130 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



had done its duty ; they saw the commandant brought 

 on shore dead drunk, like a corpse. The negroes and 

 soldiers were lying everywhere on the ground, in the 

 same condition. Complete stillness followed the riot, 

 outrage, and atrocious songs of the day. All were 

 silent, for all were drunk. The clock struck nine. 

 The hour agreed on was come. Dossouville, who 

 had been sent out to reconnoitre, gave them the glad 

 intelligence that the whole garrison was thoroughly 

 disqualified for military proceedings for that night. 



They now attempted once more to persuade De 

 Marbois to take his chance along with them. He 

 was a disputer of the true species. They had fre- 

 quently debated the point with him before. But 

 this foolish old man answered them then, and now, 

 with a French harangue on the glory of sacrifices for 

 our country, and a nourish on the certainty of being 

 hereafter avenged. He was evidently much more 

 certain of being drowned. French as they were, 

 they felt the absurdity of this verbiage, and left the 

 old orator to find what justice he could from his 

 fellow-regicides. Pichegru, Aubry, and Kamel now 

 mounted the bastion, went towards the sentinel, and 

 asked him " What it was o'clock 1 " The sentinel, 

 as drunk as his commandant, had no words, but fixed 

 his eyes upon the stars. He was instantly seized by 

 the throat, Pichegru disarmed him, and the rest 

 dragged him along, grasping his throat to prevent 

 his giving the alarm. In this way they pulled him 



