/ 
 
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 UNDERCURRENTS . - " 1 75 
 
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 of the higher. order of literature, are 
 
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THE 
 
 PRINCE OF KASHNA 
 
 A WEST INDIAN STORY. 
 
 BY 
 
 THE AUTHOK OF "IN THE TEOPICS." 
 
 AN EDITOKIAL INTRODUCTION BT" 
 KICHARD B. KIMBALL, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "ST. LEGER," " WAS HK SUCCESSFUL f" " UNDERCURRENTS, "STUDENT 
 LIFE," ETC. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 CARLETON, PUBLISHER, 413 BROADWAY. 
 
 MDOCCLXVI. 
 

 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S65, 
 
 BY GEORGE W. CAKLEyON, 
 In the Clej-k's Office of tho District Court of the United States for the 
 
 Southern District of New York. 
 
PKEFATOKY INTRODUCTION. 
 
 IN the spring of 1863, I received from Santo 
 Domingo City, by the hands of an esteemed 
 friend, a manuscript, which, on perusal, impressed 
 me as every way so remarkable that I decided on 
 its publication in book form. Giving it only the 
 revision which the writer's absence made neces- 
 sary, I prepared a volume for the press, and it 
 was published under the title of " IN THE TROP- 
 ICS." The public not 'only indorsed my judgment 
 of the work, but began soon to manifest a per- 
 sonal interest in the " young settler's " destiny. 
 I was applied to, from all parts of the country, 
 for information respecting him ; one letter, in- 
 deed, reaching me from the Sandwich Islands. 
 It was at this time that the fierce war broke out 
 between the Dominicans and Spain which has 
 just resulted in the new birth of the Dominican 
 
 M181153 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 Republic. During that strife, our friend was 
 forced to quit the island, and take refuge in Ja- 
 maica. For nearly a year I heard nothing from 
 him ; when, early last summer, I received a large 
 package, together with the following brief note : 
 
 " KEITH HALL, JAMAICA, May 31, 1865. 
 
 " DEAR MR. KJMBALL : You are already ac- 
 quainted with the cruel manner in which the 
 Spanish soldiery desolated the dear homestead 
 which you have already so kindly introduced to 
 the American public, and of my forced departure 
 from it, for a temporary refuge in the Island of 
 Jamaica. While there, I heard a great deal 
 about an intelligent and educated Mahometan 
 slave, the son of an African king, who was equal- 
 ly remarkable for his moral worth and mental 
 ability, and who, even in the fettered life of the 
 plantation, had won many friends and a good 
 English education. On pursuing my inquiries, I 
 had the good fortune to obtain his journal, and 
 other memoranda of his early life, and from them 
 
PREFACE. vii 
 
 I have arranged what might fairly be termed an 
 " Autobiography," but which, with this explana- 
 tion, I have concluded to call a West Indian 
 Story. Dare I ask you to take the same trouble 
 for the Prince of Kashna which you so disinter- 
 estedly volunteered in favor of the simple narra- 
 tive of Life in Santo Domingo ? I place the mat- 
 ter absolutely in your hands ; and, whatever may 
 be your decision, I shall remain, as ever, 
 
 " Your obliged friend, C. M." 
 
 This short letter, instead of satisfying my curi- 
 osity respecting the "Prince," served only to 
 stimulate it. I wished to learn more or know 
 less about his majesty. A vague suspicion that 
 he might be an imaginary personage haunted 
 me a suspicion which I now confess was an un- 
 worthy one. Still I thought best, before commu- 
 nicating with the public, to confer with my corre- 
 spondent ; and, in reply to my particular inquiries, 
 I was assured that the Prince of Kashna was 
 really no fictitious character. I was told that, in 
 
viii PREFACE. 
 
 Jamaica, as late as 1828, travelers still recalled 
 the Mahometan slave, Sidi Mahmadec. He was 
 at that period free in all but in name, and was, 
 to a certain extent, actually treated as an equal 
 by the neighboring- planters. My correspondent 
 further informed me that, when in Jamaica, he 
 took up his residence at Keith Hall, a romantic 
 old West Indian chateau, dedicated in days of 
 yore to pleasure and pleasure-seekers, but now an 
 almost deserted, though by no means desolate, 
 spot, where the orange and banana still flourish, 
 and the pimento grows. This fine estate had been 
 the residence of some of the highest officials of 
 Jamaica ; and among the books and papers scat- 
 tered around the chambers of the Hall, our friend 
 encountered some extracts from the journal of 
 " Sidi," printed in an old periodical of 1848. He 
 was so much attracted by these that he instituted 
 a searching inquiry into the subject, until at 
 length the journal itself, together with other 
 memoranda, was brought to light from the escri- 
 toire of the secretary of a former governor of the 
 
PKEFACE. ix 
 
 island. From these documents the present vol- 
 ume was actually compiled. 
 
 Having tlnis satisfied myself as to the authen- 
 ticity of the work, it seemed but fair that the 
 public should be equally favored. I have only 
 to add that, beyond cutting out some portions 
 which deal rather too freely with certain social 
 relations and family secrets, the editor has liter- 
 ally found^ nothing to do in the preparation of 
 the work. 
 
 GLEN PAKE, Novemb&r, 1865. 
 
 P. S. Since the above was written, I have re- 
 ceived intelligence that the " young settler " has 
 returned to his quiet JEstancia near Palenque, 
 and is now actively employed, repairing his 
 walks, restoring his gardens, pruning his lime 
 and orange groves, while preparing to resume the 
 pleasant labors which were so unhappily in- 
 terrupted. I hope, therefore, soon to give a fur- 
 ther account of his achievements in developing 
 the resources of his adopted home. 
 
 i* 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 AFEIOAN ROYALTY 7 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE FATAL JOURNEY 25 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 IN JAMAICA 51 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 IN THE WOODS V3 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 REOAPTUKED 92 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 RETUEN TO OEANGE GEOVE 107 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 MASTEE HENEY 123 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 NEW SCENES 148 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 THE MISSIONAEY 168 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 THE PLANTEB . . 186 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 A SINGTJLAE ADJUSTMENT 206. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 MY FIEST LOVE 228 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 THE CONSPIEAOY 247 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MlRAFLOE ! 263 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 THE GEOTTO 276 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 ROSE HILL 292 
 
 1 CHAPTER XVII. 
 ME. ST. JOHN 306 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 THE FAIE STRANGER 326 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 THE NIGHT-EIDER 351 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 MAD FEOLICS 370 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Ax ALAEM 388 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 PAELOE DRAMAS 409 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 GEEAT CHANGES .. . 431 
 
KING ABDALLA, THE WHITE 
 STRANGER. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 AFRICAN ROYALTY. 
 
 MY father, Abdalla ben Abu,* was king of 
 Kashna, and, with it, of a large surrounding terri- 
 tory, which we, its children, call Houssa, though 
 I now know that it is not exactly the district so 
 marked on the maps of Africa of those days. 
 
 My father, King Abdalla, was not strictly a 
 negro, as, though black, or nearly so, in complexion, 
 his hair was not woolly, nor his features of the 
 flattened type so prevalent among the black races 
 of Africa. I inherited these peculiarities, and con- 
 clude from them that my family was, more or 
 less purely, of the Desert stock. 
 
 I have no very clear ideas as to the relations 
 
8 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 of the different tribes of blacks that inhabited my 
 native town of Kashna, but I know that its popu- 
 lation was divided in faith between Mahometans 
 and Fetish worshippers, and that my father was 
 a follower of the Prophet, and even claimed to 
 be his descendant, although there were many Obiah 
 men priests of the Fetish among his chief cap- 
 tains. 
 
 I have no certain recollection of my father, 
 as I was only five years old when he was killed 
 in repulsing an enemy from Kashna. There rises 
 grandly in the chambers of memory a tall chief- 
 tain on horseback, in the midst of many other 
 blacks, and it seems to me this chief was my 
 father. He had a large turban on his head, in 
 which shone some glittering ornaments, and* three 
 long ostrich-feathers fell over it toward his shoul- 
 der. He wore, too, a white tunic with a broad 
 border of bright colors. As he mounted, some 
 one handed him a long spear, but who that per- 
 son was, or how dressed, has left no trace on my 
 memory. 
 
 This may have been a dream, I know not ; 
 or, it may be as I loved to imagine in my early 
 days of slavery that, on the last busy, dreadful 
 
AFRICAN ROYALTY. 9 
 
 morning of his life, my father stopped in this way 
 to give some orders at the "Women's Court," 
 and his person and appearance thus left a perma- 
 nent impression on me, though all the other cir- 
 cumstances were soon effaced. 
 
 My mother was, I think, a slave captured from 
 a neighboring tribe with which ours was, almost 
 every dry season, at war for no other reason, 
 that I ever heard, than that each wanted to get 
 plenty of horses, cattle, and slaves from the other. 
 She was born free, but captured, with many others, 
 from a country far to the north of Houssa, and 
 had been sold to, or captured over again, by 
 the tribe from whom my father won her in bat- 
 tle, with several other slaves of her own tongue. 
 She was a Mahometan, like my father, but she 
 was not so black. She had been taught in her 
 father's house many things which the common 
 negro women looked upon with admiration, as 
 white ladies would regard the accomplishments 
 of those more highly educated than themselves. 
 She became my father's wife and ranked with the 
 other two women who held that station, though 
 she had brought him no portion, being, as my 
 people say, " the slave of his spear." He had 
 
10 THE PRINCE or KASIINA. 
 
 plenty of other wives, but, among them all, only 
 these three had each a house and servants of her 
 own, and these were also addressed by the title 
 of Leila. My mother knew many verses of the 
 Koran, taught her by her father, Sidi Mahmadee, 
 whose name she conferred on me ; and, besides the 
 Koran, she could chant from memory a great 
 number of songs about her country. It may have 
 been this gift which obtained her so much respect 
 and affection from the king, my father, of which 
 I was told many things as I was growing up, 
 though, of course, I remember nothing of them : 
 still certain points have 'much impressed me. She 
 was not a negress; she could repeat verses from 
 the Koran, she had been taught to recite long 
 stories in Arabic, and was brought far from the 
 north. When it was too late to verify these 
 facts, I began to put them together, and weave 
 out an opinion that my mother was an Arab her- 
 self, and that from her I inherited my passion 
 for poetry ; and I was about five years old, and 
 her only child, when the first terrible blow fell 
 upon me. The events of that fatal day left on 
 my soul a wild sense of pain and terror, which I 
 believe haunted my dreams for years. 
 
AFRICAN ROYALTY. 11 
 
 The hostile tribe of which I have spoken made 
 a sudden march upon our town. The attack com- 
 menced about daybreak, and they set fire to the 
 houses on the side by which they entered. The 
 blazing houses, the frantic, flying women, the men 
 shouting, fighting, bleeding, falling, the red glare 
 lighting up the court round which the houses of 
 my mother and the other wives of the king were 
 built, the blood, the shrieks, the rushing, whirl- 
 ing horror of that hour are still Before me like a 
 frightful dream. I remember, too, my mother 
 snatching me up and urging me to ascend a high, 
 thick-foliaged tree in the fruit-grove at the back 
 of the king's council-hall. At a near tree another 
 woman was trying to render the same office to 
 another child. It was, perhaps, younger or less 
 active than myself, for twice it fell back to the 
 ground, and, before it could rise, some wild horse- 
 men burst in with fearful shouts, and pierced them 
 both with their long spears. Then some of our 
 own Kashna horsemen rode in upon them, and, 
 after a furious din, all seemed to me to vanish to- 
 gether. Some groaning wretches, who lay around 
 writhing in pools of blood, were all that I could 
 see as I gazed down in an agony of terror 
 
12 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 through the leaves. Presently a boy some years 
 older, descended from another tree near mine, in 
 which he had taken refuge, and stole away. I 
 recollect nothing more of that dreadful morning 
 until I was again at my mother's side. She lay 
 on a mat, bathed in blood from a wound given her 
 by the retreating enemy. The king had hastily 
 collected his horse-guards and driven back the in- 
 vaders. His people had rallied at his appearance 
 and made a stand in the market-place, where the 
 great bulk of the enemy had collected with their 
 booty and prisoners, thinking the place entirely 
 theirs. My father rescued his own " Children of 
 Kashna," and made prisoners of the enemy col- 
 lected in the market-place. He made prisoners 
 of more than three hundred men with their arms 
 and horses, besides the scattering ones taken by the 
 men of Kashna, who, according to our customs, re- 
 mained the slaves and private property of the cap- 
 tors. When this work at the market-place was 
 nearly over, there arose a loud and sudden cry for 
 " The king ! the king !" in the direction of his 
 own house, which was on the edge of the town on 
 the side opposite to that burned by the enemy. 
 My father rode there in answer to that cry. He 
 
AFRICAN ROYALTY. 13 
 
 found a party of horsemen, which, for some rea- 
 son I never understood, had separated from the 
 main body of the enemy, and was slaughtering 
 right and left. Their object seemed to be to take 
 and * sack the " Women's Court " of the king's 
 house. Abdalla rushed upon them, and they fled 
 before him beyond the town. He followed them 
 until, being joined by more of their friends who 
 had escaped from the fight in the market-place, 
 the invaders turned and gave battle. The fatal 
 javelin of destiny thrown from the hand of their 
 chief, entered the king's side, and wounded him 
 mortally, just as he raised his arm to transfix the 
 nearest foe with his lance. 
 
 Abdalla had saved Kashna, but he lost his own 
 life. He was brought back a corpse, and buried 
 like a brave chief in the middle of his own hall 
 of council. The joyful shouts of the rescued peo- 
 ple informed my bleeding mother that Kashna 
 was saved from the enemy. Soon after, the wild 
 death-chant, sounding over the whole town, and 
 repeated from door to door by the inhabitants, 
 warned her that the king, her husband, had fallen- 
 in battle. She hastily sent to call an old Bush- 
 .reen, named Hadji Ali, to receive the gift of me, 
 
14 THJS PEINOE OF KASHNA. 
 
 her only child, from her dying hands. It was a 
 wise and tender thought in my loving mother, 
 and I have often reflected in my riper years, that 
 she must have been a superior woman, not only in 
 her instruction, admitted by all as high above 
 that of the black women around her, but in an 
 infinitely finer and clearer moral tone. 
 
 I remember the last scene with my dying mo- 
 ther. She lay, scarcely able to speak, in the arms 
 of a weeping slave, a woman from her Own coun- 
 try, who bad been given to her by Abdalla on 
 that account. She uttered a few words with dif- 
 ficulty, in her native tongue, to this woman and 
 to the Bushreen, Hadji Ali, who was kneeling on 
 the other side of the mat, with his prayer-beads 
 in his hands. Blood was on the door-posts, on 
 the dresses of the women, on that of the old 
 man, on mine, on every thing. It lay in pools 
 in the court, and seemed to crowd against and 
 sear my burning eyeballs. My mother kissed me 
 fondly, as Fatma, her favorite slave, held me 
 gently to her lips and breast. She charged me 
 to obey the Bushreen in all things, to love him 
 as a son, to kiss his hand and call him grand- 
 father. I was taken to him by Fatma, and by 
 
AFRICAN ROYALTY. 15 
 
 her direction kneeled before him to kiss Ms hand 
 and call him my grandfather. In reply to my sal- 
 utation, he put his arms round me and called Alia 
 to witness that I should be "the child of his soul, 
 the treasure of his house." I threw my arms 
 round his neck, and, as Fatma often told me, I 
 fainted on his bosom, in the last agony of suffer- 
 ing and excitement, protracted beyond my child- 
 ish strength. 
 
 This is the last that I can recall of the events 
 of that trying time. My mother's face, calm, 
 and to my eyes sweetly beautiful, as she lay in 
 the repose of death, is more like a touching pic- 
 ture tenderly remembered, than an actual bodily 
 presence. After this there are three or four years 
 nearly blank in my memory. 
 
 My father's brother, Taleb ben Abu, succeeded 
 him to the rule of Houssa. All that I ever saw 
 of him was when he came to Kashna to collect 
 his tribute of slaves and horses to complete a 
 cafila, which he was preparing to send to the 
 coast. I was then about eleven years old, and 
 he made me a present of a horse of no great 
 value, and an old slave worth still less. He 
 tried to enhance the merits of these poor gifts, 
 
16 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 by telling me the old horse was of some won- 
 derful breed, and the old man was of my mother's 
 country, and that he had been a slave in the 
 house of the king, her father. I was old enough 
 to think my uncle's gifts were too mean for an 
 acknowledged nephew, but, to my present regret, 
 I was not old enough to profit by the chance 
 thus offered me to learn something about my mo- 
 ther's country and kindred. The old man, who 
 was in every way useless, asked for his freedom, 
 and permission to go to another place where he 
 had children living, and it was granted most will- 
 ingly by Hadji Ali. Almost as soon as my uncle 
 Taleb ben Abu departed from Kashna with his 
 tribute of slaves, the old man he gave me left 
 also, and we saw him no more. At that time I 
 also heard Fatrna and Hadji Ali say to each other, 
 that had my father only lived till then, I would 
 be a richer and a grander prince than my uncle. 
 They rejoiced greatly over the verses of the Ko- 
 ran which I had repeated to my uncle. My own 
 pride and vanity was also amazingly puffed up 
 when I was able to read the Koran to him in 
 the presence of all his officers. He had a hand- 
 some copy of that sacred book, brought, they 
 
AFRICAN ROYALTY. 17 
 
 said, from Mecca itself, and bought at the price 
 of ten camels. It was taken reverently out of 
 its many infoldings, and held up on a kind of 
 tray while I was reading it. 
 
 Another circumstance assisted to swell my 
 pride. Nobody but myself, no man or woman 
 in Kashna, at least, was permitted to sit down 
 while speaking to the king. I was allowed the 
 honor of calling him Lord Father, and encour- 
 aged to visit him every morning and evening 
 while he remained in our town. Fatma declared 
 and I believe it may be so that it was the 
 next thing to proclaiming me as his son and 
 heir. He had no children of his own, and -my 
 father was the only full brother he ever had 
 that is, brother both by father and mother. My 
 adopted father said it was all owing to the fine 
 education he had given me. " Your old grand- 
 father (he always called himself by that title) 
 has given you his eyes and his heart. He would 
 give his life to make his Sidi MahmadeeP*a great 
 prince. Your uncle the king cannot read the 
 Koran may his wisdom increase but when I 
 brought him my tribute, I said there was one 
 of his blood who was able to read the Koran 
 
18 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 and write charms of power out of its chosen 
 verses strong spells for the safety of his person 
 and the confusion of his enemies." 
 
 " It is true, my father," said I, and I am 
 conscious that I said it in grateful affection. 
 " The king sent for me to read the Koran, but 
 it was only when I recited the prayer for the in- 
 crease of his greatness, which you had prepared 
 for me, that he embraced me and called me his 
 sou before all his chiefs." 
 
 Learning t is such a rare possession, among 
 even the Mahometan blacks, that one who can 
 read the Koran, and especially a boy like me, is 
 considered something superior to the common 
 kind. The effect of this display of my learning 
 was continued on me through life. It filled me 
 with the desire the fever, I might say to ac- 
 quire learning. The reading of the Koran was 
 but a mechanical repetition of what my kind 
 teacher and an excellent memory had piled up 
 in my head, but I was proud of it beyond all 
 bounds, and, from that 'time to this, I may say 
 it has been a ruling desire with me to improve 
 in knowledge. 
 
 The affectionate Hadji All and my mother's 
 
AFRICAN ROYALTY. 19 
 
 slave Fatma now mine as my mother's heir 
 fully shared in the pride of my success, and the 
 people about us began to give me the title of 
 king's son, all of which must have greatly in- 
 flated my self-conceit, since I remember it so 
 well. 
 
