THE SAVAGE ISLAND
The casual conversation of his host had set his fancies flowing and contributed to banish sleep. Deeply religious as he was, and so with a new and powerful religion which had shone in upon him during his Oxford course with the sudden shocking illumination of a search light, he was torn between the spirit and the flesh. Waking, his fierce animalism screamed aloud; sleeping, hell blazed before his anguished eyes. Toward midnight, exhausted, he had recourse to prayer, as the night before, and so praying fell asleep and slept the night through, kneeling.
He arose early, refreshed; for his sleep, when it arrived, had been deep. Jules brought him his coffee, and when he had drunk it and eaten a mango and some fig bananas, his cheerfulness, never long absent, returned, As he was in haste to proceed Calisthène had placed two horses and a chaise at his disposal. In this he put his personal luggage in the charge of Jules and a negro driver; he himself rode upon his great American horse.
Dessalines had considered the possibility of being stopped en route by some of the Firminists, but even in this case it did not seem likely that he would be delayed. He was well known, respected, had never meddled in the politics of the country; his enmity would not be sought gratuitously, especially at this time when each leader needed as many friends and few enemies as was possible.
The roads were very passable and by sunset they had reached Bourassin, a village about fifty kilometers from Port au Prince. Such military bands as they encountered passed them without molestation. They reached the capital early the following day.
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