370 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 
him to utter one word. At last, about six o'clock in the 
morning the physician came, and was surprised on hearing 
of the death of Laura ; then went to my father, Avho seemed to 
be insensible to every thing around him, and inquired of him 
concerning his healtli. " I am well," replied he, " and I am 
going to return to Safal ; for I always find myself best there." 
The doctor told him his own condition, as well as that of his 
family, would not allow him to leave Senegal; but he remain- 
ed inflexible. Seeing nothing would induce him to remain at 
St. Louis, I arose, weak as I was, and went to search for a 
negro and- canoe to carry us to Safal. In the meanvvhile a 
friend of ours took charge of burying the body of my sister; 
but my father wished to inter it beside the others in his island, 
and determined to take it thither along with us. Not to have, 
however, such a melancholy sight before our eyes during our 
journey, I hired a second canoe to carry the. corpse of poor 
Laura ; and attaching it to the one in which we were, we took 
our young brothers in our arms and set off. Having arrived 
opposite the house possessed by M. Thomas, my father felt 
himself greatly indisposed. I profited by the circumstance, 
by getting him to go to the house of his friend ; hoping we 
would persuade him against going to Safal. He consented 
without difficulty; but we had scarcely entered the house 
when he was again taken very ill. We instantly called a 
physician, who found in him the seeds of a most malignant 
fever. We laid him down, and all the family wept around 
his bed, whilst the canoe which carried the remains of our 
young sister proceeded to Safal. M. Thomas undertook to 
procure us a house more healthy than that we had quitted ; 
but the condition of my father was such that he found it im- 
possible to walk, and we had to put him in a litter to take him 
to our new habitation. All the worthy people of Senegal 
could not contain their indignation against Governor S , 
whose inhuman conduct toward our family had been the prin- 
cipal cause of all our misfortunes. They went to his house, 
and boldly told him it was a shame for the chief of the colony 
thus to allow an unfortunate family entirely to perish. JVI. 
S , either touched with these reproaches, or at last being 
moved by more friendly feelings toward us, caused provisions 
secretly to be sent to our house. We received them under 
the persuasion they had been sent by some friend of my fa- 
ther ; but having at last learned they had come from the go- 
vernor, my father bid me return them to him. I knew not 
what to do, for a part of the provisions had already been con- 
