lUOUETTE, 
and made besides large reports to him on his re- 
turn ; none of which were thrown away. His 
voice, calling in the morning Come, quick, " put 
such life into them,'* that every one strove which 
should be foremost, knowing how surely the last 
would feel the weight of his cudgel. One day, 
as the king was passing, they took the opportunity 
of throwing themselves at his feet — many of them 
with their wounds yet bloody. The monarch 
shewed some signs of compassion, but did nothing 
in consequence ; and their tyrant, exasperated 
at this appeal, redoubled his fury, and " never 
" gave over till he had sent above twenty to their 
" graves.'* They at one time had determined 
to kill him when he made his nightly survey ; 
but " when it came to the point, no man would 
strike first and he, suspecting somewhat of 
their intention, never again returned by himself. 
They next attempted to poison him in brandy, 
which they were obliged to furnish ; but he obtain- 
ed a scent of their intention, and these abortive 
efforts, by the exasperation which they produced, 
inevitably rendered their bondage more dreadful. 
Their only deliverance arose from the plague, 
which began to rage in Mequinez, and swept away 
a large proportion of the inhabitants. It first 
made an end of their tormentor, and then, by the 
general disorganization which it produced, enabled 
them to obtain a greater portion of liberty. They 
46 
