ADVENTURES OF MADAME DENOYER. 223 
immediately let down the cloth; after which the perfidious 
assassin returned, and with two more strokes dispatched his 
victim; he then bent the sails, and Young repaired to the helm, 
with the intention of steering toward New- York. 
At break of day the bark was two leagues distant from the 
shore. Madame Denoyer, overwhelmed with fear, scarcely 
had strength to rise from her bed. But what were her feel- 
ings at the horrid spectacle which presented itself to her eyes ? 
She beheld the matress, upon which was extended the man- 
gled body of her husband, floating on the water ! The bar- 
barous John, aggravating his crinie by the bitterest raillery, 
said: " Make yourself easy, Madame, your husband is taking 
a sound nap." A nipment afterward he returned to her, arm- 
ed with a dagger, demanding her husband's arms and the 
keys of his boxes. 
Madame Denoyer delivered them to him. The villain hav- 
ing rummaged in every place, without finding any money, re- 
turned them. The disconsolate widow then melting into tears, 
(the source of which seemed to have been before dried up by 
grief and terror,) asked him why he had murdered her hus- 
band, since he had no money? The assassin replied that it 
was for the sake of the vessel, w^hich he had resolved to take 
to New- York. After these words the monster appeared to 
relent, and offered the afflicted lady tea and chocolate. She 
answered that she wanted nothing; upon which he told her 
not to grieve, that he intended her no injury, but, on the con- 
trary, would land her on French ground, with all her baggage. 
During the remainder of the day he left her at liberty to re- 
sign herself entirely to her sorrow. 
It may be supposed that the night afforded no repose to this 
unfortunate woman. The image of her husband, murdered 
by villains whom he had treated with the utmost kindness, in- 
cessaritl^r haunted her; their cruelty, their baseness, their 
brutality, augmented her apprehensions, and rendered them 
still more terrible when she cast her eyes on her beloved in- 
fants. While her mind vra* occupied with the most gloomy 
and afflicting ideas, she heard the two executioners of her 
husband planning an outrage which every virtuous woman 
dreads more than death itself John, the infam.ous John, pro* 
posed to his companion to take the servant, reserving the 
mistress for himself; but Young refusing to comply, the vil- 
lains, after fastening the helm, lay down. The black servant 
conceived the design of putting out their eyes with a nail 
while they were asleep ; but fearing lest they only feigned 
sleep, she relinquished the undertaking. 
