Escapes from Cayenne

9 One day my companions were singing Romances, and I was reading on my bed.

The keeper ordered my friends to be silent ; they refused, as was their right,—the commander of the fort having given them permission to sing and to speak.— The keeper arrived with twelve soldiers, armed to the teeth, with fixed bayonets.

I told them to go back, having nothing to do in our room ; the keeper called me a rascal and a brigand; I struck him in the face. The sergeant o f the soldiers tried to give me a blow with his bayonet, but I prevented it and struck the sergeant's nose ; I then jumped backward to prevent five or six bayonets shining around my breast. The keeper drew a long dagger and raised it above his head. I immediately un­ covered my breast and told him : " Strike if you dare," and I looked earnestly, deeply into bis eyes. The rascal could not bear my fiery glance ; he was willing to kill me, but his arm could not move. A soldier then took him by the neck and told him in a thundering voice : " I will strangle you if you don't instantly put your dagger in your pocket."

The wretch obeyed and went out.

This good soldier had two months of dark cell, and I was condemned again, b y a court martial, to five years of irons for insults to my superiors. After two months of separation I was reunited to my companions. Dur­ ing my absence some more had arrived, and Tassilier was among them. W e received orders to leave Fort St. Grégoire.

W e inquired where we were going to ; they refused to tell us, but I knew it as well as themselves : our destination was Cay­ enne ; Mr. Louis Napoleon Buonaparte had condemned us,— by his private authority,—to the Dry Guillotine, as Lamartine, clear sighted now, calls the transportation to French Guiana.

We left Fort St. Grégoire and were directed toward Merse!-Kebir, the sea-port of Oran, five or six miles distant. Our friends held a subscription for us, and sent one of them to give us the amount of it.

The commander of our staff took the money and put the bearer in jail.

[Our friend staid two months in prison and the money was never recovered.] Indig­ nant at this officer's conduct, we denounced it in angry terms, and the soldiers, exasperated by our just reproaches, menanced us with their guns and bayonets.

From Oran to Mers-elKcbir, we were many times near being massacred ; and we had no arms, and our hands were tied with chains !

We embarked on board a steam man-of-war and went to A l ­ giers for the third time. The commissary-general of police made a search in my luggage ; his agents looked at my papers and in my trunk and found nothing wrong ; they asked their chief if it was of any use to search my person. " N o , " said he, " I know the man, wo will find nothing; leave us alone."— The agents obeyed.