 This bright summer ended, however, in dark 
 clouds. My indulgent guardian had a large field 
 outside of the town, in which, at certain seasons, 
 he kept many slaves at work, and I was often 
 sent to it, both on foot and on horseback, with 
 messages to the laborers, or to have them bring 
 home corn and grass, but never, that I can rec- 
 ollect, was I set at any regular work. Coming 
 back from the field, one day, in company with a 
 slave of our house named Mattoo, who was a 
 great coward besides being a great fool he 
 startled me very suddenly by setting up a fright- 
 ful yell and throwing himself on the ground, 
 where he rolled and writhed as if in the ago- 
 nies of death. I hurried off my horse to in- 
 quire what ailed him. He only answered by re- 
 newed contortions and a fresh outbreak of groans. 
 It was near the town, and the road was full of 
 
 people. They began to collect round Mattoo, and 
 
 2 
 
20 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 I heard a woman exclaim, " The white man has 
 cast a spell on him." I raised my head in sur- 
 prise, and looked straight into the blue eyes of 
 a white man. I was almost struck dumb -with 
 fear and wonder. He sat on his horse, which 
 he had brought close up to us, to learn the 
 cause of these terrible outcries, and gazed at us 
 as calmly as if he had no concern in causing 
 them. He was dressed as any man of substance 
 in Houssa might be on a journey. He wore a 
 sort of umbrella hat over a turban, and a loose 
 robe confined at the waist with a goatskin belt. 
 All this was much of the style and make of 
 what I had often seen on Hadji Ali, but it was 
 his white face, and his blue eyes, and his beard 
 so red and straight, that shocked me with their 
 unnatural appearance. I had heard of white men, 
 but never saw one before. Houssa is rich in 
 wild tales of their magic arts, by which poor 
 blacks are insnared and devoured in the white 
 man's land. They have the honor to be regard- 
 ed as sorcerers and cannibals in my country, but 
 even the negroes have so many of the habits 
 and ideas of a high civilization, that those of- 
 fenses are less vile in their eyes than poverty. 
 
AFRICAN ROYALTY/ 21 
 
 I saw the white sorcerer sit calmly on his horse, 
 attended by two Houssa men leading baggage 
 beasts and mildly inquiring for the Kashna mar- 
 ket-place, and my fright abated. He did not 
 speak in the Houssa tongue, but in the language 
 of my mother's country, which I had learned to 
 speak of my mother and Fatma, which few in 
 Kashna besides Hadji Ali and those of his house 
 could understand. I recovered myself so far as 
 to salute the stranger in respectful terms, and 
 offer to conduct him into the town. I ordered 
 Mattoo, with a great parade of authority, to ban- 
 ish his cowardly fears, and keep the people from 
 crowding too close upon the "Lord Magician." 
 It was the grandest title I could think of, and 
 it served better, perhaps, than any other to define 
 his position honorably in Kashna. His interpreter 
 brought orders from my uncle the king to the 
 captain of Kashna to take care of the stranger 
 and convey him safely, with all his goods, to 
 some place in the direction of the Great River, 
 when they were to have some important business 
 together, though what it was I never thought of 
 inquiring. 
 
 The captain of Kashna was a round, laughing, 
 
22 TH^ PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 talking, kindly negro, as I remember very well, 
 but he was horribly at a loss what to do with 
 this distinguished visitor, and begged hard of 
 Hadji Ali to take him into his house. It was one 
 of the best in town, large and well kept of that 
 I have a lively recollection but my guardian was 
 not in good health, and he positively refused to 
 receive him. Hadji Ali was a man of too much 
 consequence to be forced out of his way, and so, 
 to my own great personal disappointment, the 
 "white sorcerer" was lodged elsewhere. 
 
 The people crowded upon him to stare and 
 beg, but few or none offered him any kindness. 
 I was even reproached for my too respectful con- 
 duct toward him, when I waited upon him into 
 the town. Many of the women predicted that a 
 spell was upon me, and that death or some other 
 great misfortune would "overcome my strength." 
 My adopted father, however, defended me. He 
 said : " The stranger who comes in peace to your 
 door is sacred. The Koran forbids that he shall 
 be robbed or insulted." That kind, just, generous 
 old man was always inculcating, by -deeds as well 
 as words, charity and humanity. He daily re- 
 proved- the inhumanity to beasts and slaves, which 
 
AFRICAN ROYALTY. 23 
 
 is the common sin of the poor and ignorant in 
 Houssa as well as in Christendom. 
 
 This stranger only stayed two or three days at 
 Kashna, but while he was there he made us a 
 visit, and gave me a small round looking-glass, 
 such as the richest youths of Houssa were proud 
 to wear as medals, when they were able to buy 
 them of the traders, who brought them up from 
 the coast. He talked with Hadji Ali about his 
 pilgrimage to Mecca, from which he derived the 
 name or title of Hadji, which signifies one who 
 has made the sacred pilgrimage. They had both 
 seen wonderful things, and I longed to travel as 
 far and know as much of those distant countries 
 as they did. The " White Lord," as my adopted 
 father and the captain of Kashna called him, left 
 us some medicines to bring back the lost appetite 
 and strength of Hadji Ali, and he soon recovered 
 his usual health. Other people in Kashna received 
 medicines also though not half as many as had 
 begged for them yet among those who received 
 and those who were refused them, almost all the 
 Mahometans, in fact, blamed my poor godfather 
 for using the gifts of the white sorcerer. The 
 people of Houssa are not all Mahometans per- 
 
24: THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 haps the larger portion worship their Fetish idols 
 and practice Obiah but this class had nothing to 
 say against medicines, charms, sorcery, or the 
 devil-worship imputed to the whites ; it was all in 
 their own line of faith. The Mahometans had 
 been taught that idols and sorcery were forbid- 
 den things, and a white man and his medicines 
 were, they said, too much like magic to Be proper 
 and wholesome for a priest and pilgrim of the 
 true faith. The Hadji felt this popular censure 
 so severely that he resolved to abandon Kashna 
 without delay. There was also something, which 
 I never fully understood, that he feared from my 
 uncle on my account, and, having decided to de- 
 part from Kashna, he pressed his arrangements as 
 rapidly though, also, as privately as he could 
 manage them, for a change of residence. 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE FATAL JOUENEY. 
 
 ON the death of my father, Abdalla, his 
 brother Taleb who was then a tributary chief 
 on the confines of Houssa came to Kashna with 
 five hundred horsemen, and took possession of 
 every thing belonging to his predecessor, even 
 to his surviving wives. They were both young 
 men. I being then only five years old was the 
 oldest son of Abdalla. This must have been the 
 customary course, since I never heard it spoken 
 against by my friends. Neither custom nor com- 
 mon sense would permit a child to succeed to 
 the chieftainship of such a barbarous country; 
 and when my mother's private property, consist- 
 ing of some slaves, a few horses, and a flock of 
 sheep, were handed over to the guardian she had 
 appointed for me, my uncle was probably con- 
 sidered to have done his whole duty by his 
 orphan nephew. He never lived at Kashna, and 
 
26 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 I am told only made that one visit there of 
 which I have spoken, after the time in which 
 he came into power. He had his residence at 
 three days' distance, in a region famous for fine 
 horses and a great abundance of 'sheep and goats. 
 Hadji Aii took the entire charge of me from the 
 day and hour of my mother's death. He was a 
 tender and careful parent to me, and kindly 
 with everybody. In his character of a priest 
 who could read the Koran, and a pilgrim who 
 had kissed the sacred stone of Mecca, he was 
 much respected, and had made many converts. 
 He had a school in which all who chose to come 
 were instructed to read and recite verses from 
 the inspired book of Mahomet, but none was so 
 closely and continually taught as myself. I was 
 apt in tracing the Arabic figures, and in this I 
 particularly pleased him. " O son of my heart," 
 he would exclaim, " you are born to be a king ; 
 and when that happy day arrives, you will bless 
 the name of old Hadji Ali for giving you all 
 this learning." Yet he often talked fondly of his 
 native village near the sea. He said but for the 
 love he bore me he would go there to end his 
 days, as he had enough to support him in ease 
 
THE FATAL JOUKNET. 27 
 
 the rest of his life. Still he continued to re- 
 side at Kashna, engaged in many schemes of 
 trade. In one case, if not more, he was con- 
 cerned in a kafila bound to Morocco. He dealt 
 largely in horses and slaves, as every one who 
 can does in Africa. I remember that one of the 
 reproaches cast against the white magician after 
 he left Kashna was that he would not buy any 
 slaves. He was an unprofitable visitor, as well 
 as a suspicious one, in the eyes of the whole 
 town, but the good old Bushreen never had a 
 word against him to the last. His richer scholars 
 began to fall off about this time, and even the 
 poor men, who used to pay for their instruction 
 and for the beautiful verses from the Koran, 
 which they were so happy to have him paint 
 over their doors in blue letters by working for 
 him in the field, began to fall off too, and talk, 
 like their betters, of the scandal of a true be- 
 liever using the cures and charms of a white 
 magician. They asked him whether his medi- 
 cines had not given him a longing for hog-flesh, 
 and some even hinted that a faithful follower 
 of the Prophet, like my uncle, might have some- 
 thing better to do than putting a king's son un- 
 2* 
 
28 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 der the charm of one who had looked so close 
 into the homes of the evil spirits that his beard 
 was scorched by their fires. The white stranger 
 had a reddish beard, and the color was thus ac- 
 counted for in Kashna. The Hadji finally lost 
 all heart, and told his neighbors that he was no 
 longer able to work his land. He therefore sold 
 it for a hundred slaves, to make a venture in a 
 kafila then preparing to start for the coast. My 
 impression is that houses and lands are general- 
 ly computed by slave-values throughout the in- 
 terior of Africa. There was an immensity of 
 palaver and trafficking before the bargain was 
 completed, for it was no small transaction for 
 Kashna, but it was settled at last, to my intense 
 delight. 
 
 I had now passed six years the most easy, 
 cheerful, and abundant period of my life, with my 
 kind godfather. The Mahometans have that sa- 
 cred form of relation as well as Christians, and 
 observe its obligations quite as scrupulously at 
 least mine did. 
 
 Young as I was at this time, Hadji Ali be- 
 stowed upon me a surprising share of confidence. 
 He told me that he should not sell his house at 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 29 
 
 all, though it was one of the best in the town, 
 "as it would open all the mouths in Kashna." 
 He left it in charge of Fatma, with a gift of her 
 freedom, and particularly recommended to her care 
 the old horse so magnificently presented to me 
 by my uncle, the king. It was making my slave 
 the gift of the house as well as her freedom, but 
 he did not choose to let her know that exactly, 
 though he had confided to me his intention never 
 to return to Houssa. He had before asked me 
 whether I would not rather go to my uncle than 
 accompany him to the coast. I replied, with all 
 the warmth of sincerity, that I would run away 
 and fly to him if he left me behind. He em- 
 braced me, with tears in his eyes, and answered 
 that nothing remained then to do but finish our 
 preparations with as little display as possible, and 
 join the caravan at the last moment. 
 
 It was known in Kashna that Hadji Ali was 
 going toward the coast with the kafila, in which 
 he had so large an interest, and arrangements were 
 made accordingly, but it was given out and gen- 
 erally believed that I would make but one day's 
 journey to a walled town belonging to my uncle, 
 and there remain with a friend of the Bushreen, 
 
30 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 to see a great fair. The king was expected to 
 attend this fair, and it was reported that he had 
 ordered Hadji AH to bring me there, and deliver 
 me into the charge of one of his captains, in order 
 that I might begin my military training as be- 
 came a king's son. We joined the kafila so far 
 as to keep it constantly in full view, before it had 
 made two miles of the journey. What a noisy 
 confusion of men and animals it was, and how I 
 revelled in the tumult and action of the day ! At 
 night we camped under the walls of a large town, 
 and there we were informed that the king had 
 detected and punished with terrible severity some 
 conspiracy against his life, and that, among others, 
 the captain of his guards the man to whom I 
 was ordered to be delivered had been put to 
 death. No one appeared to claim me, for my 
 uncle had other things more important than me 
 to occupy him just then. The fair was not to open 
 in a week, in which time we should be in the ter- 
 ritory of another prince, and I out of my uncle's 
 reach ; so Hadji Ali and I went on our way 
 rejoicing. Why he was so anxious to slip me 
 away with him I never exactly knew, but he was 
 such a true and affectionate friend, and so calm 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 31 
 
 and considerate in forming his opinions, that I 
 was sure he had good reasons for his distrust 
 of my uncle. I knew that he expected me to 
 return to Houssa and reign there when I should 
 be a strong and learned man, but said he would 
 be too old to go back with me, at least all the 
 way, he would add, but he never should cease to 
 pray for my advancement to my father's place. 
 
 We had traveled with that caravan, about 
 ten days, as nearly as I can judge, when my 
 kind godfather was taken sick. He held out a 
 day or two, until we reached a large walled 
 town called Medinet, when he grew so much 
 worse that he was obliged to leave the kafila. 
 He exchanged many of his slaves for ivory, and 
 sent others on with the chief of the caravan, 
 besides keeping about twenty men and women 
 with us, as well as most of our horses and other 
 animals. 
 
 We hired a very comfortable house in Medi- 
 net, and a piece of ground not far from the 
 gate, which the Bushreen set his slaves to culti- 
 vate directly, as he did not know how long we 
 might remain here besides, we had the camels 
 and the oxen to feed. Hadji Ali had plenty of 
 
32 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 money and goods, and we used to buy grass and 
 corn at first ; but it was not many months be- 
 fore we had raised some of our own. The weak- 
 ness of the old man continued longer than he 
 expected, and, the rainy season coming on, we 
 sold the beasts of burden, and Hadji made up 
 his mind to remain where we were at any rate, 
 till after the water should have abated. As he 
 could not bear to be idle, he opened school again 
 at Medinet, and got a great many scholars of 
 both sexes. He was the gentlest and most ami- 
 able creature that ever lived to instruct children 
 such patience and perseverance I never saw 
 surpassed ; his happiness consisted in teaching, in 
 beholding the improvement of his pupils, and in 
 their merry and joyful society. He was as fond 
 of romping and playing as any of the boys and 
 girls, and had always some winning way of en- 
 gaging the minds of even the most stupid to 
 attend to his lessons. 
 
 The rainy season was over at last. The waters 
 had subsided, and Hadji Ali, being again in tol- 
 erable health, determined to take the first oppor- 
 tunity of continuing his journey to his native 
 home. I do not mention the name of the place, 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 33 
 
 for, as I never reached it, I am not positive 
 what it was. It was my destiny to be torn away 
 from the old man upon the route. 
 
 At the close of the rains we joined a smaller, 
 and a much more disorderly kafila than the one 
 in which, almost a year before, we had left Kash- 
 na. Hadji All from that time always said we, 
 in speaking of our arrangements, and he often 
 reminded me that I was his heir, and that if 
 any thing happened to him on the journey, I 
 must claim, as my right, all the property he 
 left. " You will need all I can leave you, Sidi 
 Mahmadee," he used to say affectionately. "You 
 cannot return to your own country without plen- 
 ty of presents for the king and the head men ; 
 remember that." While we were at Medinet, the 
 chief merchants of our Kashna party returned 
 from the coast or wherever our slaves had been 
 sold and accounted for them entirely to Hadji 
 All's satisfaction. They brought him what I now 
 know were coarse European prints, but of very 
 showy patterns, together with some powder and 
 several muskets. He bought a fine-looking pair 
 of horseman's pistols and a gay saddle-cloth of a 
 merchant, who declared that he had given three 
 
34: THE FRINGE OF KASHNA. 
 
 fine Blaves and an elephant's tooth for them to 
 the captain of a great ship on the coast. There 
 was still more chaffer over that purchase than we 
 had over the sale of the land at Kashna, and this 
 time I watched the proceedings with an even 
 keener interest, for my kind godfather publicly 
 avowed that these articles were for me, and bought 
 with my own slaves. After the business was con- 
 cluded, he ftad a great supper prepared at our 
 house for all the Houssa merchants, and then, to 
 my unbounded discontent, those great horse-pis- 
 tols and that fine horse-housing was, with much 
 ceremony, delivered to them, as a present from 
 me to my uncle the king. The cunning Bushreen 
 made a flourishing speech about his and my de- 
 sire to prepare myself to be of service to him. 
 The father of Kashna, he said, had placed this be- 
 loved child of his own blood under his, the Bush- 
 reen's, charge, to be instructed in the true faith, 
 and we were now at Medinet learning wisdom; 
 but after the rainy season, which was now near, 
 had passed, we would strive to obtain other pres- 
 ents still more worthy a great king, and take 
 them to him in his own city. The loss of these 
 grand things afflicted me sorely for a time, but 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 35 
 
 my godfather consoled me, after a while, by the 
 present of a light gun, and plenty of liberty to 
 shoot wild-fowl with it for the rest of our stay 
 at Medinet. 
 
 He also made me comprehend somewhat of 
 his motives in sending back such a valuable pres- 
 ent to Houssa, and I still think, as I thought 
 then, that he was one of the best and wisest 
 men in my native Africa. Every ne at Medi- 
 net loved and respected him, and when we de- 
 parted with the caravan, I am sure we were 
 loaded with more presents for our use on the 
 journey, than any one of their own citizens. It 
 was during our residence there that I first began 
 to think with real appreciation of the old man's 
 fond and faithful cares, and to lay to heart his 
 religious precepts. He often said that the spirit 
 of my mother should never reproach him for neg- 
 lecting the child she had committed to his care. 
 
 Whatever Mahometans in general may say 
 about the souls of women, Hadji Ali taught me 
 to believe that the spirit of my mother constant- 
 ly watched over me. While we were getting 
 ready for the kafila, I one day rode my horse 
 very hard, and then, from boyish forgetfulness, 
 
36 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 left him standing in the court all night without 
 food and water. My godfather reproved me with 
 more mildness than I deserved, and I have not 
 yet forgotten the pain it caused me when he 
 said, with solemn sincerity, " Your good angel is 
 angered at such cruelty, and your mother covers 
 her face with shame for you. Her spirit can suf- 
 fer no pain except what the child of her bosom 
 causes her by his sins." These were lessons I 
 could never w^learn, and when, in after days, my 
 Christian teachers attacked them, all their efforts 
 to make me 'forget only branded them deeper in 
 my heart. 
 
 At length all was ready, and we were well 
 started on our road with the kafila. "We were 
 finely mounted, and had three house-slaves with 
 us two men and a woman that we had brought 
 from Kashna for personal servants, besides the 
 slaves for sale and those in charge of our loaded 
 beasts. "We traveled, of course, very slowly, for 
 we had to comply with the pace of the kafila. 
 The country around us was beautiful; and, so 
 directly after the rains, it was fresh and ver- 
 dant. We were entering a more hilly and heavily 
 timbered country than we had seen this side of 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 37 
 
 Medinet, and we often lost sight of the caravan, 
 as it wound itself, like a* long snake, into the 
 narrow wooded turns of the steep hills, but never 
 for more than an hour or so at the longest. It 
 was a careless habit, that cost me long years of 
 bondage ; what it cost my dear old father I never 
 could learn. 
 
 In passing a defile in the Kong mountains, 
 for some occasion or other, we were in the rear 
 of the kafila, which was to have encamped, if I 
 remember right, at the outlet of it. The old man 
 had seated himself on a rock, and our two horses 
 were fastened together by the bridles. The slaves 
 were in advance with the rest of the kafila, and I 
 had clambered up the side of a precipice to gather 
 some blue flowers which grew out of the face of the 
 rock. I sang and shouted in the mere excess of 
 boyish spirits; and, being so high upon the preci- 
 pice, I thought I might venture to the summit. 
 Unhappy venture ! I had no sooner reached that, 
 than a stout man, who had been lying there, 
 crouched like a lion among the bushes, sprang 
 upon me, threw me down, out of breath as I 
 was with my exertion, and, before I could cry 
 out, stuffed my mouth so full of grass that I was 
 
38 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA 
 
 nearly strangled. I believe I fainted away, for, 
 on coming to myself I found my hands and feet 
 tied, and I could discover, by the glimmering of 
 the sun through the trees which surrounded us, 
 that it was getting very late in the day. I im- 
 mediately began to supplicate the ruffian who had 
 thus seized me, to restore me to my father, Hadji 
 Ali, who I told him was rich, and would give 
 him two slaves for me in a moment, or goods 
 to the amount of two slaves, or three slaves, or 
 any thing he could ask, so he would but restore 
 me. Alas! I pleaded in vain;, he either under- 
 stood me not, or affected not to understand me, 
 and answered in a language which was new to 
 me. He kept me in the bushes till dark, and 
 then took me away from the course we had been 
 pursuing, and led me to the north, and then to 
 the west. It is of no use now to describe the 
 sufferings I endured in mind and body. I was 
 all but broken-hearted, and yet I believe I grieved 
 more, if possible, for the loss which I knew that 
 Hadji Ali had sustained, than for my own indi- 
 vidual wretchedness. I had been ever of a re- 
 ligious turn of mind, and I really thought I should 
 in some way be restored to my beloved guardian. 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 39 
 
 To be thus carried off into slavery was too hor- 
 rible to be accepted as a fixed fact. 
 
