50 THE SERVICES OF LIEUT.-COLONEL FRANCIS DOWN MAN, R. A. 
the wind blew fresh, but luckily it was in our favour. After shipping 
many seas and being in no small danger, we arrived before night at 
Port Louis, where is a battery of 12 guns and an officer and party of 
the 65th Begiment. We lay here all night, and the next morning 
entered our little bark and proceeded. The wind and sea were some¬ 
thing abated, and we arrived at Bertrand Bay without any danger. 
We met with very civil and good entertainment both from an officer 
who was stationed here and from the French. This is a pretty little 
village and well situated close by the water side on rising ground. 
There is a small battery here. We remained three days, and then set 
off for Port Louis, but before we reached that place we encountered great 
difficulty and danger. The wind, after we turned a point of land called 
Antigua Point, blew directly against us. The sea was very high like¬ 
wise, and we were for two or three hours unable to gain anything 
ahead, and what was worse, we were a considerable distance from the 
shore. The waves were every moment beating over us, the men were 
tired, and we could not get up to relieve them, it being very dangerous 
to stir in a canoe, especially when there is any sea. We could not 
venture to turn about to endeavour to regain the place we had left, for 
the waves coming against the broad-side would have instantly filled 
her. We had nothing left but to keep her head to the sea, and do the 
best we could. We made shift to give the men a dram apiece which 
gave them new vigour, and after a vast deal of labour we reached our 
port. I cannot describe the pain I felt all that night and next day 
from my face and hands which were in one blister from the heat of the 
sun and the salt water. We did not choose to leave this place till we 
were quite recovered from our fatigue and the weather more calm. On 
the third morning we re-embarked, and as it was very calm we soon 
entered the salt river, and arrived at the fort in the evening, where 
everyone was surprised to see us, for we had been given up for lost. 
My next trip was into Capes Terre. I set off in my canoe across the 
bay and landed at Goyave, and then walked to Marigot, where I was 
very kindly entertained by my friends of the 4th Begiment who were 
now quartered here in barracks built for that purpose. Petit Bourg 
had proved such a burying ground to the regiment that they were 
obliged to leave it. 
I had an opportunity while I was here of seeing a most extraordinary 
method of catching fish. About the month of November a small kind 
of fish resembling the sprat comes upon the coast in amazing shoals. 
On discovering these, two negroes, each with a cast net, go into a canoe, 
one standing in the head and the other in the stern. When they come 
among the fish, the man in the head throws his net and immediately 
jumps overboard and dives after it, and the man in the stern does the 
same. In a little while, one of them comes up with his net in his hand 
full of fish, throws it into the canoe, and then gets in himself; the 
other man directly pops up with his net full and does as the other did, 
and tlius they go on till they have caught what quantity they please, 
