All this was wrong I _now_ know, but _then_ it gave me very little
trouble. I hope I would not do the same thing over again, even to make my
escape from Melville Island, but one never knows to what distress may
drive him.
Some person among the American prisoners--a soldier it was said--commenced
counterfeiting Spanish dollars. I am afraid most of us helped to circulate
them. We thought it no harm to cheat the people of the canteens, for we
knew they were doing all they could to cheat us. This was prison morality,
in war-time, and I say nothing in its favour; though, for myself, I will
own I felt more of the consciousness of wrong-doing in holding the shares
in the gambling establishments, than in giving bad dollars for poor rum.
The counterfeiting business was destroyed by one of the dollars happening
to break, as some of the officers were pitching them; when, on
examination, it turned out that most of the money in the prison was bad.
It was said the people of the canteens had about four hundred of the
dollars, when they came to overhaul their lockers. A good many found their
way into Halifax.
My trade lasted all winter--(that of 1813--14,) and by March I had gained
the sum of eighty French crowns. Dollars I was afraid to hold on account
of the base money. The ice now began to give way, and a few of us, who had
been discussing the matter all winter, set about forming serious plans to
escape.
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