 We traveled all night through woods, amid 
 the bowlings of lions and hyenas, and in the 
 morning fell in with two ivory hunters, who had 
 an ass loaded with elephants' teeth, and were 
 marching, like my new master, to the westward ; 
 I was exchanged for this beast and his load. 
 The robber who had made prize of me returned 
 by the course we had come, and my new- masters 
 conducted me toward the Foulah country. I was 
 marched from town to town, and passed through 
 at least six pair of hands in the course of the 
 four or five months that elapsed, before I found 
 myself on the sea-shore. There I was sold to 
 a man who had much to do with the large slave- 
 dealers in the supply of provisions, I am inclined 
 to think, for he owned himself few or no slaves. 
 He spoke Hous&a, and told me he should bring 
 me up to his own business whatever that was 
 and promised me plenty to eat. After a long 
 stretch he sent me back into the yard to get 
 some supper, repeating that he liked my looks, 
 and that my last master said I was such a good 
 boy that he never had to tie or beat me. That 
 
40 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 was true of him, at any rate, and, thanking him 
 with my best Kashna obeisance, I went back to 
 ask some food of a woman who was bending 
 over her cookery under a rear shed. I touched 
 her shoulder, and, as she turned, respectfully 
 opened the way by saying that our master had 
 sent me to assist her and get something to eat. 
 She answered by springing to her feet, and call- 
 ing out, " The king's son ! the king's son !" The 
 master ran to the door, on hearing these words, 
 and asked what it meant. I threw myself at his 
 feet, told my story, and begged him to return 
 me to Hadji Ali. The young woman told him 
 who I was, that she had known me in Kashna, 
 and that my uncle had given to me the robe and 
 sash, only allowed to a king's son, together with 
 the customary horse and slave for my own ser- 
 vice, and much more that I cannot remember. 
 " Is there any one here who will buy him, Tatee ?" 
 he inquired very seriously. The girl said, any 
 merchant from Kashna would give a strong man, 
 or two strong men, for me, to take me back to 
 my rich godfather, who would return three slaves 
 and any amount of presents, to any one who 
 would " bring back to him the joy of his eyes." 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 41 
 
 My new master searched the market, but no 
 merchant of Kashna could be found, nor was any 
 one anxious to buy me when it was discovered 
 that Hadji Ali had left Kashna with me, and 
 was no one knew where. So this momentary 
 gleam of hope faded away, and left me in deeper 
 despondency than ever. Tatee tried to cheer me, 
 by predicting that Hadji would search for me all 
 along the coast, until he found and redeemed me. 
 Alas ! neither of us had any idea of the vast ex- 
 tent of the slave-coast of Africa. But even had 
 there been a reasonable foundation for such a 
 hope, we were doomed to be cut off from its 
 faintest shadow by a new misfortune. 
 
 I had been about three days with my last 
 negro master, when, as we sat comforting each 
 other with projects for getting back to Kashna, 
 Tatee was called away, and, to my surprise and 
 uneasiness, she did not return in all the after- 
 noon. I at last ventured to make inquiries, and 
 was horror-struck to hear that she had been sent 
 to the barracoon, or slave-pen, to be confined until 
 she should be shipped with the rest of the live 
 cargo on board a slave-ship in the offing. The 
 barracoon was not far from my master's house, 
 
42 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 and I flew to see her, without waiting for my 
 master's permission. Poor Tatee shed tears with 
 me. My master had exchanged her for me, but 
 she did not know she was thus disposed of 
 until she was brought to the slave-pen, to be 
 "put on the string" with a number of other girls, 
 among whom were several from Houssa. She ad- 
 vised me to try hard for my liberty, and hinted 
 that those of our tongue would all attempt some- 
 thing together, and then would help me to es- 
 cape, if I would join them. 
 
 Tatee was a brave girl, and she contrived, on 
 the very same night, to get herself loosed from 
 the chain in which she was bound with a great 
 many others, and then hurried to my master's to 
 help liberate me. She tempted me to run away. 
 I was alone, the only slave of the person who had 
 obtained a claim upon me, and I slept in the same 
 hut with him he lying at the door. Had I been 
 a few years older, or had I then known that I, 
 too, was marked for the slave-ship, I might have 
 been more desperate and resolute. It was ne- 
 cessary to kill my tyrant, as he lay across the 
 doorway, and, not daring to do this, he surprised 
 me in the very moment of my stepping over him, 
 
THE FATAL Jo UK NEY. 43 
 
 the girl holding out her arms, as it were, to re- 
 ceive me after I should have passed this bar- 
 rier to my liberty. I was armed, too, but I 
 had not the heart to shed his blood, even when 
 he seized me by the leg, and threw me down. 
 I returned him his own dagger directly, which 
 I had taken from him in his sleep, and begged 
 of him, as a favor, that he would plunge it into 
 my heart. But that was a sacrifice which he 
 had no notion of making. He did not punish 
 me for my mad attempt ; on the contrary, he 
 was grateful to me for his life, and declared that 
 if he could afford it, he would have made me 
 free. He even shed tears when he had secured 
 me, and said I was a good boy, a kind-hearted 
 boy, and he wished he had not given the girl 
 for me, that it went against his heart to ship 
 me off, after I had renounced my liberty rather 
 than kill him. Then he bemoaned Tatee, and 
 wanted to make the exchange back again, little 
 thinking it was this poor thing who had set 
 me upon the attempt. Finding her project had 
 failed, she returned at once to her companions, 
 and gave up, for the moment, her plans for de- 
 camping. She formed other schemes for escap- 
 
44 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 ing, and assured me, with tears in her eyes, that 
 she would get both of us back to our country, 
 if I would only be resolute and assist her. But 
 alas ! the schemes of poor Tatee were all in vain. 
 
 When the slave-ship was ready to sail my*- 
 fate was decided, and I was finally handed over 
 to a white man for I know not what scarlet 
 cloth and rum, I think. This white man took 
 me on board a ship, with a great many more 
 slaves, three hundred at least, men, women, boys, 
 and girls ; and if I had any consolation in this 
 misery, it was that poor Tatee was in the same 
 ship with me. Yet for some time I scarcely saw 
 any thing of her, the men being confined in one 
 part of the vessel, and the females in another. 
 
 No pen can over-paint the horrors of a slave 
 in a full-freighted slave-ship. Crowded to suffo- 
 cation, sea-sick, manacled, leaving behind him all 
 that he knows of hope and delight, his native 
 land and his friends, with no prospect but that 
 of captivity in a strange country except, indeed, 
 that many of us thought we were going to be 
 eaten by the whites I only wonder how the 
 poor slave lives through the voyage. Many of 
 our cargo died under the complicated sufferings 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 45 
 
 of which it consists disease, stench, filth, dirt, 
 bad diet, confinement, and low spirits. Some died 
 of despair, and three, as I can well remember, 
 threw themselves overboard, when it came to 
 their turn to be allowed the fresh air on the 
 deck. But I was young, and hoped on instinct- 
 ively. The captain of the ship took a liking to 
 me when he found I had been rich and free in 
 my own country, as I could prove by my coun- 
 try marks on my breast, as well as by the tes- 
 timony of Tatee and three or four others on 
 board, who knew Hadji Ali very well ; at least 
 they knew he was a priest and a merchant in 
 Kashna, and they remembered that he had adopt- 
 ed the son of the late king. I presume the quiet, 
 respectful manners taught me by my good old 
 godfather may his ashes have rest ! disposed 
 our captain to mercy. He allowed me the lib- 
 erity of the deck and exempted me from man- 
 acles. These were privileges only enjoyed by a 
 few of the most orderly women, and Tatee was 
 among them. I was so grateful that I thanked 
 the captain with tears, of joy when he beckoned 
 to Tatee to come and sit under the awning with 
 me. She, like myself, loved to talk of the place 
 
4:6 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 we came from in Houssa, and we spoke the 
 same language, which was very different from 
 that spoken by many others of the slaves, some 
 of whom came from Senegal and Gambia, and 
 were Mandingoes. The captain was very kind to 
 Tatee, for my sake, I believe. He gave her some- 
 thing to wear and a necklace of glass beads ; 
 but the conduct of the officers on board the ship 
 toward some of the women slaves was very far 
 from decent ; and what was worse, the girls them- 
 selves seemed, careless of decency. 
 
 The most impressive event of this terrible 
 voyage was a battle with a French privateer. 
 Our ship was well armed, having twelve guns, 
 and she had a large crew of white men. The 
 captain set all sail, but the Frenchman set all his 
 canvas, and came sweeping down upon us with 
 a three-colored flag flying at his mizen-peak. The 
 ship, however, was cleared for action, and the 
 rest of the slaves on deck at the time were or- 
 dered below. I was young, but I was, or rather 
 had been, indiflerent about life, since I had lost 
 my liberty, and I felt, I cannot describe what 
 it was, a reckless idea of throwing myself in the 
 way of any change. I remained on deck, took 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 47 
 
 my station beside a water-cask that stood at the 
 foot of the main-mast, and waited to see what 
 these white men would do to one another. The 
 Frenchman had the wind of us, and came up 
 rapidly with us, firing his bow-chasers at our 
 stern three or four times, without doing any 
 great mischief. The shot flew over us, except 
 one, which went through the main-sail. The fire 
 was returned from our stern guns, and the cap- 
 tain himself took a musket, which he carried 
 while he gave his orders. We had a netting to 
 prevent the enemy from boarding ; and the sail- 
 ors' hammocks were stowed at the bottom of it, 
 so as to afford a bulwark for the men to fire 
 from. There was a young gentleman on board, 
 and he too came on deck with arms in his hands. 
 He beckoned to me to come and stand beside 
 him, giving me also a musket. I knew well 
 how to use it. The privateer was, by this time, 
 so near that her bowsprit almost came over our 
 taffrail, and some of the Frenchmen were crowd- 
 ing forward to board us, upon which our cap- 
 tain himself putting down the helm, our ship 
 ran up into the wind, and the enemy fell about 
 fifty or sixty yards to leeward. At this moment 
 
48 THE PRINCE OF 
 
 she opened her fire from four or five guns, which, 
 to my ears, made an imposing battle-thunder. 
 The shot from one of them went through the 
 water-cask against which I had leaned before the 
 young gentleman called me away. We returned 
 the fire from our larboard guns, and the French- 
 man put down his helm in like manner, and 
 passed under our stern, giving us a volley of 
 musketry at the moment of passing, for his deck 
 was crowded with men. One of their bullets 
 struck the young gentleman in the throat, as he 
 was in the act of firing his own musket. He fell 
 first against me, and then reeled toward the 
 captain, who caught him in his arms, although 
 he was nearly knocked down by his weight. 
 The youth was killed; the captain laid him gen. 
 tly on the deck, and immediately discharged his 
 own musket into the privateer, calling out at the 
 same time to his crew to animate them : he fired 
 a pistol also, which he had in a belt, at a man 
 who had lifted his head above the privateer's 
 bulwarks. He then bade me follow him into his 
 cabin, where, with the assistance of five or six 
 other men, we fired two carronades, which were 
 there, loaded with grape-shot. They were either 
 
THE FATAL JOURNEY. 49 
 
 eighteen or twenty-four pounders. He pointed 
 them accurately, and they did most dreadful ex- 
 ecution, as we learned afterward. When we 
 returned to the deck, the privateer was sheering 
 off, and we soon lost sight of her. The cap- 
 tain was in great distress for his friend; and 
 I felt much, that such a kind, nice young gen- 
 tleman should have come to this sudden end. 
 For my own part, I was at first indifferent about 
 my life but after firing the carronades, and hear- 
 ing the shrieks, I began to be alarmed, and was 
 quite glad to see the Frenchman sheer off. My 
 master spoke highly of me, and said I was a 
 brave fellow. I did not tell him that I was a 
 coward perhaps I was not but I did not like 
 fighting, of that I am convinced. We sailed di- 
 rectly to Carlisle Bay, in Barbadoes, to repair our 
 damages, and, while we were there, a ship came 
 in with part of the crew of the privateer. They 
 had been put on board of a prize, which the 
 privateer had made the day after our fight, and 
 had been retaken by an English schooner. They 
 gave a dreadful account of the mischief they and 
 their ship had sustained. The first of the car- 
 ronades killed eleven men, the second nine. We 
 
50 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 staid but three days at Barbadoes, and then sailed 
 for Kingston, in Jamaica, where we arrived in 
 the month of March, 1806. 
 
IN JAMAICA. 51 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 IN JAMAICA. 
 
 As soon as we had cast our anchor in the harbor, 
 several persons came on board the ship to look at the 
 human cargo, and perhaps select slaves. The ship 
 had been well cleaned and scrubbed in Carlisle Bay, 
 though not before it wanted such cleaning, for it was 
 dreadful even to me to go among the slaves below. 
 
 They had shaved our heads, and given us all a 
 thorough purification, so that, when we came upon 
 deck, we did not look so miserable as might have 
 been expected. Most of the men were still chained, 
 notwithstanding, two or three together, by the legs. 
 The women had each a cotton handkerchief given 
 them for the sake of decency, and so had the men ; 
 but the boys were all exhibited naked to those 
 persons who examined us. Some of the slaves had 
 all along entertained a notion that they were to 
 be eaten upon their arrival, and when they saw 
 the white men come upon deck, and handle them 
 
52 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 all over, their fears became more active, and many 
 trembled with fright. This examination, notwith- 
 standing the white men laughed with them, and, 
 to my mind, seemed good-natured, filled many of 
 them with feelings of horror. Among the visitors 
 on board there was one old man, with a large white 
 hat, and spectacles on his nose, who fixed upon six 
 girls, who came all from Houssa, and said he should 
 buy them. They were a part of thirteen who came 
 from the same country, all girls, and they had sev- 
 eral boys and four men of their company, all speak- 
 ing the same language, and generally known to one 
 another before we sailed. These wished, naturally 
 enough, to be purchased by the same old man a 
 wish in which I did not exactly share, however, for 
 his face did not please me at all. But -every other 
 thought was swallowed up in the dread of being 
 separated from Tatee. She was like a mother to 
 me, and the choice of any particular master, or 
 even the recollection that a life of slavery was be- 
 fore both of us, scarcely entered my young mind : 
 it was absorbed with the fear of losing her. The 
 old man passed by Tatee, to my instant relief, and 
 said he wanted no more than the six girls he had 
 selected. They were all young and good-looking, 
 
IN JAMAICA. 53 
 
 and I own I was shocked and altogether disgusted 
 to see a white man handle my country-women as 
 he did, a Kafir, a Christian ! I had then hardly got 
 rid of that prejudice against the white men which 
 had so much affected the health and happiness of 
 Hadji Ali, and perhaps had indirectly brought 
 about the catastrophe to which I owed my present 
 situation. This old buckra turned them round 
 and round, to see that they were sound of body, 
 and his eyes twinkled through his spectacles like 
 stars in a mist over his bargain. But I shall say 
 no more of him, except that he bought the girls 
 and one boy. This lad was brother to one of them, 
 and whom the merchant on shore compelled him 
 to take, or he would not have let him become the 
 purchaser of the boy's sister. They were landed 
 at dusk in the evening, and I have seen no more of 
 them to this day. 
 
 the next morning, the great body of slaves 
 were sent on shore and lodged in a large place, 
 where many people came to see the fresh cargo of 
 slaves, and choose those that they wanted to buy 
 from among us. Meanwhile we were allowed to 
 amuse ourselves, as we had done on board ship, 
 with African plays and games. We were well fed, 
 
54 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 and everybody seemed kind to ns. They looked 
 kindly and spoke good-naturedly, even while they 
 were examining us limb by limb. The whole cargo 
 was quickly disposed of, and it was my lot to be 
 sold to a planter from Westmoreland, who bought 
 Tatee. Tatee, and four or five others from Houssa, 
 were kept together in one lot or rather bought to- 
 gether with some more men from other parts of 
 Africa, by this Westmoreland gentleman. The 
 captain was in looking at us, when that gentleman 
 came in to select a lot of hands for his cane-fields. 
 I saw by the' captain's manner that he recom- 
 mended the Houssa party to his notice. These, one 
 after another, were examined, stepped aside, and 
 given to understand this was their master. When 
 Tatee was accepted she crossed her arms, and, with 
 a pleased and thankful air, bowed low before him 
 in the fashion of our country. The gentleman 
 smiled pleasantly, and my eyes followed him with 
 anxious looks, imploring to be taken also. The cap- 
 tain turned his eyes on me, and, I am sure, said 
 something in my favor, but the gentleman only 
 shook his head, and my heart sank within me. He 
 did not want to buy children, and I was but about 
 twelve years of age. Moved by my silent tears, 
 
IN JAMAICA. 55 
 
 Tatee ventured to kneel at his feet and ask him to 
 buy me too. ^ He thought a while, and then he did 
 so instantly. Without any more words, he pointed 
 me to go to the place where the rest of his pur- 
 chases were gathering into a knot by themselves, 
 and, taking my hand, he put it into Tatee's, saying, 
 as I was told by our interpreter : " There, Quashe- 
 ba, as he is not your brother, I suppose he is your 
 sweetheart." Tatee was four or five years older 
 than I was, and sensible and steady beyond her 
 years. She had, too, a prompt and cheerful man- 
 ner, and was, in all ways, a smart, active, willing 
 girl. We found a kind master in Mr. Davis, and 
 he found in us servants worth all the money we 
 cost him. 
 
 The captain of the ship came to see me the day 
 after, and gave me a pistole. He gave another to 
 Tatee, shook hands with us, and wished us all well, 
 saying, at the same time, that our master was a 
 rich man, and very humane to his slaves. I was 
 furnished with a coarse linen frock and a black hat, 
 as were all the other males. The women had short 
 dresses given them, and handkerchiefs to wear on 
 their heads. We were in all twenty, six of the 
 party girls; and we had three negroes from the 
 
56 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 plantation in Westmoreland to take care of us, and 
 conduct us there. Two of these negroes had mules, 
 the other was on foot, and they had all three cut- 
 lasses. We walked the first day two and two, that 
 is to say, the men did, handcuffed to one another. 
 The women and I were at large. In the evening 
 the buckra, our new master, met us, and gave us 
 in charge to the overseer of an estate on the road, 
 where we were put into their hospital to sleep, hav- 
 ing first of all plenty to eat, and some rum and 
 water to drink. 
 
 The interpreter gave us a long lecture before 
 we left Kingston, on the folly of running away, and 
 the impossibility of escaping, even if we attempted 
 it. We were told that no ships went back to Af- 
 rica, except by first going to England that no- 
 body dared to take us off the island, and that if we 
 ran into the woods, we should starve, even if the 
 free maroons (to whom a reward was paid for 
 every negro they brought in) did not catch us. 
 On the other hand, we were told that we should be 
 well fed and clothed, have houses of our own, and 
 lands for ourselves, and only be made to work for 
 our master nine hours a day out of twenty-four. 
 
 I, for one, had no thought of running away. 
 
