168 LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE. 
deck. I went into the round-house, where I met M. de la 
Touche, who regarded death with the same heroism that 
procured him success in India. " Farewell, my brother and 
my friend," said he, embracing me. " Why, where are you 
going?" replied I. " I am going (said he) to comfort my 
friend Morin." He spoke of the captain, who was over- 
whelmed with grief at the melancholy fate of his female 
cousins, who were passengers on board his ship, and whom 
he had persuaded to trust themselves to sea in hen-coops, 
after having hastily stripped off their clothes, while some of 
the sailors, swimming with one hand, endeavored to support 
them with the other. 
The yards and masts Avere covered with men struggling 
with the waves around the vessel ; many of them perished 
every moment by the balls discharged by the guns in conse- 
quence of the flames , a third species of death that augmented 
the horrors by which we were surrounded. With a heart 
oppressed with anguish, I turned my eyes away from the sea. 
A moment afterward I entered the starboard gallery, and 
saw the flames rushing with a horrid noise through the win- 
dows of the great cabin and round-house. The fire approach- 
ed, and was ready to consume me; my presence was then 
entirely useless for the preservation of the vesssel, or the re- 
lief of my fellow sufferers. 
In this dreadful situation I thought it my duty to prolong 
my life a few hours, in order to devote them to my God. I 
stripped off my clothes with the intention of rolling doAvn a 
yard, one end of which touched the water; but it was so 
covered with unfortunate wretches, whom the fear of drown- 
ing kept in that situation, that I tumbled over them and fell 
into the sea, recommending myself to the mercy of Provi- 
dence, A stout soldier, who was drowning, caught hold of 
me at this extremity; I employed every exertion to disen- 
gage myself from him, but without effect. I suffered myself 
to sink under the water, but he did not q^uit his hold; I plun- 
ged a second time, and he still held me firmly in his grasp ; 
he was incapable of reflecting that my. death would rather 
hasten his own than be of service to him. At length, after 
struggling a considerable time, his strength was exhausted in 
consequence of the quantity of water he had swallowed, and 
perceiving that I was sinking the third time, and fearing lest 
I should drag him to the bottom along with me, he loosed his 
hold. That he might not catch me again, I dived and rose a 
considerable distance from the spot. 
