144 TKAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



Wickham, secretary in the Duke of Portland's office, 

 relative to French affairs. On one of these occasions, 

 a man who had been sitting in a dark corner of the 

 apartment recognised and spoke to them. " You 

 are saved," said he ; " then all my misfortunes are 

 forgotten." He was so much reduced by ill health 

 that they could scarcely recollect their friend the 

 American captain. " I am Tilly," said he, " and 

 you, too, are so much altered, that I could not have 

 known you, but from hearing your names." The 

 alteration, it may be presumed, under the regimen of 

 Dutch hospitality, reinforced by the English table, 

 was of the more favourable kind. 



Tilly's narrative still had some interest for them. 

 Within three days after their escape, the frigate La 

 Decade had brought her living freight of disap- 

 pointed statesmanship to shore, a cargo of 193 

 popular members, liberal authors, citizen priests, and 

 journalists. So prodigious an influx of politics at 

 once, frightened Jeannet for the stability of his 

 place ; and, probably with the actual intention of 

 providing for the future, he called the captain into 

 his councils, and began a conversation with him on 

 the purchase of his vessel for a flight to Philadelphia. 

 The escape of the exiles happened to be mentioned ; 

 and the captain, in his hour of confidence, unwarily 

 acknowledged at full length his share in the trans- 

 action, and even that he had the correspondence 

 from France still barrelled up in his hold. A 



