Page:Narrative of a captivity and adventures in France and Flanders between the years 1803 and 1809.djvu/58

 otherwise termed "hell," was the most notorious, because sanctioned as legal, and regularly attended by a body of gendarmes, to maintain order; for which, General Wirion levied a fine of £100 per month, although he was one of the proprietors of the funds, which amounted to about £2000. The principal games were, "rouge et noire," and "roulette." The Satan of this gang of robbers, made himself acquainted with the affairs of almost every one in the depôt, and well knew to whom he could lend money with safety; he was constantly on the watch to ensnare the unwary and inebriated, which practice had taught him to do, under the specious mask of friendship, without creating suspicion. I cannot refrain from reciting an awful instance of the serious consequences resulting from a young man becoming his own master too early in life, and placing too much confidence in his own powers, to withstand the snares of temptation, in the society of the profligate. An unfortunate young man, in order to while away the tedious hours, after a party, was en