IN JAMAICA. 57 
 
 After being so many weeks at sea, the sight of the 
 green earth was too sweet and pleasant. We had 
 been sold and resold most of my companions had 
 been slaves in their own country, and hunger and 
 hard work were no novelty to them. Beside, where 
 could we run to ? in a strange land, without friends, 
 or arms, or tools ! Another negro from the estate 
 where we passed the night could speak in our 
 tongue, and he encouraged us greatly by his ac- 
 counts of the country. The second day only half 
 the slaves were handcuffed at a time. After that 
 we all walked at large, and I believe none of us 
 once contemplated running away. We were about 
 a week on the journey, always well taken care 
 of, and we walked with comparatively light hearts, 
 after what we had suffered in Africa upon our 
 march to the sea. For my part, I thought the 
 worst was over. Everybody spoke to .and looked 
 kindly on us. The slaves on the estates through 
 which we passed seemed well fed, happy, and cheer- 
 ful. They talked to us, some of them in our native 
 languages, and they had ever something good- 
 natured to say. There was one thing which troub- 
 led me, however, and that was the sound of a 
 whip cracking, which I heard now and then, as 
 
58 THE PKINCE OF K AS UNA. 
 
 we passed a gang of negroes at work; and we 
 saw once a man, who was laid on his face on the 
 ground, while a driver flogged him with a long 
 lash fastened to a little stick. He flogged the 
 man very hard, and blood followed every stroke. 
 This man called out to us, in a rage, " to see what 
 we should come to," and the driver, at the direc- 
 tion of a white man, who was standing by, added, 
 that we certainly should come to it, if we turned 
 out to be thieves and liars like him. I had seen 
 and heard plenty of cruelty in Africa before that, 
 but it always sickened me then as it did now in 
 Jamaica. 
 
 At last we arrived at my master's estate, and 
 to my eyes all about it seemed grand and pleasant. 
 Busy, bright faces of our own color greeted us on 
 every side, and we were as well received by every- 
 body as if .we had come home from a journey to 
 friends and relations. All the negroes crowded 
 round us, and spoke kindly to us, and asked after 
 their acquaintances in different parts of Africa. I 
 mean, of course, those who, like ourselves, had 
 crossed the water. Many of our fellow-slaves 
 were Creoles; indeed, the greater number by far 
 were natives, and spoke none of our languages. 
 
IN JAMAICA. 59 
 
 We were distributed among the most trusted ser- 
 vants, who seemed to contend, before our master 
 and his overseer, to have the keeping of us, prom- 
 ising to do this and that for us, to adopt us for 
 their children, and teach us all we should have to 
 do. I was consigned to the care of Pompey, an 
 African, about forty years of age, who was my 
 master's head waiting-man. He had been brought, 
 like myself, from Africa (Bambarra), at a very ten- 
 der age, and though he had two wives he had no 
 son, one of them having only a daughter, and the 
 other no child alive. 
 
 Pompey treated me very well. I had to work 
 in his grounds for him, besides doing light work 
 on the plantation, such as weeding the cane-pieces 
 and Guinea-grass, driving mules, and. other jobs, 
 which were no hardship. I lived well, Pompey 
 always supplying me with plantains, or cocoas, or 
 yams, which his wife Myrtilla cooked for me, with 
 salt fish, and sometimes fresh fish, and we had 
 very often fowls and pork, and rum and water 
 enough. Then I w"as not required to do any night 
 work. I had plenty of sleep, and every evening, 
 after the day's work, the rest of the new negroes, 
 and sometimes myself, would get together and 
 
60 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 dance and sing, and sometimes tell stories of our 
 own country. On Saturday nights all the negroes 
 on the estate used to have a dance, with goombays 
 and other musical instruments. My master always 
 spoke kindly to me when he came into the field 
 where I was at work, and his wife was universally 
 beloved by everybody, white and black. 
 
 My mistress seldom saw or spoke to me, but 
 it was the desire and dream of my life to be taken 
 into the great house and live in her own personal 
 service. Could Tatee and I but enter that para- 
 dise, I thought I should be perfectly happy. Tatee 
 was not so ambitious for this honor, but told me 
 to be careful to obey my master, and be always 
 ready to oblige my fellow-servants, and it would 
 come to pass for me at least, if not for her ; but 
 my own wish and hope was that both might be 
 called under the immediate orders of my master 
 and mistress. 
 
 The day after I arrived upon the estate, my 
 master offered me a new name, as I suppose he 
 did not like Mahmadee. I knew but little English 
 yet, though I could understand what he meant. 
 He said we were the second lot he had bought, 
 and we were all to be called by names beginning 
 
IN JAMAICA. 61 
 
 with a B. There was Bradwell and Belton, Bob, 
 Bogle, and several other B's, Bonaparte and Bac- 
 chus. He mentioned Bacchus last, so I repeated 
 the name, and Bacchus I was put down in the 
 slave-book, a native of Kashna, in Houssa, aged 
 twelve or thirteen years. Tatee was called Beauty, 
 but at the request of my mistress, who had heard, 
 no doubt, of my poor shipmate's regard for me, 
 she was called" Ariadne as well. For my part, 
 Bacchus was as good to me as any other name, 
 especially as I was to live among persons who 
 were of another religion, though it seemed to me 
 as if they had no religion at all. I never saw any- 
 body pray for months after I was settled on the 
 estate. Of course I did not know what was going 
 on in the Great House, as I never went beyond 
 the kitchen or hall door ; I only know that among 
 the negroes, and at the overseer's house, I never 
 saw a single being go on his knees, nor did any 
 of that set go to the church, which was not above 
 three miles off. There were other Mahometans 
 beside myself on the estate, but they never said 
 any of the five prayers those of our faith ought to 
 repeat daily. They told me they would soon get 
 flogged up again if they were to fall down upon 
 
62 THE PRINCE OF K AS UNA. 
 
 their faces to pray, instead of minding their work, 
 and that all the rest of the negroes on the estate 
 would laugh at them. One of these said it was 
 of no use for a slave to pray. If God had put his 
 eye upon a black man to make him a slave, he 
 could not shake off his spell till he died, although 
 he should pray ten times a day. However, I did 
 not find the condition of a slave so intolerable as 
 I had expected, and this absence of religion was at 
 first a relief to me, rather than a subject of com- 
 plaint, for Hadji Ali, with all his kindness, used to 
 be very rigid, and made his scholars always attend 
 most punctually to the prayers and to the fasts 
 enjoined by our religion. Perhaps he was a little 
 too fond of preaching to us. that we should go to 
 hell for this and that, and, more than all, for the 
 least want of faith. Here I heard nothing about 
 faith, or hell, or fire, or the evil spirit, except when 
 people were angry and swore. The men and wo- 
 men lived as they liked, after they had done their 
 work, and seemed not to be accountable to any- 
 body for their conduct, so long as they were peace- 
 able, and did not rob one another, or their master. 
 
 Yet I often thought of the spirit of my mother, 
 and sometimes dreamed of her and often of Kashna. 
 
I N J A M A I C A . 63 
 
 The deep impression of the old Bushreen's constant 
 precepts and example clung to me with singular 
 tenacity. My will had nothing to do with my 
 faith, neither was there any thing in the habits of 
 those most directly before my eyes to change it. 
 If the white people had been true, strict Christians, 
 I think I should have felt a respect for their reli- 
 gion; but their carelessness on this matter, and their 
 profligate habits, made me feel doubly averse to 
 giving up the true faith for one like theirs. My 
 mind was always running on my own neglect of 
 duty, and calling up before me the image of my old 
 teacher, until I began to see him in my dre*ams. 
 One of these dreams was repeated more than once, 
 and with such distinctness that for years it had 
 upon my mind all the force of a solemn reality. I 
 had been employed all the day in some light duties 
 about the Great House, and lay down to sleep in 
 a cross passage that opened into the kitchen. I felt 
 happy at being called in to serve the family, and 
 dropped asleep in a free and hopeful spirit. Sud- 
 denly, and, strange to say, with a consciousness that 
 it was in a dream, my beloved Hadji Ali stood be- 
 fore me, as I had often seen him in the mosque at 
 Kashna, in a long white robe, with the Koran in his 
 
64 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 right hand, and a string of beads in his left. He 
 looked long and affectionately on me, and sighed 
 deeply. He spoke not a word, yet I could see tears 
 stealing down his withered cheeks, and he raised 
 his arms above his head, and lowered them over 
 mine, as if to implore a blessing on me. Good and 
 kind old man ! or blessed spirit ! for I dreamed that 
 he perhaps was dead, and this his ghost come to 
 reprove my irreligion : " Never, never," said I, 
 " shall my heart forsake the true faith, or cease to 
 cherish the memory of your affectionate instruction. 
 No, my father, I am yours forever." When I 
 awaked, I felt relieved, and I resolved to perform 
 the ceremonies of my religion, though by stealth, 
 for I felt that the spirit of Hadji Ali had his eye 
 upon me, and I was but too proud to merit his pro- 
 tection. 
 
 I used, accordingly, to repeat the prayers I had 
 been taught in my infancy, and when the appointed 
 times arrived, I sometimes ran into the bush to 
 kneel down, or if I was alone in any apartment of 
 the house, or stables, I kneeled down devoutly on 
 the floor, and prayed for peace. I even prayed out 
 loud, and, what strikes me as curious, I would often 
 add something in English, but my Arabic was 
 
IN. JAMAICA. 65 
 
 never extensive, and my native tongue was becom- 
 ing less familiar to me than the language of our 
 masters. 
 
 This dream, or vision, had another effect on me. 
 I was smitten with an anxiety not to forget the 
 verses from the Koran, which my beloved in- 
 structor had taught me with such patient affection, 
 and, with bits of chalk, or even charcoal, I was 
 continually inscribing them on the walls of the 
 negro cottages. The owners thought them charms 
 against Obiah magic and the evil eye, and were not 
 only much pleased to have them, but were careful 
 to keep the secret among themselves. 
 
 The overseer surprised me at my devotions one 
 day, and ridiculed me without mercy. He men- 
 tioned it and my writing "African charms," as he 
 styled them, to my master and mistress. My mas- 
 ter paid no attention to it, for by this time I had 
 won my way into his good-will by my earnest and 
 evident desire to do his pleasure in all things. No 
 one, not even the overseer, reproached me, but one 
 day my mistress took me kindly to task, and asked 
 me if I did not know that Mahomet was a cheat 
 and an impostor. Alas ! mortified and confused, I 
 had little or nothing to say, because I had no means 
 
66 THE PRINCE OF K AS UN A. 
 
 of speaking my ideas in a language which she could 
 comprehend. There was an expression of pity upon 
 her features as she smiled, but it was not a sneering 
 pity. " Go to the Bay," continued she ; " Pompey 
 shall go with you on Sundays, and you may be of 
 the religion as we are. I assure you, Bacchus, we 
 do not mean to go to perdition. "We hope to be 
 saved through the merits of our Redeemer." When 
 she dismissed me, she said, " You had better talk 
 to Mr. Wodenlone, the Moravian missionary. He 
 preaches upon the next estate once or twice a week, 
 and your master will allow you to go and hear 
 him." "Thank you, mistress," said I, in return, 
 " but I could not understand him." " Indeed," re- 
 plied she, " you could, he preaches in the negro lan- 
 guage, and we mean to let him come and preach 
 at Orange Grove." As I found there were other 
 slaves who went to hear Mr. Wodenlone, I joined 
 them on the next occasion out of curiosity, I con- 
 fess, to hear a white man speak in my own lan- 
 guage. I found that it was not my own language, 
 when I came to hear it. I could understand a 
 word here and there, and sometimes make out a 
 sentence, but, for the generality of his palaver, I 
 was as much in the dark as before I went to be en- 
 
IN JAMAICA. 67 
 
 lightened. I could understand that he said Jesus 
 Christ died for us, that he was a good man, a great 
 man, and that he would come at the last day to 
 judge us. But this preacher did not pronounce 
 his words right, and though his speech was, per- 
 haps, in a negro language, it was very different 
 from that spoken in Houssa. The next Sunday, 
 Pompey took me to church at the Bay, where an 
 English parson preached for a long while about the 
 three Gods and one God the Trinity, which, to 
 my understanding then, was idolatry, having been 
 always taught to consider such doctrines very 
 wicked. I attended the church repeatedly, at the 
 recommendation of the overseer, and might have 
 derived more advantage from it, but that he used 
 to jeer me at my return, and ask if the buckra par- 
 son had routed the Turkish devil out of me, as he 
 chose to call the Prophet. I did not laugh at his 
 wit, nor was I converted. He was a good, just man, 
 though very sharp with the negroes that is, he 
 made them work, but he was good-tempered. He 
 used to ask me, too, if Mahomet had not provided 
 good dinners, and lots of pretty girls for his disci- 
 ples, in the next world. He said he knew the 
 Turks called the Christians dogs, but he contended 
 
68 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 that the Turks themselves were brute beasts ; and 
 that a religion which allowed a man four or five 
 wives was only fit for pigs. Pigs ! I could have 
 answered him that some of his buckra countrymen, 
 as I already saw on several estates, practiced the 
 faith of Mahomet, if they did not believe or preach 
 it. It grieved me to think my mistress, to whom 
 I looked up with so much reverence, should despise 
 me for my religion. The biting ridicule of the over- 
 seer was daily repeated by one of the drivers, an 
 African of a mean and savage temper, who spoke 
 Houssa very well, and far better English than most 
 of the Creole blacks ; and to add to these mortifi- 
 cations, I had of late been scarcely called into the 
 Great House for any purpose whatever. Tatee 
 sometimes tried to console me, but she had made 
 a match with the cooper of the estate, and had the 
 less time to waste on me. That fall was to me a 
 most restless and discontented period, and it turned 
 me more and more, and with deeper regret, to the 
 remembrance of Hadji Ali, who still used to visit 
 me in my dreams and urge me to confine myself to 
 him and the true faith. There were two or three 
 of my shipmates who harbored notions of decamp- 
 ing, which they had communicated to me in confi- 
 
IN JAMAICA. 69 
 
 dence, and I was silly enough to listen to their sug- 
 gestions, and relate, in turn, the dreams with which 
 I had been so long visited. ' The poor fellows be- 
 lieved them the direct interposition of God, and I 
 believed them correct in thinking so ; yet they 
 were Kafirs themselves. No followers of the 
 Prophet were included in our secret but myself, 
 and I was forbidden to make a confidante of Tatee, 
 who had by this time (it was the month of No- 
 vember) become settled and contented in her own 
 cabin with her husband, the cooper, and, as my 
 comrades rightly guessed, would not be likely to 
 approve of such a reckless scheme. It was harder 
 work to engage me not to tell our plan to Tatee, 
 than to enlist me in its dangers. I sought to obtain 
 her opinion indirectly, by asking her if she would 
 quit her situation, in case she could return to her 
 own country, but I soon saw she had no favor for 
 any such idea. She was as affectionate to me as 
 ever, notwithstanding she was the cooper's wife, 
 but she had long ceased to give me any hopes of 
 escaping from slavery. Under these circumstances, 
 I kept my own counsel, or rather, the counsel of 
 my companions, but never was a more silly con- 
 spiracy planned or executed. One of my com- 
 
70 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 panions had a faith, he said, that if^we could get 
 to the end of the island, we should find a ship to 
 take us back to Africa. Another believed there 
 was land all the way to the first place we had 
 come to (Barbadoes), and doubted very much if it 
 was not all land to Africa, the buckras having 
 put us in a ship, and brought us by water, just 
 to confuse us, and make us think it impossible to 
 get back again. They had seen a returned slave 
 in their own country, who had come back from 
 England, and they even contemplated getting to 
 this last-mentioned place, in order to be sent (as 
 they had heard they should be) to the English 
 settlement of Sierra Leone. 
 
 We determined to defer our escape until the 
 Christmas holidays, that we might have more 
 chance of not being missed, till we should have 
 got three or four days' journey toward the rising 
 sun. In the mean time, we kept as smooth faces 
 as we could, consoling ourselves, for the present 
 evils of our condition, with the prospect of better 
 fortunes in our own country. This was not so 
 unreasonable a hope on my part as on that of my 
 comrades, two of whom had been slaves in Houssa 
 slaves by captivity in war, not slaves by birth 
 
IN JAMAICA. 71 
 
 and the other a slave from his infancy. There was 
 a chance that they might all be reclaimed as slaves, 
 even in case we succeeded in getting back to Af- 
 rica; but I was free, and had a right to expect 
 my long-promised inheritance, even if Hadji Ali 
 should be dead. If he lived, and I could find him, 
 my condition would be equal to my most sanguine 
 wishes, though I confess I despaired of our enter- 
 prise. I knew too well we were on an island, with 
 the ocean all around us. My hopes were not very 
 high, and perhaps my courage was not of the firm- 
 est, but my mates were madly bent upon it, and I 
 was carried away by their foolish urgings. 
 
 " We will not leave you behind," said they all. 
 "Hadji Ali will lead us through to the end." 
 "Only trust to- me," said one. "Trust in God," 
 said another Kafir, who promised in the same 
 breath to steal a stocking full of dollars and pis- 
 tareens, which the negro watchman, who had 
 charge of him, kept in a chest under his head. 
 "If we are to have luck, we must have no vio. 
 lence," said I, in return " no fighting or murder- 
 ing. God made us all free alike at our birth, and 
 we have a right to run away if we can. If we 
 are caught, we shall get flogged, and perhaps trans- 
 
72 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 ported, and we must bear it as well as we can." 
 Once I made sure we were found out or betrayed, 
 for the overseer sent for Bryan, Belton, and Brad, 
 of our party, before the month of November was 
 out, and had them branded with our master's ini- 
 tials on the breast and the shoulder. This was 
 done with a silver brand, heated in the flame of 
 one of the lamps in the boiling-house ; and if it 
 did not cause any very great pain, it was a sad 
 presage of what we had to expect, in case of be- 
 ing found out by the Maroons, to whom it would 
 serve as a proof of our condition. A few days 
 healed the wounds of the blister caused by the 
 burning ; but we had not recovered entirely from 
 the alarm caused by this incident, even when 
 Christmas was on us, and the hour and the mo- 
 ment of our departure had arrived. I kept secret- 
 ly invoking the spirit of Hadji Ali to direct me, 
 for my confidence was not strong in our safe out- 
 come ; but when such stout, stubborn men as Bry- 
 an and Belton were shaken at the final step, a boy 
 of thirteen may be excused for feeling some 
 tremors. 
 
IN THE WOODS. 73 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IN THE WOODS. 
 
 IT was a dark night, the eve of Christmas, when 
 I left the abode of Pompey and Myrtilla, and met 
 my companions, four in number, at a negro-house 
 upon the next estate. We had been so secret that 
 the owner of the house where we met had not the 
 least suspicion of the business we had in hand. 
 One of them had seen an Obeah-man a day or two 
 before, and consulted him whether he should have 
 luck in what he meant to do at Christmas. The 
 Obeah-man bid him beware of Friday, and he would 
 succeed. Now, Friday is our Mahometan sabbath, 
 and the Kafir, knowing this, suspected I was al- 
 luded to in the Obeah-man's injunction; so that we 
 had scarce commenced our march before he told me 
 of his suspicions, and made me swear, after his own 
 fashion, that I would not betray him and the rest of 
 my companions. I was very indignant at this, and 
 for a while was more than half resolved to turn 
 
74 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 back and leave them ; but I found I was no more 
 my own master, and some hints they threw out im- 
 plied that it was on this point that the superstition 
 of the Obeah hunter hinged. He feared my turning 
 back, and had I finally decided on so doing, they 
 would have put me out of the way. My compan- 
 ions were named Bogle cut down to Bo Bryan, 
 Belt on, and Brad well, all names commencing with 
 a B, on the same principle as my own plantation- 
 name of Bacchus. Bryan had stolen the dollars 
 which he had seen in the possession of the negro 
 who had the care of him ; and Belton had abstract- 
 ed a rifle gun, with powder and balls, from the 
 overseer's house. We had, besides, a couple of 
 machets among us, and each of us had a small 
 woven basket called in Jamaica by its African 
 name of bancra filled with plantains and salt fish, 
 which we hoped would last till we could either kill 
 a wild hog or fall in with some person disposed to 
 give us food for love or money. The rifle was a 
 stupid encumbrance, for with it we could not hit 
 any one of the pigeons we continually met, whereas 
 a fowling-piece would have supplied all our wants. 
 As a weapon of offense or defense, one rifle could 
 do us little good, and might involve us in a great 
 
IN THE WOODS. 75 
 
 deal of mischief. But it was quite as sensible as 
 any other part of our rash arrangements. 
 
