When we entered, she was seated on the left hand
of the eldest prisoner, and was lying back on her chair, with her arms
crossed on her bosom, her eyes wide open, and staring upwards towards
the roof, with the tears coursing each other down over her cheeks, while
her lower jaw had fallen down, as if she had been dead--her breathing
was scarcely perceptible--her bosom remaining still as a frozen sea, for
the space of a minute, when she would draw a long breath, with a low
moaning noise, to which succeeded a convulsive crowing gasp, like a
child in the hooping--cough, and all would be still again.
At length Captain Transom addressed the elder prisoner. "You have sent
for us, Mr----what can we do for you, in accordance with our duty as
English officers?"
The poor man looked at us with a vacant stare--but his fellow sufferer
instantly spoke. "Gentlemen, this is kind--very kind. I sent my mate
to borrow a prayer book from you, for our consolation now must flow from
above--man cannot comfort us."
The female, who was the elder prisoner's wife, suddenly leant forward in
her chair, and peered intently into Mr Bang's face "Prayer book," said
she--"prayer book--why, I have a prayer book I will go for my prayer
book"--and she rose quickly from her seat,
"Restez"--quoth the black sergeant--the word seemed to rouse her--she
laid her head on her hands, on the table, and sobbed out as if her heart
were bursting--"Oh God! oh God! is it come to this--is it come to this?"
the frail table trembling beneath her, with her heart crushing emotion.
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