up from the screen and had caught a portion of the roof before the Frenchmen knew that the church was on fire; the smoke was now exchanged for a bright clear flame, which had already found its way through the slating, and the prisoners were halloaing and screaming as loud as they could.  We went to the part of the church where the others were, and joined the outcry.  The voices of the people outside were now to be heard, for men and women had been summoned by the cry of the church being on fire:  still there was no danger until the roof fell in, and that would not be the case for perhaps an hour, although it was now burning furiously, and the sparks and cinders were borne away to leeward by the breeze.  The screams of the prisoners now became dreadful:  frightened out of their wits, they fully expected to be burned alive; still the door was not opened, although we heard a loud consultation of many voices without.

“Well,” said Bramble, “I hope they really don’t mean to let us burn here; at all events, if they do, I can save the poor devils, for there’s room enough on the stairs of the tower for twice as many.  At all events we must hold on till the last moment.”

As he said this we heard them outside put the key in the door, and immediately Bramble, the boatswain, mate, and I retreated from the crowd and gained the other portion of the church, which was most in flames.  As the door opened we hastened to the tower door, and closing it after us, gained the staircase near the top, where we remained quiet; there was no want of smoke there, but still we could breathe pretty freely, as the fire from the roof was borne down by the wind from us and toward the people, who were at the front of the church.  How they disposed of the other prisoners we do not know, as we dared not show ourselves; but in about half an hour the whole of the roof fell down upon the pavement, and nothing but the bare walls of the church were left standing.

After the roof fell in the light from the flames was so small that we ventured to the top of the tower to look out.  There were still many people standing about, but the major part of them were gone.  As the fire sank down so did the people go away; at last there was no one to be seen:  we remained more than half an hour watching; light after light disappeared, and all was quiet as death.

“Now’s our time,” said Bramble, “but still we must be cautious; let us follow one another at about ten yards apart:  if we meet with any one, pretend to be reeling as if drunk, and they may think we are privateer’s-men not yet gone to bed.”

[Illustration:  THE ESCAPE.—­Marryat, Vol.  X., p. 353.]