 Thus equipped, we left our rendezvous with 
 great resolution and struck for the sea. We started 
 at about nine o'clock at night, and traveled till 
 morning, by the high-road, uninterrupted, except 
 by one gentleman on horseback, who came canter- 
 ing along in the dark ; and, though we got into the 
 bushes to avoid him, he espied us, and called to us 
 to know who and what we were. Bryan said it 
 was the doctor of the estate, and wanted to rob 
 him ; but I swore that I would call out and warn 
 him if the thing was attempted, let the conse- 
 quence be what it would ; and the other three, 
 luckily for our future safety, were of my opinion. 
 The doctor called out to us a dozen times in vain, 
 and then proceeded on his way. 
 
 As soon as the dawn appeared I prostrated my- 
 self on the ground, and begged the blessing of God 
 upon our expedition, resolving, now that I was at 
 liberty to do it, to be regular and punctual in my 
 devotions. We left the high-road and the sea, and 
 struck into the woods, through which we had often 
 to cut a passage with our machets, the bushes were 
 
 so terribly thick and tangled. We walked till 
 
 4* 
 
76 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 noon, having stopped a little while in a small 
 grassy dell by a spring to eat some of our pro- 
 visions ; but we were, by this time, too fatigued 
 to continue our anarch. We crept into a thicket 
 and lay down to sleep for several hours, as I 
 guessed, for the sun was sinking into the sea when 
 we resumed our journey. We had been undis- 
 turbed in our sleep, and took a good meal before 
 we started, which considerably lightened the load 
 of our wallets. 
 
 We marched the whole of this second night, as 
 we had done during the last, not hesitating to take 
 the high-road as soon as it was starlight, and again 
 we met with no creature after nine or ten o'clock. 
 We heard the negroes on many estates, as we 
 passed along, drumming and singing, laughing and 
 dancing, in Christmas glee, but we dared not ap- 
 proach them. About midnight we saw a church, 
 or a meeting-house of some kind, near enough to 
 hear the preacher tell his congregation that the 
 souls of all the indecent, filthy, beastly, dancing, 
 drunken negroes, who were thus profaning the na- 
 tivity of the blessed Redeemer, would burn in an 
 unquenchable fire for thousands of millions of ages. 
 However, we runaways were neither dancing nor 
 
IN THE WOODS. 77 
 
 drinking, so we consoled ourselves by thinking we 
 did not incur this curse. 
 
 The stimulus of our expedition kept up our 
 spirits, and we journeyed gayly on again toward 
 the rising sun, though where we had got to by 
 morning none of us could tell. We were on lofty 
 land, in the midst of an apparently interminable 
 forest, without a river or any other water than 
 what we collected from the wild pines a parasite 
 as common as the trees it grows on in the woods, 
 but the dew it collects in its heart is often rather 
 bitter and unpalatable. We had struck into the 
 woods at daylight, but we did not stop till about 
 ten o'clock, when we made a fire by means of the 
 rifle, and roasted some plantains which we stole 
 from the negro-grounds of an estate as we passed 
 along in the night. We were now quite in a wil- 
 derness, and, as we thought, almost out of reach of 
 mankind for the present, for we could hear no 
 sound, except the chirping of the crickets. There 
 was no wind ; not enough to wave the trees, which 
 were very high ; and though we had listened at 
 times, since sunrise, we had not once heard the 
 crowing of a cock, nor a plantation shell-blow. I 
 felt as if I were free again, and, though dreadfully 
 
78 THE -PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 fatigued with so long and wearisome a march, I 
 could scarcely sleep from the delightful excitement 
 I experienced at the thoughts of liberty. Alas ! 
 this pleasant dream was dissipated with my first 
 sound sleep in the forest. I happened to awake the 
 first, and to my unutterable dismay missed our rifle, 
 which was between Belton and myself when we laid 
 down. Had one of the dreaded Maroons one of 
 that forest police of which we had heard such tales 
 of their bringing back runaways stolen upon us, 
 and taken it in our sleep ? Or, had some fugitive 
 slave, like ourselves, stumbled upon us, and thus 
 mocked our want of care ? Were we in the power 
 of those dreaded Maroons, who were, but too surely, 
 strong enough to recapture us, or was this the work 
 of a chance thief? All this flashed like hot light- 
 ning through my mind, as I hastily roused my com- 
 rades and signified our loss. They stared at each 
 other and all around them in speechless alarm. 
 The daring thief had cut away the thong by which 
 Belton carried his powder-horn across his breast, 
 and stolen that too. When we came to look for the 
 bancras, the remnant of our provisions, and the 
 baskets in which we carried them, were gone also. 
 It was a bitter shock. One machet only remained 
 
I N T JI E W O O D 8 . TO 
 
 to us, and the stocking-full of dollars, with which 
 we knew not, however, when or how to get to mar- 
 ket. This would have been a prize too, and a pret- 
 ty good one, but that Bryan, who considered him- 
 self the proprietor, actually lay upon it, and so con- 
 cealed it in his sleep. The worst consequence of 
 this business which we had to apprehend, was the 
 probability of our being discovered and betrayed. 
 Yet we were inclined to hope that those who had 
 robbed us could not be Maroons, or they would 
 have alarmed us. One man, indeed, a Maroon or a 
 fugitive negro, might have done all ; but a party, 
 even a couple of Maroons, after having secured our 
 fire-arms, might have taken us prisoners, or put us 
 to death for resisting, a practice at which, as I had 
 been told, Maroons are not apt to hesitate long. 
 What could we do in our helplessness ? I was 
 young, and I , trust I shall be excused when I own 
 that, in spite of my devout feelings, my heart failed 
 me, and I even wished to return to my master ; but 
 my comrades scouted the idea, and taunted me with 
 cowardice. They were four grown men, and they 
 had a stocking-full of money. If they could have 
 spoken even enough of the negro English, we might 
 have furnished ourselves again with all we had lost, 
 
SO THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 but our speech was, as yet, very imperfect, and we 
 had no paper (as the negroes say), no passport of 
 any sort to show, in case of being stopped and in- 
 terrogated, as we most probably should be by the 
 first white person who might meet us. We had no 
 choice but to go on. Those who had robbed us 
 would know too well where to seek us again, if in- 
 deed Maroon eyes and hands had been about us, 
 and anywhere else was better than this place. Bel- 
 ton said, with set teeth, and with a look that 
 made my blood run cold, that we must overtake the 
 thief and cure him of stealing. Yet I was as ready 
 as the most savage of them to fight desperately for 
 my liberty, if we were attacked ; it was only Bel- 
 ton's short, ferocious mutterings about his catching 
 somebody to cut in little bits and eating them all 
 up, which startled me for an instant. By the time 
 the hurried consultation was over, I had buried all 
 my fears in the excitement of a forward movement. 
 Fortunately for us, we had made a meal before 
 we resigned ourselves to repose, and though we 
 could have drank a gallon or two of water among 
 us, we feared no hunger before night. Bryan set 
 actively about hunting for the traces of the robber 
 or robbers. He possessed considerable talents for 
 
IN THE WOODS. 81 
 
 such a work, and was not long in deciding that 
 only one man had ventured up to us, even if there 
 had been others at hand, and this person had re- 
 treated from us eastward, by the very course which 
 we meant to pursue. We followed upon his track 
 with all the expedition we could use, intent on 
 overtaking him, as much for the purpose of pre- 
 venting his betraying us, as for the sake of our 
 goods which he had stolen. We struck upon his 
 trail directly, though he had dived under thickets 
 which, at first view, seemed impenetrable to us. 
 He had also doubled upon his path repeatedly, and 
 had tried every scheme to divert us from the road 
 he had taken. We were five to one, and though 
 he often baffled us, we must have gained so con- 
 siderably on him as to distress him, for he had 
 thrown away one of the bancras, which we found 
 in his path. Soon we came upon another bancras, 
 and then a third, but all the little baskets already 
 made lighter by our last meal were now empty. 
 They proved that Bryan was true on the trail, and 
 that was the greatest want we then felt. Presently 
 we opened into foot-paths, very faint, indeed, but 
 showing that these wild forest thickets had human 
 inhabitants of some kind. That these inhabitants 
 
82 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 were hog-hunting and slave-catching Maroons we 
 hardly dared to doubt, and, without stopping to 
 reckon what might follow after that, Bryan and 
 Belton more eagerly declared we must find the 
 thief and finish him. As we advanced the country 
 became more rocky and broken, and the paths more 
 intricate. In reverting to this affair, in after years, 
 I have often wondered that there was not sense 
 enough among the whole of us ignorant negroes 
 though we were to know we were marching into 
 the very den of danger. We had but one present 
 aim, and that was to prevent the robber from doing 
 us more mischief, and so, with one heart, we fierce- 
 ly pressed along upon his track. We traveled 
 miles before we came to a sudden halt. In a curi- 
 ous little grotto we found the ashes of a recent fire, 
 about it the remains of a wild pig, and beside it 
 the last of our missing bancras. The thief had 
 paused here to eat our cold roasted plantains. The 
 crumbs of the feast were scattered about. He had 
 not stopped to make the fire that was an older 
 affair but he had taken his ease in eating our 
 provisions. We could trace where he had lolled 
 against the bushes, and that so lately that they 
 had not fairly resumed their places when we drop- 
 
IN THE WOODS. 83 
 
 ped into the dell. It was a large natural vault, 
 very spacious and lofty, open to the day by an 
 immense arch, and inclosed in front by a huge wall 
 of rough piled rocks, partly constructed by human 
 hands. It was a vast hall, given by the bountiful 
 God, a ready dwelling for his poor, wandering 
 children. There was such a grand air of strength, 
 seclusion, and independence in this rocky fastness, 
 that it inspired me with a confused proposal that 
 we should remain in it, and try to make an alliance 
 with those who frequented the hold. Bryan start- 
 ed in anger from his investigation of the " signs," 
 and threw at me a heavy, stick he had in his hand, 
 calling me " dog and fool," for the mere suggestion. 
 Brad, who was a good-natured giant, capable of 
 any thing but long sullens and hard thinking, took 
 my part, and for a moment there was a division 
 in our sage counsels. 
 
 " Mahmadee may stay if he likes," said Bryan 
 savagely, " and you may stay with him, but I will 
 not stop till I have finished that thief." So saying, 
 he strode on without even looking back, and Belton 
 and Bo followed close after him, as if afraid to lose 
 sight of their leader. Brad and I stood and gazed 
 at each other a minute or two in uncertainty, and 
 
84 THE FKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 then, without a word, he started after our com- 
 rades, and I attended his steps. I cannot explain, 
 even to myself, the cause of the sudden and com- 
 plete revulsion of sentiment, but from that hour I 
 abandoned all hope of final escape, and heartily 
 regretted that I had suffered myself to be led into 
 this runaway scrape. It was not that Bryan had 
 thrown his staff at me. It did not touch me was 
 not intended to reach me, probably and I had 
 not the slightest feeling of resentment. Indeed, I 
 am not of a vindictive temper at any time, and I 
 was used to rough play on the plantation; but a 
 sense of his and our incapacity settled heavily upon 
 me. My heart had not been in it from the begin- 
 ning, but these men had put it to me as a kind 
 of treason, when I had now and then made my 
 feeble protests against carrying out the plan. Long 
 afterward I learned that I was dragged literally 
 dragged into it from a superstitious idea that my 
 Arabic prayers and verses from the Koran were 
 potent spells, which in some wonderful manner 
 would facilitate their escape. In brief, Brad, who 
 was a fioussa man, was convinced himself, and 
 was able to convince the rest, that I would be a 
 lucky companion, and therefore the wiseacres en* 
 
IN THE WOODS. 85 
 
 cumbered themselves with a half-unwilling boy of 
 thirteen. 
 
 Brad and I plodded along in the rear of our 
 comrades in perfect silence, neither speaking to 
 them or we to each other, fully occupied with our 
 thoughts and the difficulties of our rough and stony 
 way. I said something, at last, of the burning 
 thirst, which the water in the wild pines seemed 
 rather to inflame than quench. 
 
 " It is hard for you, Sidi Mahmadee," Brad an- 
 swered in Houssee ; "very hard for a boy who 
 had every thing he wished in his own country, and 
 plenty of slaves to wait upon him ; but have cour- 
 age, prince, we will soon get back to our own 
 country again." 
 
 " Never, Brad," I exclaimed, in despondent an- 
 guish ; " none of us will ever see Houssa again." 
 
 " Never ! king's son ? Are we not on the road 
 there now ?" 
 
 The athletic man stopped and cowered on his 
 staff before me, with an air and aspect of utter, 
 overwhelming dismay, that it is impossible to de- 
 scribe. I replied that we were, truly, on an island, 
 as the white people had always told us, and that 
 we were too poor and ignorant to find our way 
 
86 THE PRINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 off of it. Why this conviction had never come to 
 me so strongly before I am sure I cannot under- 
 stand, but the sickening certainty of my fate was 
 then branded upon my soul as clearly, and as in- 
 effaceably, as my master's mark was before me 
 on the breast and right shoulder of poor, terror- 
 stricken Brad. The rest of the party were hidden 
 from us by a sharp turn in the narrow wood-path, 
 and we had a few minutes to recover ourselves 
 and come to a kind of understanding respecting 
 our position. It was then rather understood than 
 said, that I was not to be the first to bring up 
 this subject to our other comrades, and that the 
 obligation to take all chances with them was as 
 strong upon us as ever. Beyond that we did not 
 go, and could not see our way. There was an inti- 
 mation, or only a suspicion, perhaps, that I would 
 be sacrificed without mercy if I should hint at 
 misfortune, when I had expressly been brought 
 along for good luck. , 
 
 We had scarcely rejoined the other three when 
 I caught, in the distance, the welcome sound of 
 rushing water. For an instant but one single in- 
 stant Bryan said it was only the breeze coming 
 over the tree-tops; in the next, with a joyful step, 
 
IN THE WOODS. 87 
 
 he was leading us in its direction. He tore through 
 the thorny paths and over steep rocks in a frenzy 
 of delight, as the musical waters sounded nearer 
 and nearer, as if wooing our parched lips to their 
 caresses. A parting through the trees revealed to 
 us the spray of a waterfall, and above it hung, like 
 a banner of promise, its lovely colors fairly defined 
 in the light of the descending sun, a small rainbow. 
 Forgetting all prudence, we broke into noisy ex- 
 clamations of delight as we hurried to the margin 
 of the stream. It rushed foaming and tumbling 
 through a succession of steep and broken rocks, 
 forming, alternately, dashing cascades and clear, 
 silent pools. Into one of these still and shaded 
 basins we plunged eagerly, to cool our feverish 
 bodies and slake our burning thirst. How we 
 reveled in that bath ! I was the last to leave it, 
 and tore myself away with regret, when Bryan, 
 after a hurried indulgence, reminded us that we 
 must not lose sight of our chase. " Yes," said ' 
 Belton, as he resumed his only garment thrown 
 off to enjoy his plunge without hinderance "Yes, 
 after dark we can do nothing in these thick woods; 
 and now we must give up the thief, since we left 
 his track to come to water." Bryan thought we 
 
88 THE PRINCE OF KA.SHNA. 
 
 might go back to it, but Brad, who had never 
 before launched an opinion of his own manufacture 
 since we had started, proposed that we should " let 
 him go, with a curse from Mahmadee, a good strong 
 curse, from the Koran, and after that look put for 
 our own road out of trouble." Brad was not a 
 Mahometan, and cared little for the doctrines of the 
 Koran or the precepts of the Prophet, but he had a 
 devout faith in the efficacy of the curses, especially 
 when forcibly delivered by one who could read 
 them from the text. While Brad was setting forth 
 this luminous idea of overwhelming the absent 
 thief with curses, and then taking up our own east- 
 ward course without further regard to him, Belton 
 had fixed his eyes on an immense cotton-tree, which 
 towered from the top of the bank, and seemed to 
 overlook a wide space. He proposed to ascend this 
 king of the forest, to obtain a survey of the adja- 
 cent country, and report to us below how the land 
 should lie to the eastward; and whether we were 
 near smoke, settlements, and plantations. We 
 helped him up, and watched every inch of his 
 progress, as he clung to the high and perpendicular 
 shaft, almost afraid, sometimes, that he was too fa- 
 tigued to keep his hold in such a situation. Our 
 
IN THE WOODS. 89 
 
 eyes followed him anxiously till lie was almost lost 
 among the high branches. But what was our sur- 
 prise to see him stop suddenly, as if scared at sight 
 of something, and to hear him call to some one 
 above him in the forks of the tree ! We then saw 
 the crouching figure of a man, who had chosen this 
 extraordinary place as a place of concealment. 
 " Hi ! you dam rascal ! where for me rifle gun ?" 
 cried Belton. The negro did not understand him, 
 or would not. Belton repeated his hail as he made 
 his way up to him, and, bracing his feet and knees 
 in the forks, boldly closed in with him. He man- 
 aged someway to clutch the individual whom he 
 had treed so very unexpectedly, and threatened to 
 strangle him, or toss him down, if he did not in- 
 stantly deliver up the stolen property. But the 
 negro was a match for him, and it seemed as if 
 Belton were just as likely to come down headlong 
 as the other. Bryan hastened up to his assistance, 
 and Bo and myself begged them all to come down, 
 which, on a kind of truce, they finally did; the 
 stranger declaring his innocence, and putting an 
 oath to every yard of his descent, that he " nebba, 
 nebba see de rifle nor bancras. Him 'clare to him 
 God, nebba tief nutting since him lilly baby, and 
 
90 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 tief him mudder milk." He landed, like his pur- 
 suers, out of breath, and Bryan instantly put the 
 remaining cutlass to his throat, swearing, half in his 
 own tongue, and half in negro English, that the last 
 moment of his life was come, and that the john- 
 crows should pick out his yeye before noon next 
 day. He was So enraged that he even began to 
 chop at him, and had already given him an ugly cut 
 on the head, when I interfered, and told the negro 
 that if he would deliver up the goods he should 
 be spared. But nothing was further from Cudjoe's 
 mind, notwithstanding the knock he had received, 
 than to confess the robbery. He swore he was a 
 poor runaway from an estate in Vere, and had been 
 hidden in the tree all day. Belton called him a 
 liar, and insisted that he only pretended to be a 
 runaway. Bryan, finding he could make no im- 
 pression on his fears, was now bent on putting 
 him to death, either to prevent his telling upon us, 
 or because he had already shed his blood. Again 
 I interposed, an/i so did Brad, who seconded every 
 thing I advanced. Still we were at a loss what to 
 do. We did not wish the negro's death, yet our 
 situation was critical ; however, I asked, though 
 scarcely expecting the answer I received, whether 
 
IN THE WOODS. 91 
 
 Cudjoe, for that was his name, could find us where- 
 withal to satisfy our hunger. He promptly said 
 he could, and would, and did, in fact, lead us 
 through a sort of labyrinth among the woods to a 
 lone hut, which he said did not belong to him, 
 although a dog came out as we approached, and 
 fawned upon him. We were, of course, upon our 
 guard, for fear of a surprise, and kept entreating 
 him for the rifle, or for some fire-arms, as we walked 
 along, and after we were in the hut, but it was all 
 in vain. 
 
