Port-au-Prince; that evening Rochambeau gave a ball, notably in celebration of his exploit against a woman. The slightest suspicion was enough to send blacks and mulattoes who incurred it to the gallows.[1] These acts of violence opened their eyes to the fact that their only chance of safety lay in immediately taking side with the men of their race who were fighting France. All the Northern province at once rose up in arms.
Under the pretext of renewing his declaration of devotion and faithfulness to Leclerc, Dessalines suddenly appeared at Cap-Français; in reality he came to confer with Pétion, who was at that time at Haut du Cap with Clervaux. Whilst awaiting reinforcements Leclerc was compelled to resort to the native soldiers in order to quell the insurrection. For this purpose he was obliged to act as though he placed entire confidence in Dessalines, who nevertheless remained undeceived by the welcome given to him. He hastened to return to Artibonite.
In the mean time, Clervaux had been imprudent enough to say that he would not hesitate to join the insurrection were he sure that the French intended restoring slavery at Saint-Domingue. To prevent the arrest and the possible execution of his companion Pétion decided to precipitate matters. Late on the night of October 13, 1802, he deserted the cause of France; after spiking the cannon he left Haut-du-Cap and withdrew on the Déricourt plantation, followed by the troops under his command. In winning him over the insurrectionists made a valuable acquisition. But
- ↑ "The executions," says Pamphile de Lacroix, "taking place daily, new defections were of daily occurrence. The proof that there was abuse in the executions can be found in the fact that the more that took place, the less the rebels seemed to be scared. The blacks showed on the gallows the same courage with which the martyrs of the early ages faced death." (B. Ardouin, Vol. V, p. 278.)
"Shooting, hanging, and, what is still more horrible, drowning, decimated the indigenes, who were condemned on mere denunciations which were often of very slight foundation. These cruelties, unworthy of the French, were vainly multiplied; they served only to provoke terrible hatred against us and to give new followers to the cause of the rebels." (Gastonnet des Fosses, La perte d'une colonie, p. 328.)
