74 TlMEHRI. 
from a walk to see what progress had been made in the 
restoration of our mansion, I perceived a red glare of 
light on the horizon as of the setting sun. I commu- 
nicated to my family and to Mr. HARRISON who was 
with us my fears that another fire had broken out. 
They thought that it was only the dying rays of 
the setting sun, but a moment undeceived them. " Look 
there again, see the deepening glare how it bursts 
forth — Good GOD, another fire, when will our calamities 
end ? Saddle the horses instantly, lose not a moment, 
we may be of some service." — I had traversed that 
morning the road that had been cleared. I felt that 
I must and would go. My orders were promptly obeyed 
and the horses were brought round. — I vaulted into the 
saddle and galloped off with Mr. HARRISON at a furious 
pace to the point of danger, which we reached after a 
perilous ride, at the termination of which I found myself 
when only some few hundred yards from the fire, tra- 
versing a deep gully or ravine which a short time before 
had been a good road, but now washed away into a deep 
hole. My horse stood still on a sudden and refused to 
proceed — I dismounted and leaped him up, though when 
I examined the place next day, I was at a loss to con- 
ceive how either my horse or myself could have got 
there, much less got out again with safety. As soon as 
I extricated myself from this difficulty, I walloped on- 
wards to the sugar works at Rabacca, where I found a 
large assemblage of negroes and some white people, 
most of them looking on in stupid amazement, some 
giving contradictory orders, others alarmed for their 
own safety, many and loud voices,' but few hands at 
work and these ignorant how to proceed, one ordering 