92 THE PKINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 RECAPTTTBED. 
 
 CUDJOE, as -even I inexperienced boy that I 
 was plainly understood, did not lead us directly 
 to his house, which was scarcely one hundred yards 
 from the tree in which we caught him roosting. He 
 wound about in the thicket-paths four or five times 
 that distance Bryan and Belton growling to each 
 other that they would kill him if he tried to deceive 
 us before we brought up at his little hut. On the 
 side we came it was edged in the border of the 
 thick wood-lands, but on going round to the door in 
 front, to our surprise and consternation, we looked 
 suddenly down upon extensive sugar-cane fields in 
 the plain below. This hut had been built for a 
 watchman, and Cudjoe said, perhaps truly, that he 
 belonged to the plantation, and kept guard there 
 against the depredations of runaway negroes. He 
 expressed, however, the greatest horror of the Ma- 
 
RECAPTURED. '93 
 
 roons, who, he said, were all about in the woods, 
 and must have " teifed de gun and de bancras." 
 
 Belton persisted in accusing him of the theft, 
 and of having climbed the tree to watch us when 
 he heard us in the water, but Cudjoe swore and re- 
 swore that he was a paragon of honesty. So far 
 from robbing poor runaways which we did not 
 pretend to deny we were he vowed he would hide 
 us from the Maroon slave-hunters and share with us 
 the last morsel of his provisions. As the seal of his 
 sincerity, he brought forth some rum, and we all 
 drank of it with infinite relish. We poor negro 
 Mahometans are not very exact about drinking 
 wine, and besides that, it was not wine, but strong 
 new rum, that I tippled with old Cudjoe. We soon 
 discovered in one corner of the hut a well-filled 
 basket of yams, which we did not long delay from 
 the fire we found still reeking on the floor of the 
 hut when we entered. 
 
 Our intention of viewing the country from the 
 top of the cotton-tree had been defeated by the in- 
 cident I have related, and we had experienced so 
 much fatigue that we gave up all idea of traveling 
 this night. Cudjoe, having tied up his dog, offered, 
 if we wished it, to conduct us through the bush to 
 
94 THE PEINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 an estate's provision-ground, where he said there 
 was an old sore-foot watchman, whom he would 
 well-drunk, and that we might help ourselves to as 
 many yams and plantains as we could carry. 
 
 It was very clear that this vagabond lived by 
 thieving, at any rate. To trust him was impossible, 
 but we were not inclined to go further that night. 
 He might intend to betray us, but we were not yet 
 in want of victuals as we call ground-provisions. 
 We only longed for the restitution of our stolen 
 goods rather forgetting that they were stolen first 
 by ourselves. After we had dispatched the yams, 
 Belton said he was determined to search the hut, 
 and as by this time the evening had begun to 
 darken around us, he took a fire-stick and some 
 dry trash, and made a blaze, by which he searched 
 the outside of the thatch. Cudjoe affected to help 
 him, and, having found nothing, they re-entered the 
 hut to search inside. In the zeal of his assistance, 
 Cudjoe awkwardly knocked down our very pow- 
 der-horn from under some trash crammed under 
 the roof. "W" e all started, for we had seen the falling 
 horn plain enough to be sure of it, but, before we 
 could seize it, we were scattered right and left by 
 a blinding explosion. Cudjoe was nearest to it, 
 
RECAPTURED. 95 
 
 and made a hasty effort to catch it up ; but it had 
 fallen among the coals of the fire, and before he 
 could recover it, some grains of the powder must 
 have escaped, for the whole took the blaze and 
 exploded between his hands burning his face most 
 horribly, besides singeing all of us, and setting the 
 thatch on fire. All ended in the swift destruction 
 of the pile of dry megasse (the trash of sugar-canes) 
 of which this temporary dwelling had been built. 
 
 " Tief and liar," exclaimed Belton, scarcely re- 
 covered from the dazzling blaze caused by the ex- 
 plosion " you don't tief the gun ? No mo (only) 
 you steal the powder, and it blow you to jumby. 
 The gun no use now the powder gone, but you 
 shan't not tief no more." With this he gave him 
 a thrust with the machet, which must have injured 
 him severely, though it did not kill him, for he man- 
 aged to stagger away, leaving us confounded and 
 half-blinded by the blaze of the powder, first of all, 
 and worse still by the glare of the burning trash. 
 
 This illumination was not likely to be beneficial 
 to us, as it was calculated to call the attention of 
 any neighbors, and to subject us to the risk of de- 
 tection and apprehension. We did not attempt to 
 follow Cudjoe. We dived into the jungle, and, by 
 
96 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 a tolerably clear but tortuous path, pursued our 
 course for several miles, until we came to a river. 
 This stream I have since fancied was the Agua 
 Alta, somewhere near Annotto Bay. We had 
 crossed its bed several times in our course, for the 
 night was clear, and the moon bright enough to 
 guide us on our way. Our great anxiety was to 
 reach some point at which we might take some 
 steps toward finding out where we were, and to 
 what point we wished to steer. Both of these 
 were rather important subjects to us, and on both 
 of them we, in our wisdom, were equally in the 
 dark. 
 
 Our course had led us along the verge of a 
 large plantation perhaps more than one after we 
 left Cudjoe's blazing hut. We kept in the path, 
 but ever holding ourselves ready to take to the 
 bush at the first sight or sound of human beings. 
 We hoped these paths would lead us to a road or 
 settlement, and enable us to watch for a chance 
 of safely communicating with some straggling ne- 
 gro. We had learned a grain of caution, and be- 
 gan to look out for some lone hut, where we might 
 ask questions without much risk of being recap- 
 tured. 
 
RECAPTURED. 97" 
 
 We had followed the winding path from Cud- 
 joe's, near the fields and pastures of which I have 
 spoken, a mile or more, when we descried a hut 
 close to the road, snugly inclosed in a penguin 
 hedge. It was placed at an elevated corner of 
 an extensive cane-field, evidently for the occupa- 
 tion of a watchman, who could from his door com- 
 mand the whole range of cane-fields. We listened 
 a moment outside to a fearful snoring, and, hear- 
 ing nothing else, I was directed to enter and report 
 on the state of the premises. I found no one but 
 the old watchman himself, who was so drunk that 
 he was as helpless as a fallen tree or a dead pig. 
 He had provided against accidents, and had made 
 his fire so as not to endanger his dwelling ; but 
 he had not reserved sense enough to keep his feet 
 out of it. One of his toes had touched a coal, and 
 it was already so scorched that it had filled the 
 hut with the stench of burned flesh. 
 
 He was making a disgusting noise between a 
 piggish moan, a hog grunt, and a human snore, 
 but he did not make a move to help himself, or 
 even show the least return to consciousness, when 
 I snatched his foot from the fire with a force that 
 whirled him round on his center, and loudly called 
 
98 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 to my comrades to come in and take possession. 
 Brad helped me to bind up the poor old creature's 
 foot in fresh plantain-leaves, and then by way of 
 doctor's fee, let us say he filled a bancra with a lot 
 of roasted yams, which this exemplary watchman 
 had put to the fire, and drank himself to sleep be- 
 fore they were ready to eat. Close beside him 
 stood a bottle half full of rum, which was quickly 
 finished the rum I mean by his friendly visitors. 
 As we were looking round in search of any chance 
 eatables worthy of our attention, I thought I heard 
 a voice outside. I raised my hand to warn my 
 companions, and, before they or I could well col- 
 lect our ideas, a voice, which we took to be Cud- 
 joe's, addressed us from the outside, and predicted 
 misfortune to us. The hollow and melancholy tone 
 in which the oracle was delivered to us, set Belton's 
 teeth chattering, and Bryan, staring out of the hut, 
 declared he could see Cudjoe's duppy (ghost) lean- 
 ing on a bamboo stick a few yards off, and apply- 
 ing his left hand to his wounded side. I also 
 looked out and saw a figure to a certainty, whether 
 of flesh and blood, or a spirit, I could not deter- 
 mine. It raised the stick in a threatening manner, 
 and again bid us prepare for trouble, reproaching 
 
KECAPTURED. 99 
 
 us for eating his yams and then killing him. We 
 slunk into the back of the hut, too much discon- 
 certed to even dream of following this visitant and 
 make sure whether it was man or duppy. After a 
 short and perplexed stare at each other, we all hud- 
 dled out in a close mass, and took the road at a 
 pace that indicated a general and extreme desire 
 to put a considerable space between us and that 
 hut at the very quickest. 
 
 Two or three hours' steady walking in the cool 
 night air brought us, as I before stated, to the bed 
 of the Agua Alta or, Wag Watar, as the negroes 
 will always have it. Here we rested a while, and at 
 daybreak we entered another lone hut, and found 
 another drunken man and his not altogether sober 
 wife. I say ice entered, but, in truth, I was sent in 
 alone, both on account of my speaking better Eng- 
 lish than any of the rest of the party, and because 
 my youth would be likely to ward off suspicion. I 
 was directed: to say that I had been sent on an 
 errand, and been lost all night in the woods. The 
 woman was cross, but she gave me the directions 
 we needed to find the best course to Buff Bay. I 
 had heard some talk between my master and the 
 
 overseer about ships at that place, and we had 
 5* 
 
100 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 mixed up all our foolish plans and superstitions 
 into a common knot, to the effect that from some 
 place toward sunrise we must make our escape 
 back to Africa. Buff Bay and Port Antomo were 
 both toward sunrise that much we had found out 
 before and now I learned that we were within a 
 day's easy march of Buff Bay, the nearest of these 
 two points. Bryan, meanwhile, thought the con- 
 ference rather long, and cut me off in the midst of 
 my polite thanks to the woman, by putting his 
 head in the door and roughly demanding some 
 bananas. A fine large bunch hung in tempting 
 view, and he was determined to have them. I 
 urged and entreated him to desist, but Belton came 
 up and joined him in taking the fruit. I was ex- 
 ceedingly vexed, and told them both, after we were 
 out of sight of the hut, that it would bring us bad 
 luck, and that we would have aU the country up 
 and after us at this rate. They only laughed at 
 me, but Brad and Bo took sides with me, and told 
 the others that we three would leave them and go 
 our own way, if they were not more careful. 
 
 We were walking along, still rather out of 
 humor, when, in climbing a hill always through 
 lonely by-paths the woods suddenly broke away 
 
HECAPTURED. 101 
 
 as we reached the summit, and the wide, blue sea, 
 and a long chain of settlements, was all at once 
 unfolded to our view. We hastily retreated into 
 the bush and went into council. As had now 
 become the usual course, I was to be sent, but not 
 till later in the day, to spy out the land and buy 
 provisions. We passed another hut, but saw no 
 one stirring about it, though there was a bunch of 
 ripe bananas hanging almost over the door. Bryan 
 and the rest helped themselves without hesitation, 
 and threw the stripped stalk back into the hut, as a 
 hint to the inmate to keep better guard in future. 
 
 The Christmas holidays were even a better sea- 
 son for our purpose than we had the sense to con- 
 ceive. It is a week of drunken license with the 
 negroes, of general feasting with the whites ; and, 
 with care and coolness, three or four active runa- 
 ways might make their way from one end of the 
 island to the other ; but, unfortunately for us, we-' 
 had nowhere a place of refuge wherein to hide, nor 
 the wit to win our freedom. 
 
 Hitherto the weather had been in our favor, but 
 now two days of almost constant rain set in, and 
 we suffered much from hunger and the chilling wet. 
 At the close of one of those dreary days, as we 
 
102 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 were coiled under the wet bushes, Belton seized 
 my arm, and, absolutely trembling with terror, 
 gasped out, " Duppy ! Cudjoe's duppy !'' I could 
 see, as I lay, a figure moving slowly along the path 
 near which we were concealed, but to my eye it 
 was larger than Cudjoe, and I would have followed 
 the figure, but we heard the sound of a horse's feet 
 at a distance, as if cantering up toward us ; so we 
 drew back in the bush again, and, after the horse- 
 man had passed on, we looked in vain for the dup- 
 py. But, though I somehow felt assured it was a 
 living man, and no ghost, the others were certain 
 that it was the troubled spirit of the person whose 
 food we had taken and then killed, and that his 
 appearance presaged misfortune. This idea did not 
 make our bed on the wet ground, with no blanket 
 but the chilling drizzle, any the more sweet and 
 refreshing, but the night wore away without any 
 fresh alarm. The sun rose clear, however, and 
 with my bancra and some small silver out of the 
 stocking, I made my way toward a few detached 
 houses we had noted near the mouth of the river, 
 to try whether, for love or money, we might find 
 something to eat. While on this expedition I wit- 
 nessed a sight which would be incredible anywhere 
 
RECAPTURED. 103 
 
 but in Jamaica. I had succeeded in buying some 
 sweet potatoes and dried fish at a little negro shop, 
 where the old woman who kept it asked no trouble- 
 some questions, and was returning highly elated 
 with my prize, when, on coming close to the river, 
 I observed that the waters were rising, and I also 
 caught an increased roar of the current of water, a 
 kind of subdued thunder, far up the stream, which 
 I did hear when I first passed it. My comrades 
 were on the other side of the stream, in the woods 
 beyond the cane-fields, and I eagerly watched an 
 opportunity to cross it unobserved. Seeing some 
 persons with a wain (the long heavy wagon of Ja- 
 maica), apparently going across to a cane-piece for 
 canes, as the mill of an adjoining estate was at work, 
 I hid myself until it should have moved a little way 
 from the river. But while the cattle were taking 
 here their morning draught, the river suddenly 
 came down in a rushing torrent, and carried all 
 away, except the negroes, who fled in clamorous 
 fright. Eight oxen and the wain were tumbled 
 over one another, and carried into the sea. 
 
 I was welcomed by my companions as one 
 may expect to be who brings hungry men where- 
 with to satisfy their ravenous wants. We had 
 
104 THE PRINCE OF K AS UN A. 
 
 not tasted food, except the bananas we had stolen 
 from the unoccupied hut, for two days. The rain, 
 and the repeated view of habitations, which we 
 wished to avoid, had kept us in continued check 
 and discomfort, and this return of sunshine, and 
 with the prospect of a full meal, was wonderfully 
 cheering. A retired place was selected, and if only 
 a fire could have been had to cook our potatoes, 
 we would have enjoyed it like a royal banquet. 
 As it was, we joyfully gathered round our repast 
 of hard codfish and sweet potatoes, and were at- 
 tacking it with the keen relish of famine, when, 
 to our unspeakable dismay, a tall negro, with a 
 musket in his hand and a pig on his shoulder, 
 stepped out of the bush and stood mockingly be- 
 fore us. He surveyed us an instant in silence, 
 but with an insolent composure that warned us, 
 on the instant, that he was a Maroon, one of that 
 terrible forest police, whom every slave learns to 
 think of with horror. Bryan, who feared nothing 
 but ghosts, sprang to his feet and seized our only 
 weapon, the cutlass, but, as he did so, three other 
 tall fellows presented themselves, and then the 
 first comer demanded, in negro English, our " pa- 
 per for trabel." 
 
R E C A P T U K K D . 105 
 
 Bryan glared fiercely at him, but made no re- 
 ply. I heard poor Brad muttering how the duppy 
 told us there was black trouble for us. The Ma- 
 roon repeated his demand in a more peremptory 
 voice, and then Belton took up the word in a 
 tone intended to be at once independent and con- 
 ciliatory. " 'Spose we lose de paper ? Dat no hurt 
 you. You keep on mind you hog, like good fella. 
 Don't trouble we." But the Maroons laid hold 
 of him, and that too with all the confidence of 
 free men and agents of the law. "You are run- 
 aways," said one of the hunters ; " where do you 
 come from ?" Belton gave some lame story of 
 our being a party of free men bound for a dance 
 at the Bay. " Oh, dance you want," the Maroon 
 said, jeeringly ; " you get plenty of dance by'm-by, 
 presently. Floggee dance. Oh yes, floggee make 
 much dance, plenty." Bryan answered this speech 
 with a furious slash with the cutlass, which, for- 
 tunately for all of us, fell short, and he was leveled 
 with the butt of a musket before he could repeat 
 the rash attempt. Although we were foolish 
 enough to make some further resistance, we were 
 forced to yield without doing any harm. We were 
 all roughly handled. Belton was knocked down, 
 
106 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 and his hands and Bryan's sharply bound together 
 before either of them fairly recovered their senses. 
 The Maroons amused themselves with scoffs and 
 insults at our story of being free men, as they 
 tied us all together, in a string, with a Mahoe 
 rope, and drove us before them to the Bay, where 
 they delivered us over to the keeper of the work- 
 house as captured runaways. There we were ac- 
 commodated with the bilboes each being made 
 fast by one leg and left for the night to our own 
 meditations. 
 
RETURN TO ORANGE GROVE. 107 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 RETURN TO ORANGE GROVE. 
 
 SORROWING, supperless, and in bonds, I yet, 
 by one of those seeming inconsistencies of life, 
 slept soon and slept sweetly, that first night of my 
 return to slavery. I dreamed, too, of my still 
 dearly-remembered Hadji Ali and of my mother. 
 What was singular, and had never occurred to 
 me before, they appeared to be white not of the 
 ghostly pallor of death, but with fair complexions 
 and flowing hair, like living and handsome persons 
 of the purest white race. I was unable to recall 
 what they said, or even the incidents of the dream, 
 but I thought they came to console me, and I was 
 consoled. 
 
 The keeper, a stout, bustling sort of a man, 
 passed us all through a sharp course of cross-ques- 
 tioning the first thing in the morning. We had 
 all agreed upon our story, and we steadily per- 
 sisted in saying that we were free, but our jailer 
 
108 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 only laughed at us. He was a humorous, good- 
 natured fellow, and laughed pleasantly as he as 
 in duty bound examined our bodies, marks, and 
 features, measured our heights, and noted our 
 brands in a book. 
 
 The Maroons wished us good-bye, and told us 
 to beware of them in future. After they left, the 
 work-house man again tried to prevail on us to tell 
 who we were, and to what estate we belonged, 
 but he got nothing from us, except the stocking 
 with the dollars. Out of that the Maroons would 
 have helped themselves, but that we told our keep- 
 er how many there were, much to the annoyance 
 of the black man-hunters, whom we were glad to 
 disappoint. 
 
 Our provisions were served twice a day, in one 
 large dish, out of which we all helped ourselves, 
 in true African style. The crabbed old darkey 
 who brought this kettleful of food to us, and re- 
 mained till we finished the contents, had with him 
 some fine basket-plaiting, at which he worked while 
 we were eating. I had seen these neat basket- 
 pouches made in Africa. Medinet is famous for 
 this kind of manufacture, where the rich have fine 
 praying-mats of this fabric to kneel on in the 
 
RETURN TO ORANGE GROVE. 109 
 
 mosque. I had learned to weave them while at 
 that place with my adopted father, and as I now 
 recalled with tears in my heart I had then taken 
 great pride in forming a very nice traveling-pouch 
 for each of us. I had mine over my shoulder the 
 very day I was captured, and I felt that whole 
 scene over again. The sight of this man sitting 
 in the corner, busy at this half-forgotten work, 
 following so closely on my last night's dream of 
 my kind and lost protector, brought back the 
 whole bitterness of my lot. I bent down my head, 
 and, for the first time since I had landed in Jamaica, 
 I gave way to an unrestrained flow of tears. Bry- 
 an and Belton began to taunt me with my weak- 
 ness, calling me a girl-baby, and I know not what, 
 in Houssa; but the old man ordered them to let 
 me alone, and added, that he knew a youth like 
 me never would have " got in this black mud if 
 they had not led me into it." This random shot 
 struck home, and silenced them. For my own 
 part, this interference in my favor so soothed and 
 consoled me that I felt anxious to do something 
 to show my gratitude. 
 
 " My father," said I, addressing him in the po- 
 litest form of Houssa, "my good father, I know 
 
110 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 how to weave Medinet work, and, if you will allow 
 me, I will help you while I am here." 
 
