156 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



the breeze fprung up in the morning, (he would 

 have it in her power, either to put to fea again, or 

 to gain the harbour. Other planters delivered va^ 

 rious opinions. 



Whilft they were difputing among themfelves, 

 as is very cuftomary with idle Creoles, Paul and I 

 kept a profound filence. We remained there till 

 peep of dawn, but, then, there was too little light 

 in the Heavens, to admit of our diftinguilliing any 

 objeâ: at fea, which, befides, was covered with a 

 thick fog ; we could only defcry to windward, a 

 dufky cloud, which, they told us, was the Ifle of 

 Amber, fituated at a quarter of a league's diftance 

 from the coaft. We perceived no objed by this 

 gloomy light, but the point of land where we 

 were, and the peaks of fome of the mountains of 

 the interior of the illand, appearing, from time to 

 time, in the midft of the clouds which floated 

 around them. 



About feven in the morning, we heard the 

 found of drums in the woods ; it was the Gover- 

 nor, M. de la Bourdonaye, who came on horfeback, 

 attended by a detachment of foldiers, armed with 

 niuikets, and by a great number of planters and 

 negroes. He drew up the foldiers on the beach, 

 and ordered them to fire a volley. Scarcely had 

 they done fo, when we perceived, on the fea, a 



flafli 



