SHIPWRECK OF THE 5IEDUSA. 355 
negal with all possible speed. He went, and left me at the 
head of our establishment, but a great misfortune happened, 
which we could not prevent ; — six of our laboring negroes 
whom we had hired, deserted during the night, and took our 
small boat with them. I was extremely distressed, and in- 
stantly made Etienne swim the river and go and beg of the 
President at Babaguey to take him to my father, who was still 
at Senegal, to tell him the melancholy news. That good ne- 
gro was soon on the other side of the water, and went to M. 
Lerouge ,(the name of the President,) who gave him his ca- 
noe. A.t night, we saw him returning without my father, who 
went into the country to search for the fugitive negroes. He 
spent three whole days in the countries of Gandiolle and 
Touby, v\'hich lie in the neighborhood of our island, but ail 
his labor was in vain. The deserting negroes had already 
gained the forest of the interior ; and my father, exhausted 
with fatigue, returned to Safal. I confess, though I was deep- 
ly distressed at the desertion of these slaves, who were so 
necessary to us for realizing our agricultural projects, my 
heart could not blame these unfortunate creatures, who only 
sought to recover that freedom from Avhich they had been torn. 
At this date, that is, about the 1st of March, 1819, we 
learned that M. Schmaltz had returned from France, and was 
in the Bay of St. Louis ; and that the Minister of Marine had 
approved of all the projects relative to the agricultural esta- 
blishment at Senegal. This news revived my father's hopes. 
As this establishment had been originally proposed by him, 
he flattered himself they would do him justice in the end. In 
this expectation, he went to meet with Governor Schmaltz, 
who hxad to pass our house on the morrow : but he would not 
speak with him. On the following day my father wrote to 
him from the hotel at St. Louis ; four days after which we 
were assured that the governor was very far from wishing us 
well, and still farther from doing justice to my father. How- 
ever, some of his friends encouraged him to make fresh en- 
deavors, and persuaded him he would obtain a premium of 
encouragement for having first set the example of cultivating 
cotton at Senegal : they assured him also that funds had been 
sent to M. Schmaltz for that purpose. Vain hope ! every 
dlaim was rejected, we had not even the satisfaction of know- 
ing whether the premium which my father sought was due to 
him or not ; we got no reply. My father wishing to make a 
last attempt to ward off the misery which menaced us, went 
to supplicate the governor to allow us either money to pur- 