 My offer was instantly accepted, and the mate- 
 rial put in my hands to make or rather finish, for 
 it was half done a neat shoulder-pouch. A gentle- 
 man came in while I was at work. Bryan was ex- 
 tended on the floor, with his face downward, the 
 rest looking on in moody silence. This buckra had 
 come to see if two runaways of his own a father 
 and son were not among the captives. I fancied 
 I read a kind pity in his eye, as it rested intently 
 on me. He shook his head and turned away. He 
 recognized none of us, but as he was passing Bryan 
 he shoved him with his foot, and ordered him to get 
 up and show his face. Instead of obeying in the 
 respectful manner required by his situation, Bryan 
 only flung himself over on his back, and looked up 
 in the face of the strange gentleman, with a glare 
 of sullen defiance. I raised my eyes from Bryan's 
 face to that of the buckra in alarm and supplication, 
 for it really seemed to me that the man was under 
 a spell. If I had known how to frame such an 
 appeal, I would have entreated for mercy to a mis- 
 erable creature who was not in his right mind. 
 The gentleman rested his foot for an instant on the 
 
RETURN TO ORANGE GROVE. Ill 
 
 upturned breast of the staring savage, and scanned 
 the marks left by the silver branding-iron. Then, 
 with one parting glance of careless scorn at the 
 prostrate form, he said to the keeper of the work- 
 house, who attended him : " This lot has been ad- 
 vertised. I know where to write to their master, 
 and shall do so this evening." 
 
 Making a step toward me, he tossed me a piece 
 of silver, saying : " I hope your master will not be 
 hard on you, my poor boy. This brute has enticed 
 you into the scrape." How quick and keen he had 
 been in discovering the real ringleader of our flight, 
 for, in truth, Bryan it was who had started, urged 
 forward, and commanded our ill-fated expedition. 
 Two persons had already expressed an opinion that 
 I had been led away by the older ones, and, though 
 one of these was but a poor negro, the sympathy 
 was inexpressibly cheering. It gave me hope and 
 strength. The next morning the second of our 
 confinement I set about my basket-weaving as 
 early as possible ; but first I repeated the five 
 prayers and several verses of the Koran, to which 
 my comrades listened with devout attention. I 
 was never ridiculed for my religion by a negro. 
 I then implored them to confess to the keeper who 
 
112 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 we belonged to, and ask to be sent back to our 
 master. They would not hear of doing so, believ- 
 ing that the buckra had only pretended to know 
 where we came from, in order to frighten us into 
 telling the truth. He certainly did not mention 
 our master's name, yet, all the same, I felt sure 
 that he did know all about us, and, being equally 
 sure that there was no hope of escape, I contended 
 that the sooner we gave up the better would be our 
 chance for an easy pardon. 
 
 In the course of the next day, Brad gave me a 
 private hint that he for one was ready to follow 
 my advice, and Bo was not much behind in doing 
 the same, each without the knowledge of the other. 
 So matters stood, and I was industriously plying 
 my work, when, about the third day of our impris- 
 onment, the Gustos of the parish was ^announced. 
 He asked a number of questions to which Belton, 
 who had become our chief spokesman, told the old 
 concerted tissue of foolish lies, which the rest con- 
 firmed as usual. He said little to me, but I fol- 
 lowed every word and motion with eager looks. I 
 was stupid enough to imagine that he resembled 
 Hadji Ali, and must, of course, be a kind, just, and 
 wise man. It need not be said that the resem- 
 
RETURN TO ORANGE GROVE. 113 
 
 blance between this fair, noble-featured white gen- 
 tleman and an African negro, was an absurd freak 
 of my excited imagination, but it seemed a real fact 
 to me, and I began to expect some special kindness 
 from him, the mojnent he opened his lips. I re- 
 ceived it, too. Black Ben, the under-keeper and 
 basket-maker, had told my whole history, even to 
 my being a king's son, to the warden, .and he repre- 
 sented me in such a way to the Gustos, that among 
 them I was relieved from the chain that bound me 
 to my comrades and allowed the freedom of the 
 yard. 
 
 On the second visit of the Gustos I made use of 
 this liberty, which enabled me to speak to him out 
 of sight of the rest, to beg him to intercede for us, 
 promising not only to tell the whole truth, but that 
 we would, one and all, be the best and most dutiful 
 of servants in future, if our master would overlook 
 our past foolishness. He said he would do what he 
 could for us, and then I told him truly and without 
 reserve every thing he desired to know. I ex- 
 plained that it was not from ill treatment that we 
 ran away, for our master was not hard, though the 
 drivers were pretty sharp on the field-hands, but 
 because we were heart-sick to get back to our own 
 
114 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 country. I did not accuse the others of coaxing, 
 and almost forcing, me to join them, as I might 
 have done with some truth, for I did not wish to 
 prejudice my comrades. My whole mind was bent 
 on softening the punishment that it was too clear 
 was hanging over all our heads. My efforts and 
 entreaties were not fruitless, for the old gentleman 
 not only said he would write in our favor, but he 
 actually did write such a kind and earnest letter 
 to my master as effectually helped to smooth my 
 path for many a long after year. 
 
 When the Gustos had departed, I handed to 
 black Ben the money which the other buckra had 
 thrown to me, and begged him to buy some bread 
 and rum for a sly treat at night. My object was 
 to conciliate my comrades and prepare them for the 
 news I had for them. When I made my confession 
 to the Gustos, he assured me that he already knew 
 my master's name and residence, and that a letter 
 was already on its way to him informing him of 
 our apprehension. We might, therefore, expect to 
 be sent for in the course of a few days, and would 
 do as well to stop silly assertions that we were all 
 free native negroes. Ben refused to take the 
 money. "You better keep your < white music' (a 
 
RETURN TO ORANGE GROVE. 115 
 
 Houssa name for silver trinkets), and lay one piece 
 on top of another to buy yourself, as I did my- 
 self." The possibility of buying my liberty had 
 never before crossed my mind, J)ut then I seized 
 upon that dim and distant hope, and carried it to 
 my comrades as a very possible and comforting 
 prospect. It did not help much to break to them 
 the intelligence that we were really found out, and 
 would soon be on the march back to the plantation. 
 They were in despair, and nothing seemed to re- 
 lieve them so much as my standing up with them 
 to " curse " our captors. Each of them put his right 
 hand on my breast or shoulder to strengthen the 
 spell as I cursed. Then I " cursed " the Maroons 
 for an hour, in tolerably bad but very energetic 
 Arabic. Nothing could be more ridiculous than 
 the incoherent torrent of disjointed and meaning- 
 less texts and adjurations that I poured out on the 
 heads of our captors, but we all believed those fel- 
 lows would be terribly the worse for it. I certainly 
 ought to have felt considerably relieved after dis- 
 charging such a load of frothy nonsense. 
 
 I mentioned confidentially to black Ben what 
 we had done, when he inquired, next morning, what 
 we were palavering about so late at night. He 
 
116 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 was dreadfully shocked, and begged me to take 
 back the curses. I refused to entertain the idea. 
 He offered to bribe me with the bottle of rum I 
 had wanted him* to buy. I was inexorable. He 
 finally limited himself to a petition in favor of one 
 of the Maroons, who was a friend and relation of his 
 own. Ben had been kind and friendly to me, and 
 I relented in behalf of his friend. We secretly re- 
 tired to his own room, and, both of us kneeling 
 there, with my hands firmly clasped in his, I fer- 
 vently repeated the five daily prayers in a cer- 
 tain way, declaring that it was done in the name 
 of the said Maroon, to save him from being given 
 over to the curses due his sins. This done, we rose 
 and went out doors in the perfect and serene con- 
 viction of the efficacy of our highly meritorious ac- 
 tion. Ben was profuse in his admiration and grati- 
 tude. He presented me with the pouch I was 
 about finishing, and another small one for a purse, 
 in which he put a new English sixpence for luck^ 
 and as a sign of that future pile of "white music" 
 which was to achieve my liberty. 
 
 Such was our superstitious weakness, and equal- 
 ly weak would it be to record it, did it not serve 
 to explain that any instruction, even such narrow 
 
RETURN TO ORANGE GROVE. 117 
 
 teachings as my African godfather had to bestow, 
 carries in it some germ of power. 
 
 On the eleventh day of our stay at the work- 
 house, my friend Pompey arrived from the planta- 
 tion. The Gustos then wrote another letter, for 
 one had already been sent by mail, asking mercy 
 for all of us, but most particularly craving a full 
 forgiveness for me. I happened to hear that kind 
 letter read years afterward. The good gentleman 
 was then laid in his final rest, but my heart blessed 
 his memory forever. 
 
 Pompey had with him another negro, named 
 George, a resolute and powerful fellow, but not re- 
 markably quick-witted. Still, between them they 
 were a quite sufficient guard for our party in their 
 fetters. 
 
 Some free negroes- were about the work-house 
 door to see us start, and they showed their un- 
 worthy natures by shouting and laughing at us as 
 we marched out chained together. Ben had re- 
 ported that I was born free, and the son of a king 
 in my own country, and for this they were hardest 
 of all on me, snapping their fingers to remind me 
 of the whip, and wishing my "black kingship a 
 pleasant walk back to the white king's trash-house." 
 
118 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 I was glad to see the Custos ride up, for the sound 
 of his horse's feet silenced the scoffers. He gave a 
 few injunctions to Pompey and George about look- 
 ing well to us on the road, and was particularly 
 kind to me. He gave me a dollar at parting, and 
 exacted a promise from Pompey that he would not 
 ill-use me, and that he would signify to my master, 
 by word of mouth, as well as by delivering the 
 letter, that he begged I might be forgiven, as I was 
 but young, and had been free in my own country. 
 
 Pompey kept the promise he made to the old 
 Custos. He quizzed me now and then for run- 
 ning away, but he never abused me, and I was 
 even allowed to walk alone, while my comrades 
 were handcuffed two and two together. We went 
 in this order through St. Mary's and St. Ann's, in 
 our way back to Westmoreland. We were regu- 
 larly indulged at night with a sleep in the hospital 
 of some plantation, and as regularly with each a 
 leg in the stocks. We traveled slowly, for we 
 were worn down with toil and disappointment, and 
 it was a week before we came in sight of the plan- 
 tation where we hapl met to take our start on the 
 night of our running away. 
 
 This evidence that we were, in very dee^d, so 
 
RETURN TO OKANGE GKOVE. 119 
 
 near the dreaded scene of renewed slavery, threw 
 two of my companions into a sort of frenzied de- 
 spair. Belton, who had hitherto behaved with 
 manly composure, burst out into loud lamenta- 
 tions ; and then Bryan, with an equally noisy out- 
 break of execrations, threw himself on the ground, 
 and refused to proceed another step. Pompey 
 talked to him, reasoned with him, threatened to 
 tie him to the mule's tail, and finally beat him 
 with his riding-whip. This last argument pre- 
 vailed. He got up, foaming with rage, and walked 
 fiercely and hastily forward, dragging after him 
 the negro to whom he was handcuffed. We had 
 still two or three miles to go before we reached 
 the plantation, and this distance afforded an ac- 
 cidental opportunity for another vain and silly 
 effort for our freedom. George was so tired with 
 the journey that he tumbled asleep off his mule. 
 Bryan, snatching his cutlass from the scabbard, 
 made a cut at him, by which he nearly severed 
 his nose from his face. Bryan was mad, actually 
 mad, and foamed at the mouth but force mastered 
 him, and at night he found himself in the stocks 
 at Savannah-la-Mar work-house. All the others 
 were taken directly to the plantation hospital; 
 
120 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 and as we filed slowly past our master, lie had a 
 serious, but not over-harsh, word for every one 
 of them but me. He scanned me with a close, 
 but rather mild expression, as he held out his 
 hand for the letter Pompey brought from the Gus- 
 tos. He read it with a smile, and patiently heard 
 Pompey's long story through. When it was done, 
 he sent to call Tatee to the house. She came, 
 poor soul, and burst into tears at the sight of me, 
 so woeful and desponding must have been my ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 " Ah, Mahmadee," said she, in our Houssa 
 tongue, "you forsook Tatee -you tried to get 
 back to Kashna, and left me a slave in Jamaica." 
 
 " Forgive me, little mother," I said, humbly ; 
 " I am now sensible that a more foolish attempt 
 was never made. Tell old master I know I was 
 a fool. I was born a king's son, and it is hard to 
 be a slave, but I will be true to him for the 
 future." 
 
 My mistress spoke kindly to me, and for me 
 to her husband, who merely said, gently, in re- 
 sponse to her intercession, " Bacchus, I am not an- 
 gry I am sorry ; but keep heart, my boy, I will 
 try to lighten your load." 
 
RETURN TO ORANGE GROVE. 121 
 
 Tatee was impressed with the impossibility of 
 my bettering my condition by running away ; and, 
 besides that, she felt a sort of obligation to en- 
 courage me in the ways of obedience, on account 
 of our master having bought me, at her request, 
 that we might remain together, though he did not 
 care to have me on his own account. When I 
 was expected back, she incited her husband, the 
 cooper, who was a favorite with his master, to 
 make interest for me, by setting forth my honesty 
 and superior aptitude for service in the Great 
 House. The letter from the liberal and kind- 
 hearted Gustos tended to the same point, and the 
 upshot of the matter was, that Pompey was or- 
 dered to take me in training for a family ser- 
 vant. 
 
 Behold the power of kindness. One blow of 
 the whip, when I was brought back, humbled and 
 heart-sick, but truly disposed to repay a ready 
 forgiveness with the most faithful obedience, would 
 have destroyed my good intentions. I repeat, that 
 one blow of the whip, at the crisis of my return 
 to Orange Grove, would have changed an honest, 
 willing boy into the crafty, deceitful time-server 
 which slavery makes of most of my race. 
 
122 THE PRINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 The mild tones of my master, the gentle con- 
 sideration of my mistress, who ordered Pompey to 
 take me to the kitchen and see that the servants 
 treated me well, the tearful welcome of poor 
 Tatee, and the winning words of a lovely child, 
 melted me into grateful afleetion, and molded 
 me into a really attached and almost contented 
 slave. 
 
MASTEK HENRY. 123 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 MASTER HENBY. 
 
 POMPEY conducted me into, the kitchen when 
 I was dismissed to his care, and had something to 
 eat produced forthwith. While we were partaking 
 of it a beautiful child, with lovely flowing hair, 
 bounded in, and, putting both of its small white 
 hands on my great swarthy paw, demanded my 
 name. 
 
 " Mahmadee, my beautiful young master," I an- 
 swered. 
 
 " His name is Bacchus, Massa Henry," said 
 Pompey. 
 
 "Which is it?" the child asked, shaking back 
 his curls and gazing in my face. 
 
 "Mahmadee was my name when I was free 
 and in my own country, but since I am a slave 
 I am called Bacchus," I answered, in such English 
 as I could muster. 
 
 0* 
 
124 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 " Mahmadee is a pretty name. I shall call you 
 Mahmadee," said the charming boy, still leaning 
 with his hands upon me. "Don't you like to be 
 called Mahmadee?" 
 
 " I love it better than any other name, because 
 it is my own," I replied ; and bending over, with 
 a sudden impulse, I imprinted a fervent kiss on 
 each of those little milk-white hands. 
 
 "Why, Mahmadee, you have straight hair," 
 the child exclaimed, in accents of surprise, as my 
 bent head caught his eye. 
 
 " It is because my father was a king and a 
 descendant of the Prophet," I explained, in grave 
 sincerity, for so Hadji Ali, Fatma, and others, 
 had taught me to believe, in Kashna. 
 
 " Oh, I have story-books about a fairy king. 
 You shall read them. Was your father a fairy 
 king?" warmly inquired Master Henry. 
 
 I did not know what a fairy king was. I had 
 never heard the name before, so I replied that I 
 could not tell, but that my father was king of 
 Kashna. 
 
 " Well, you shall read all about it in my story- 
 books, Mahmadee. I will give you one to-mor- 
 row." 
 
MASTER HENKY. 125 
 
 " I wish I could read your books, my young 
 master, but I have never learned how." 
 
 " Well, you shall learn ; but come now and 
 take me to walk," said the child, with pretty will- 
 fulness, starting off to the door. 
 
 Pompey directed me to do as Master Henry 
 desired, and, only too glad to follow this capti- 
 vating vision, I caught up my hat and went whither 
 he pleased. We met Tatee not far from the door, 
 and she briefly informed me that it was a little 
 visitor whom the young ladies had lately brought 
 with them from Montigo Bay, and made the pet 
 and the life of the house. 
 
 I felt the fatigue of the late trip, and with any 
 other companion than this gay young prattler, who 
 led me a bewildering chase all round the lawn 
 and up and down the garden, I would have been 
 glad of the release afforded me by the dinner-bell, 
 when it called him away, but I parted with him 
 reluctantly. I did not expect to have the pleasure 
 of attending him so intimately again, and kissed 
 his hands over and over in a sort of leave-taking, 
 as one of the women appeared to repeat the sum- 
 mons to dinner. 
 
 The family dined about the time their slaves 
 
126 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 had their supper; and after Master Henry van- 
 ished into the house I loitered toward the hos- 
 pital, not quite assured whether or no I was to 
 be locked up at night with my fellow-runaways. 
 There was nothing of the kind to fear. My par- 
 don was free and absolute ; and, so far from being 
 hindered, I was encouraged by Pompey to visit 
 and talk with them in the evening, when they 
 returned from their work to their sleeping quar- 
 ters. They escaped almost as well as myself. 
 They were locked up in the hospital at night for 
 a month, and after that all three were allowed 
 to take wives and settle down in their old places. 
 They all soon became as able and contented hands 
 as there were on the estate. 
 
 Bryan was kept at hard labor in chains at Sa- 
 vannah-la-Mar about the same length of time, as 
 much for his violent assault on George as for his 
 leading part in the runaway scrape. But George 
 was forgiving, and the overseer stood his friend, for 
 he was, in fact, an active, serviceable fellow. One 
 fine Saturday evening, when all the other Africans 
 were singing and dancing before the cooper's cabin, 
 who should step into the ring but George and 
 Bryan, as fine and friendly together as a pair of 
 
MASTER HENEY. 127 
 
 turtle-doves. In the Easter holidays Bryan chose 
 a young sister of George's for his wife, and they 
 had their provision-lots together. When I finally 
 left the plantation, Bryan and George were both 
 drivers, that is, each of them had a working-gang 
 of field-hands under his direction. 
 
 As my old comrades subsided into steady field- 
 hands and I into a trusted house-servant, the dis- 
 tance widened between us, and, with our new oc- 
 cupations, we all thought and talked less of our 
 native land. 
 
 Meanwhile we saw no more of Cudjoe's duppy, 
 and it remained a doubt with us whether we had 
 been deceived, or whether it was really his ghost, 
 which had threatened and forewarned us of our 
 disgrace. The circumstance of his appearance 
 preyed a long while on my mind, and we all 
 thought our discomfiture a judgment on us for 
 shedding the blood of one who had entertained us 
 with food, though evidently a thief and a rogue, 
 who had first robbed, and then would probably 
 have betrayed us to the Maroons, had we given 
 him an opportunity. 
 
 But I love best to speak of Master Henry. The 
 morning after our return to the plantation, Ponapey 
 
128 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 roused me to feed the poultry, and help him groom 
 the carriage-horses. This he told me would be my 
 regular duty every morning, and it suited me ex- 
 actly, for I am naturally fond of animals. I was in 
 the midst of a small army of fowls, ducks, and tur- 
 keys, and was stooping down to search into the 
 ailment of a lame chicken, when Master Henry 
 came behind and sprang upon my back : clasping 
 his arms about my neck, he bade me play horse for 
 him. Pleased to feel his arms about me, I hu- 
 mored his playful caprice, and went curveting to 
 the house, he digging his little naked feet into my 
 side, in imitation of spurring, and I pretending to 
 shy and leap, and both of us laughing in high glee. 
 I held my head so low, that I did not see my mis- 
 tress and almost ran against her, as I went to de- 
 posit my burden on the back piazza. I started 
 back in confusion, and, scarcely knowing what I 
 did, I made my apology and reverence in the best 
 style of Houssa. The lady only smiled in her own 
 gentle way, and said, "Master Henry has fallen in 
 love w-ith you, Mahmadee, and you must pay par- 
 ticular attention to him." She then led the laugh- 
 ing child into the house to be dressed, for he had 
 
MAST.EB, HENEY. 129 
 
 run out in his night-clothes on hearing my voice 
 and the flutter of the poultry on the lawn. 
 
