[Footnote 1: This is not fictitious. M. Constant made his speech to the Chamber of Deputies on June 17, 1820, and it contained all attributed to it above. It described how the crew of _Le Rôdeur_ were themselves struck down one by one soon after the outbreak among the slaves, how many of the slaves were flung overboard to save the cost of supporting them, and also how, while the ship was subject to this terrible calamity, a Spanish slaver, named the _Leon_, spoke her, asking for assistance, as almost every one on board her was stricken with sudden blindness. _Le Rôdeur_, the account went on to say, eventually reached Guadaloupe with only _one_ man left who was not smitten, and he became blind directly after he had brought the vessel into harbour. The Spaniard was never heard of again.] THE END End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Seafarers, by John Bloundelle-Burton