all his attendants ran away in their fright, and never stopped on the
road till they reached Paris, which they did in about a fortnight;
this dreadful conflagration had such an effect upon them that they were
incapable of taking the least refreshment for three months after, but,
chameleon-like, lived upon the air.

_If any gentleman will say he doubts the truth of this story, I will
fine him a gallon of brandy and make him drink it at one draught._

About two months after I had done the besieged this service, one
morning, as I sat at breakfast with General Elliot, a shell (for I had
not time to destroy their mortars as well as their cannon) entered the
apartment we were sitting in; it lodged upon our table: the General, as
most men would do, quitted the room directly; but I took it up before
it burst, and carried it to the top of the rock, when, looking over
the enemy's camp, on an eminence near the sea-coast I observed a
considerable number of people, but could not, with my naked eye,
discover how they were employed. I had recourse again to my telescope,
when I found that two of our officers, one a general, the other a
colonel, with whom I spent the preceding evening, and who went out into
the enemy's camp about midnight as spies, were taken, and then were
actually going to be executed on a gibbet. I found the distance too
great to throw the shell with my hand, but most fortunately recollecting
that I had the very sling in my pocket which assisted David in slaying
Goliath, I placed the shell in it, and immediately threw it in the midst
of them: it burst as it fell, and destroyed all present, except the two
culprits, who were saved by being suspended so high, for they were just
turned off: however, one of the pieces of the shell fled with such force
against the foot of the gibbet, that it immediately brought it down. Our
two friends no sooner felt _terra firma_ than they looked about for the