thither. As 

 we were croffing the woods of the Long-Moun- 

 tain, and already on the road which leads from 

 Pamplemouffes to the port, I heard the found of 

 fome one walking behind us. It was a negro hur- 

 rying on with his utmoft fpeed. As foon as he 

 had overtaken us, I afked him whence he came, 

 and whither he was going with fuch expedition : 

 He replied : "I come from that quarter of the 

 *' ifland which is called Gold-Duft, and am dif- 

 *' patched to inform the Governor, that a vefTel 

 " from France has juft caft anchor under Am- 

 *' ber Ifland. She is firing guns, in token of di- 

 " ftrefs, for the fea is very boifterous." The man, 

 having thus fpoken, immediately haflened for- 

 wards. 



I thenfaid to Paul: ** Let us go toward Gold- 

 ** Duft, to meet Firginia ; it is only three leagues 

 ** from hence." We, accordingly, diieded our 

 ftcps toward the northern part of the ifland. The 

 heat was ftifling : the moon had juft arifen ; three 

 black circles furrounded her. A frightful dark- 

 nefs overlpread the whole face of Heaven. By the 

 frequent flalhes of lightning, we difcovered long 

 ftreamers of thick clouds, gloomy, and lowering 

 at no great height, piled one above another, to- 

 ward the middle of the ifland, which ruflied from 

 the fea with an amazing rapidity, although, on 



land. 



