CONSTERNATION OF MY FATHER. 51 
They placed us in a casemate, where we had barely 
the space necessary for lying down. In the windmill, 
they used to bring us, from time to time, some provisions, 
which came from our boat. Here, the Spanish govern-— 
ment purveyed our food. We received every day some 
bread and a ration of rice; but as we had no means of 
dressing food, we were in reality reduced to dry bread. 
Dry bread was very unsubstantial food for one who 
could see from his casemate, at the door of his prison, a 
sutler selling grapes at two farthings a pound, and cook- 
ing, under the shelter of half a cask, bacon and herrings ; 
but we had no money to bring us into connection with 
this merchant. I then decided, though with very great 
regret, to sell a watch which my father had given me. 
I was only offered about a quarter of its value; but I 
might well accept it, since there were no competitors 
for it. 
As possessors of sixty francs, M. Berthémie and I 
could now appease the hunger from which we had long 
suffered ; but we did not like this return of fortune to be 
profitable to ourselves alone, and we made some presents, 
which were very well received by our companions in 
captivity. Though this sale of my watch brought some 
comfort to us, it was doomed at a later period to plunge 
a family into sorrow. 
The town of Rosas fell into the power of the French 
after a courageous resistance. The prisoners of the gar- 
rison were sent to France, and naturally passed through 
Perpignan. My father went in quest of news wherever 
Spaniards were to be found. He entered a café at the 
moment when a prisoner officer drew from his fob the 
watch which I had sold at Rosas. My good father saw 
in this act the proof of my death, and fell into a swoon. 
