“I say, Paddy, what has become of your French friends?” asked Nettleship, looking round. “I thought La Touche would at all events have been with us, though Dubois might have considered himself privileged to go in with the gun-room officers.”
“I haven’t set eyes on them—since—since—let me see—not since we left the shore,” I answered. “I suppose they must be in the house.”
Just then I saw the marine who had had charge of the prisoners. I asked him what had become of them. He had been ordered to fall into the ranks with his comrades, and had handed them over, he said, to the second lieutenant,—Simon Silk,—known among us as Softy. I told Nettleship this.
“Oh, then of course they are in the house,” he remarked.
“Not so sure of that, if Softy had charge of them,” said Tom.
In a short time a number of blacks came out, bringing provisions of all sorts. Huge jugs of sangaree, baskets of pink shaddocks, bananas, oranges, pomegranates, figs, and grapes, in addition to the more substantial fare. How we did peg into the fruit, which we enjoyed the more from having been lately on salt provisions. To the poor wounded fellows the fruit was especially refreshing, and I believe the lives of several were saved who would otherwise have succumbed.
“Well, I shouldn’t mind being shipwrecked occasionally, if I could always land in such a place as this,” said Chaffey, devouring a superb shaddock, while the rest of us were similarly employed, or sucking oranges, or popping grapes into our mouths.
As we were at no great distance from Charlestown, our kind host advised the captain to remain, and to pursue his march in the cool of the evening, undertaking to send on to the authorities that quarters might be provided for us. We were not at all sorry to hear this, as all of us needed rest. We ate the delicious fruit till we could eat no more, and then threw ourselves on the ground. Our host came out and invited us into the house, but Nettleship, who considered that he might have done so at first, declined his offer; indeed, we were far better off under the trees than between walls, and certainly more at our ease. At length Mr Saunders came out, and ordered us to get ready for marching; the men were formed in ranks, and, giving a cheer for our host, we set out.
I had been looking about for Dubois and La Touche, when I saw Lieutenant Silk. I asked him if he knew where they were.
“Bless me! why, have they not been with you all this time?” he exclaimed. “I understood them to say that they would join you when we arrived at Mr Ballahoo’s, and I never dreamed of their not doing so.”