LUSS&INT LOUVERTURE. 85

 town in vain. Alier prodigies of valor, he was
 retire.
 to derive no advantage from his erxertions, Tous-
mrinned to rrscue: ,Mreibalais u ouf the hands of the
b by whom it was held. At his roice, the population
.maass, and, with his assistance, made him ma.-ter of the

lthi was a most important post. Lying in the moun-
'the northeast torne'r of the Western Department, the
e called consisted of gorges, steeps, and narrow passes,
 ude almost ever part of it a ThermopylaP. The vil-
.L Louis, also eaUnhd hy the name of the district, com-
t"imminse extent of level country. Favorable to
in in general, three :., ntry abounds in superior horses.
Seommander, poss-..tedl of lirebalairn there-fore, might
ty attack, and at hi; plha.aure sally ibrth to wage war
uny part of the island.
.lish, aware of the importance of this position, resolved
into their hands. Thryv succeeded in the bold under-

a was too heavy. to l[, rndiurud. L'Ouverture, as soon
unties permitted, made arrangements for the recovery
ia. He was not in time, however, to prevent the
from covering it with fortifi6ation_. The command
strict had bern intrutL-d to a French emigrant, the
:Bruges, who.-e lbren.- amounted to. two thousand Eng-
of the line, tb--id- a nltm.rcous militia. On the 24th
1797, Tou.saint L'Oivertur,., hy means of his lieu-
 rney, inter:ceptedl the high roadl leading into the
Md, eneamping at Bl:-ck-haus du Gro, Figiler, re-
|tlembert, who na. adiarnn ing into ,Mirebalais with
 d men and t%,. pIli,-, ol'artll-ry'. The next day,
 irve the Englih I frtm all t l.-ir Jpo.,-;'inus, and, com-
 iavestmeut of th- vnilagi, ordert-d, on the South, the
 he forts. With suih unity of operation and such
 f'-t assault was the attack made that the whole was


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