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Show 376 TilE LtLY AND TUE TOTEM. their thirst, their exhaustion, and their spiritless hearts-nrgulll<' llts against tt·uth, and common sense and their own eyes. lie who listens to such arguments will merit to fall by the hands of the assassin." '\' c need not Jlursuc the debate which continued for tl1rec hours. At the end of tiJis time, Uibnult returned to the landing. "A pol'tion of my people,n he said," but not the greater number, arc prep:tred to surrender themseh·es to you at diflcretion.n "'fhey arc their own masters," replied l\Ielender.; "they must do as they please ; to me it is quite indifferent what decision they make." ltibault continued : "Those who arc thus prepared to yield themselves have instructed me to offer you twenty thousand ducats for their ransom; but tl1e others will give e\·cn a greater sum, for they include among them many persons of great wealth and family ;- nay 1 they desire further, if you will suffer it, to remain still in the country.n "I shall certainly need sOme succors," replied i\[e\endcr., " in order to execute properly the commands of the king, my master, which are. to conquer tho country and to people it, establishing here the Holy E\'angcl ;-and I should grieve to forego any as~ sistnnce." 'fhis evasive answer was construed by Ribault according t.a his desires. IIc requested permission to return and deliberate with l1is people, in order to communicate this last I'CSpons~. He readily obtained what he asked, and the night was consumed among the Tiuguenots in consultation. It brought no unanimity to their counsels. "I will sooner trust the incarnate de\•il himself, t!1an this Melendez," was the resolution of Alphonso D'Erlach to his elder 377 brother. "Go not, mon frlu, yield not : the savage Floridian has no heart so utterly stony as that of this Spaniard. I will p:::ril anything with the savage, ere I trust to his doubtfulmerey." And such was the rcsoh•e of many others, but it was not that of Ribault. "What!'' exclaimed one of his friendly counsellors-" he has shown you our slain comrades, butchered under the very arrnngoment which he accords to us, and yet you trust to him?" 'l'he infatuated leader, broken in spirit, and utterly exhausted in the struggle with fate, replied : " 'fhat he bas freely shown me what he has dono, is no proof that he designs any such deeds hereafter. His fury is satiated. It is impossible that he will commit a. like crime of this nature. It is his pride that would have us wholly in his power." "Tie hath fed on blood until he craves it," cried .Alphonse D'Erlnch. "You go to your death, l\Ionsieur Ribault. 'l'he tiger invites you to a. banquet where the gnest brings the repast." He was unheard, at least by the Tiuguenot general. "We will leave this man, my friends,"cricd AlphonscD'Erlach, the strong will and great heart naturally rising to command in the moment of extremity. "We will leave this man. Quem Deus vuU perdert prius dtmentat. He goes to the sacrifice !" And when Ribault prepared in the morning to lead l1is people across the bay, be found but an hundred and fifty of nil the force that he commanded during the previous day. Two hundred had disappeared in the night under the guidance of D'Erlaeb. |