"English seamen. Taken prisoners lately. They have the fever among them. Yellow Jack. They are dying like rotten sheep. No matter. They are all heretics, so we bury them here. They are not fit for consecrated ground. Bah!" was the answer, delivered with a broad grin, as if the speaker had uttered a good joke. Delisle turned away and came back to me. "Let us return to the inn," said I. "It must be dinner-time; I cannot enjoy this spot any longer." All our party quickly assembled at the hotel, and we soon forgot the unpleasant scene we had witnessed. Mynheer had not forgotten our order to have an abundance of liquor ready, though I cannot say much for the delicacy of the viands he placed before us. I know that the bottles circulated round the table very rapidly, and that the wine was pronounced very good. It possessed, I remember, the quality of being very strong, so that we soon forgot, thanks to its fumes, all the misfortunes which had been oppressing our spirits, and soon hilarity and fun reigned among us. While we held up our sparkling glasses, and the joke and laugh went round, no one would have supposed that we were a party of forlorn prisoners about to be marched off to a solitary abode in the midst of a half-barbarous island. Toasts and sentiments were uttered, and even songs were sung, and, for my own part, I know that I entirely forgot where I was or what I was about to do. While our revels were at their height a black officer made his appearance at the door. "Messieurs, it is time to begin your journey. Your mules are at the door. You must mount at once and proceed." The order was more easily given than obeyed. With regard to the matter of mounting and sticking on, that, in whatever condition a seaman is, he can generally accomplish; but the guiding a horse, mule, or donkey is a very different affair, and beyond often the power of a sober sailor, much more of a drunken one. "Oh, bad luck to the blackguards! we are not going to have our conviviality cut short by them or any like them!" exclaimed O'Driscoll, filling up his glass with Burgundy as some of the party were about to rise from their chairs. "Let's sit down and be merry yet awhile longer--we shall not get such liquor as this at the town where we are to take up our abode." He little knew what a true word he was speaking when he said that. His example was infectious, and, captain and all, we sat down and filled up our glasses. A toast was proposed, succeeded by a tremendous rapping on the table. Before it had ceased the door was swung open and a nigger officer marched into the room in a furious rage. "For what you disobey orders?" he exclaimed, in very tolerable nigger-English; "you come out at once and mount, or I get the whip in among you and make you fly!"