 I went back to my work brim-full of content- 
 ment. I was to attend to this charming Master 
 Henry, " who had fallen in love with me " (heaven 
 knows it was fervently reciprocated), and my mis- 
 tress called me by my own name of Mahmadee. 
 I fancy a vain young officer, newly promoted, must 
 have some such sentiments of vastly increased self- 
 importance as I did when I flourished about the 
 carriage-horses that forenoon. It was a step a 
 vast step forward for me, but yesterday a returned 
 runaway, to be chosen for the particular attendant 
 of that darling boy. He was my pride and joy, and 
 he became winningly attached to me. He would 
 be out betimes in the morning, aiding or, we both 
 fancied he did, which was the same thing to feed 
 the poultry. When he had gone through his morn- 
 ing lessons, I would have done with the horses, and 
 be quite ready to take him before me on one of 
 them, for a ride round the park. 
 
 I was quite at home in the cavalry department, 
 as my old bushreen master had been a sort of horse- 
 dealer in Africa, and I took a pride in presenting 
 my Christian massa with his horses in the cleanest 
 
130 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 and handsomest condition. So far from stealing 
 their corn, as was a common practice among ne- 
 gro servants, I felt rather an inclination to steal the 
 corn to give them. But there was no need of that, 
 for my master was a liberal provider ; and the old 
 planter, seeing that I kept his beasts in beautiful 
 condition, allowed me to take out Master Henry 
 as often as we pleased, which was nearly every 
 morning, after his French lesson was over. 
 
 It was a month or two before either of the 
 young ladies noticed me particularly, and when 
 they did, it was owing to Master Henry's playful 
 pranks. After the horses were attended to, it 
 was my duty to have on a clean frock, and wait 
 in the hall, attend the bell, and be at hand if 
 wanted for a message. Above all, it was my 
 welcome duty to keep a vigilant eye on the rest- 
 less little Master Henry. Lighter work, kinder 
 treatment, and a better will to deserve it, was 
 never the lot of a slave. Little Henry was pleased 
 to amuse himself teaching me to read. The young 
 ladies had enjoyed the advantage of a French 
 teacher; and believing that the younger it is ac- 
 quired the better, they insisted on their pet re- 
 peating over to one of them a short lesson every 
 
MASTER HENRY. 131 
 
 day,, until it was committed to memory. I was 
 frequently present at these lessons, and invariably 
 had them by heart before Henry had half mastered 
 them. For practice, and to conceal what they 
 chose to say to each other from vulgar ears, they 
 used the French language between themselves al- 
 most continually. I thus picked up a large, but 
 rather promiscuous, assortment of French words, 
 which I would parade off in the kitchen, to the 
 unbounded envy and admiration of the other ser- 
 vants, and often without the smallest idea of their 
 meaning. Nevertheless, I did learn my letters, 
 and that rapidly. Henry had teased his cousins 
 to get him a new slate, that he might be able to 
 give me his old one; and we used to set in the 
 cool piazza and " play writing," while the rest of 
 the family were taking their noon siesta. We often 
 made English and Arabic letters by the hour. I 
 was intensely anxious to acquire learning. It 
 almost seemed to me that I should grow white 
 in acquiring the white man's knowledge. The 
 young ladies had ruled lines on Henry's slate with 
 a nail, and used to write a word or two between 
 them every day, as a copy more for his amuse- 
 ment than for serious practice. Yet we both 
 
132 THE PEINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 "played writing" with such a will, that our pro- 
 gress became a subject of comment and surprise 
 in the family. In my own desire to learn, I per- 
 suaded Master Henry to "play reading and wri- 
 ting" with me nearly every noontide. 
 
 The Great House, aft the planter's own man- 
 sion is universally styled in Jamaica, to distin- 
 guish it from the village of other buildings be- 
 longing to the estate, was very spacious, with 
 ample room for a large family, but it was all 
 of one story only. It had wide piazzas, and deep 
 wings for baths and bed-chambers, with sashed 
 doors opening upon a green secluded space, orna- 
 mented with choice flowers. Among them a great 
 variety of roses, which were never out of bloom 
 the year round. This January I particularly re- 
 member how their fragrance filled the air when 
 I played horse to Master Henry, and brought him 
 through this place to the rear door of the hall. 
 Having now become familiar with this side of the 
 Great House, I was often employed a short time 
 in the early morning pulling up and carrying away 
 the weeds. One morning, about sunrise, I had 
 filled a basket in this way, and was stooping to 
 carry it off, when down over head, neck, and shoul- 
 
MASTER HENRY*. 133 
 
 ders, came a heavy dash of cold water, closely fol- 
 lowed by a triumphant laugh from Master Henry. 
 I put both hands before my face and pretended 
 to sob, eying, through my fingers, the young rogue 
 the while, who stood at the window, balancing on 
 the ledge the pitcher which he had just emptied 
 over me. Observing that I continued to sob more 
 bitterly, instead of echoing his merry laugh, his 
 beautiful face clouded with regret, and I saw him 
 leave the window, in order to come through the 
 door and console me. I darted for the basket, in- 
 tending to run round the corner of the wing and 
 give him a nice chase to catch me. As my hand 
 touched the basket, I saw something shining be- 
 hind it, on the freshly weeded ground, which I 
 caught up as I fled. Henry soon overtook me, of 
 course, and then we examined my prize. 
 
 "It is a guinea, Mahmadee," said Henry, at 
 last. " It is a gold guinea, but it is older than 
 old Nancy." Nancy was a cross, decrepit old 
 black nurse, the terror of all the picaninnies, and 
 such a dried-up mummy, that Henry thought the 
 world and she must have been babies together. 
 Rachel, a bright young mulatto, and the petted 
 maid of Miss Lucy, joined us while we were hand- 
 
134 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 ling and depreciating the gold piece, and she ad- 
 vised me to hide it and say nothing about it. 
 "Massa Henry will never tell of his Mahmadee, 
 and we can buy plenty of lovely things with a 
 gold guinea," she said, coaxingly. 
 
 " No, I will take it to the mistress," said I, 
 stoutly; for, young negro and ignorant boy as I 
 was, I had no instinct for stealing. A feeling that 
 revolted from making my sweet young Master 
 Henry a partner in any sly trick was, perhaps, an 
 additional motive. Besides that, in our retired 
 situation, where there was nothing to buy, and 
 every necessary freely provided, I had riot learned 
 the value of money. Any way, I felt no special 
 temptation to keep it, and therefore there was no 
 special merit in my dispatching the flattened and 
 battered coin forthwith to the Great House, by 
 the hands of little Harry. He came flying back 
 to say, " Uncle Davis wants to see you directly, 
 Mahmadee." I followed him, with some trepida- 
 tion, into the parlor, where I found both the young 
 ladies standing by their father, and all of them in 
 quite a state of excitement over the guinea. 
 
 It was not a guinea, after all, but an ancient 
 and very rare Italian coin, worth, as Miss Lucy 
 
MASTER HENKY. 135 
 
 remarked with great animation, " a purseful of new 
 guineas to those who understood its scarcity and 
 value." I believe its scarcity is the main part of 
 its value, for there was no beauty to admire in 
 it. It had been missing a long time, under pecu- 
 liar circumstances. Miss Lucy had been exhibiting 
 it one day to a young lady friend, and laid it 
 down with her handkerchief on the dressing-table, 
 and left it there. That much she remembered ; and 
 when she was summoned to lunch, shortly after, 
 she recollected it, and sent Rachel to bring it to 
 her. Rachel brought the handkerchief, but could 
 not find the money. Search was vainly made for 
 the lost treasure it was nowhere to be found. Mr. 
 Davis suspected Rachel of having secreted it, and 
 Rachel's young mistress suspected the other ser- 
 vants generally, but would listen to no imputation 
 on her maid, and so the matter slipped by, until I 
 had the extreme good fortune to find it. I have a 
 right to say extreme good fortune, for it was a 
 lucky finding for me. My master had called me 
 in to reward me liberally for restoring the much- 
 valued curiosity, and he now put it to my own 
 choice, whether it should be a handsome Sunday 
 suit, or what else. Money he was not disposed to 
 
136 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 put in my hands ; but money's worth, to the value 
 of a gold guinea, I should have, in any shape, at 
 my own selection. I was so overcome with this 
 sudden weight of riches, that I could do nothing 
 but stammer out thanks upon thanks. I could not 
 recollect a single wish at the critical moment when 
 it might be had for the asking. Miss Lucy came 
 to my aid. 
 
 " Take time to think about it, Mahmadee," she 
 said, pleasantly. " Consider well what you would 
 like best, and when you have made up your mind, 
 let me know." 
 
 " I can tell you, Cousin Lucy," broke in Master 
 Henry. " Mahmadee wants copy-books and an ink- 
 stand. He told me so last night." 
 
 The child had touched the true spring, though 
 I had failed to hit it. I now caught at it eagerly. 
 
 "If master pleases, I would like to write let- 
 ters." 
 
 " But you cannot read yet. You don't even know 
 your alphabet, I fancy," Mr. Davis good-humoredly 
 replied ; " unless it be such letters as you scrawl 
 upon your slate." 
 
 " Yes, indeed, papa, Mahmadee begins to spell 
 short words, and even tries to read. You ought 
 
MASTER HENRY. 137 
 
 to hear him at his lessons with Cousin Henry,' re- 
 joined Miss Lucy, archly smiling at the thought. 
 
 "Yes, Uncle Davis, Mahmadee is a very atten- 
 tive scholar," chimed in little Henry, in the words 
 so often applied to himself, without, perhaps, so 
 exactly deserving the praise. 
 
 " So be it, then. Mahmadee (since you are all 
 so bent on keeping to the boy's Mahometan name) 
 shall be taught reading and writing. We will 
 make him a scribe and a Christian, but never a 
 Pharisee, I hope ;" and with these words he ended 
 the conference. 
 
 Rachel was very glad I had not taken her ad- 
 vice to keep the gold piece for us which, being 
 interpreted into English, meant for the purchase of 
 finery for herself since it was such a precious con- 
 cern to her young mistress. She had probably 
 flirted it out of the window herself in taking up 
 Miss Lucy's handkerchief; for, as she was a giddy 
 creature, and declared she had never seen it in her 
 life before to notice it she had no cause to be on 
 her guard. The only wonder is, that it was never 
 searched for on the outside for the dressing-table 
 stood close beside the window instead of rushing 
 
13S THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 so hastily to the conclusion that it must be .stolen 
 by some one or other of the negro servants. 
 
 It was a small affair to others, but not so to me, 
 for I was immediately sent to an evening-school 
 kept for free blacks, about a mile down the road, 
 by a famous mulatto teacher and preacher. Fa- 
 mous, I beg to be understood, among the negroes, 
 and not unacceptable to the planters round about 
 him for his useful Sunday lectures to their slaves. 
 He was a curious genius, with a nose and upper 
 face in amusing caricature of a likeness of William 
 Pitt, which hung, in company with King George 
 the Third, in the Orange Grove dining-room. 
 
 This brown genius had a decided knack for 
 teaching, and I caught with avidity at the oppor- 
 tunity of acquiring knowledge, for I had often 
 thought that if I had been a scholar, I could have 
 imposed on all my masters and jailers, tyrants, and 
 oppressors. I would have forged a pass, and so put 
 off the illiterate Maroons, whose very memory I 
 abhorred. I was determined to render myself ca- 
 pable of over-reaching, on any future occasion, 
 these bloodhounds ! They had acquired their free- 
 dom by the means we had attempted, and then se- 
 
MASTER HENRY. 139 
 
 cured their vile grog-money supply, by waging war 
 on all who should follow their example. 
 
 What with the evening-school and the oppor- 
 tunities I enjoyed with Master Henry, who would 
 have me along when he was at his own lessons, I 
 learned to read very speedily. I had been a tolera- 
 bly apt scholar in Africa, and although I had never 
 seen an Arabic character, except those I traced my- 
 self, since I left my country, the early, constant, 
 and careful cultivation my mind had received from 
 the faithful Hadji Ali, had prepared me to learn 
 with facility. I have also, from my youth upward, 
 been blessed with a retentive memory. My mu- 
 latto master loved to load me with lessons to learn 
 by heart. He invariably took them from the Bible, 
 and I fagged through a great many chapters of it, 
 but I preferred story books Robinson Crusoe, Pe- 
 ter Wilkins, the Arabian Nights, and. Fairy Tales. 
 I found a translation of the Koran in my master's 
 library, and I read that from time to time, but I 
 confess, with some shame, I thought it very prosy, 
 and very inferior, in general, to the Old Testament, 
 but, all the same, I secretly plumed myself on my 
 constancy to the true faith, and seldom missed say- 
 ing my five prayers in Arabic, in the course of the 
 7 
 
140 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 day or night. I considered this a sacred obligation, 
 and entertained a vague fear that the reproving 
 spirit of Hadji Ali would appear to me if I neg- 
 lected it. 
 
 My mistress did not urge me any more to be- 
 come a Christian, neither did the young ladies lay 
 any stress upon it, though they interested them- 
 selves most kindly in my general improvement. 
 Miss Lucy did not disdain to set me copies, and 
 even made me *a present of a blank-book, and 
 showed me how to keep a journal as she had been 
 taught to do by her own instructors, in order to form 
 correct habits of spelling and composition. Miss 
 Emma, the youngest sister, wrote me out a multi- 
 plication-table, which I learned in two days. I had 
 a particular turn for calculation, which some of the 
 learned Christians in England assured me, in after 
 years, was the consequence of my brain's configura- 
 tion. I became an adept in arithmetic, and I wrote, 
 in a twelvemonth, a very creditable hand, so that 
 my master employed me as a scribe, and made me 
 also keep the house accounts. 
 
 I had, by this time, learned to read with fluency, 
 though I had rather too closely imitated the twang 
 of my pig-nosed preceptor, whose assistant I became 
 
MASTER HENRY. 141 
 
 on Sundays, in the profound science of the alphabet. 
 
 I had also the task of teaching his scholars, free 
 
 
 children of color, to sing psalms, but I had the help 
 
 of an old guitar, given to me by Miss Lucy for this 
 purpose, and which she kindly taught me to tune. 
 This instrument introduced me to the violin, on 
 which, in after years, I acquired considerable power. 
 I even studied thorough bass, and found out the art 
 of tuning piano-fortes, as well as playing on them, 
 after a fashion, in succeeding years. 
 
 During these pursuits, my tutor never ceased 
 dinging into my ears his arguments about my con- 
 version, yet I must frankly declare that every repe- 
 tition of them drove me farther from the haven to 
 which he would have urged me. He was proud of 
 heart, and mean of understanding, a narrow-minded 
 bigot, and, as I unfortunately discovered, not too 
 pure of life. I could not bring myself to believe in 
 the lectures of a man, who, if not a set hypocrite, 
 was, at least, a contemptibly weak sinner. 
 
 Long before I had reached this point of my life, 
 a heavy misfortune had fallen upon me. A misfor- 
 tune that dressed my master's family in deepest 
 mourning. Henry, the gay darling whose merry, 
 loving ways was the delight of all hearts, was sud- 
 
142 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 denly taken from us. It was not long after the 
 Easter holidays, a period of revelry, next to the 
 Christmas week, for the whites, and a time for frolic 
 and feasting among the slaves, when some friends 
 of the family came to Orange Grove, and persuaded 
 the young ladies to return with them for a week's 
 visit, and take little Harry along. My mistress al- 
 most insisted that her " young chatter-box," as she 
 fondly called him, should remain with her, as the 
 house would be too lonesome, if all the children went 
 away at once. Henry had heard of the proposed 
 trip, however, and wanted to have a carriage-ride 
 with his cousins, so he pouted up his rosy lips, and 
 coaxed and kissed a consent out of his " dear, sweet 
 Aunty Davis," and was gayly carried off by the rest 
 of them. I was so used to him and his lively, laugh- 
 ing little ways, that I felt as if the whole plantation 
 and all the people in it drove away in that carriage. 
 It left me more spare time to study, but I felt so 
 lost without him, that I could not settle myself con- 
 tentedly to any thing like a lesson, though I at- 
 tended the evening school as usual. 
 
 To pass away the time more lightly, and to have 
 a little present ready to welcome his return, I em- 
 ployed myself in weaving a Medinet pouch, similar 
 
MASTER HENRY. 143 
 
 to the one I had been helped to by Ben of the 
 work-house, but of a size suitable for Henry's child- 
 ish figure. My mistress, seeing me working at it so 
 zealously every odd minute, inquired at last who it 
 was for, and, when I told her, she smiled and said, 
 " I guessed as much," and then added, pleasantly, 
 "The carriage is to go for them to Cross Roads 
 Lodge on Saturday, in time to be home to dinner, 
 and you may ride over on the box with the coach- 
 man." 
 
 " If mistress would allow me to ride the pony, 
 Master Henry would be pleased to have it part of 
 the way," I ventured to suggest, for Henry had 
 become quite a little horseman under my tuition, 
 and loved nothing better than a ride on this gentle- 
 paced animal, who was rightly named Easy. Mrs. 
 Davis readily consented, and Easy and I were at 
 Cross Roads Lodge an hour before the appointed 
 time. It was a place rarely occupied by its owners, 
 who lived at a larger and more convenient mansion 
 several miles further on ; but it had been arranged 
 that they were to spend a few weeks at the Lodge, 
 and from thence interchange a round of festivities 
 with Orange Grove and the neighboring planta- 
 tions. 
 
144 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 In the excess of my blind love I felt a pang of 
 disappointment that the lively darling, who at 
 home would hardly stay a whole hour away from 
 me by day or night, had so forgotten me in a single 
 week, that, instead of bounding out to meet me, as 
 I had fondly promised myself he would the moment 
 the carriage drew up, he neither made his appear- 
 ance nor sent for me to come to him. Miss Lucy 
 leaned from the window and asked if all were well 
 at home, and then retired without adding a word. 
 After a while a servant of the house said, from the 
 door, "Master Henry wants his own boy Mahma- 
 dee." I flew up the stairs, but as I stepped into 
 the parlor, I saw Henry reclining on the arm of a 
 sofa with a pillow under his head. A pale, slender 
 gentleman was leaning over him, and Miss Lucy 
 was sitting beside him holding his hand. He with- 
 drew it and held it out to me. 
 
 "I want to go home to Aunty Davis, Mahma- 
 dee. I am sick." He spoke in his natural tone, 
 almost, but his face was very red and his beautiful 
 eyes were heavy. 
 
 " The carriage is at the door," I said, looking at 
 Miss Lucy for orders. She glanced from little 
 Henry to the tall gentleman. 
 
MASTEB HENRY. 145 
 
 "You will attend your young mistresses in 
 their carriage, and I will take Master Henry home 
 in mine," said the gentleman, without waiting for 
 her answer. 
 
 " I want Mahmadce to go with me," said little 
 Henry, sitting upright, in his sweet, earnest way. 
 " Can't Mahmadee come with me, Cousin Lucy ? 
 Can't he, Uncle Holgrave ?" 
 
 " Certainly, my dear boy, if you wish it. You 
 will allow Mahmadee a place by your man, Mr. 
 Holgrave ?" turning to the gentleman, who bowed 
 assent. 
 
 Little Henry entreated to go at once. He rose 
 from the sofa and made a step or two, but stag- 
 gered, and I caught him in my arms. 
 
 " My head aches, Mahmadee," he murmured, 
 and dropped it on my shoulder. 
 
 I bore him to the carriage, and supported him 
 in my arms all the way home. It was a sad arrival 
 to Mrs. Davis, who loved him so well, and was un- 
 prepared to meet him in a burning fever. I carried 
 him to his bed, and was never far from it until he 
 left it for the last time. The dear boy was spared 
 much suffering, though the fever was so rapid 
 that in one short week he was laid in his holy 
 
146 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 rest in the family grave-yard. Every thing that 
 love and care, wealth and skill could do, was done 
 for that darling child. He wandered a little some- 
 times, but he/ knew me always, and knew me to 
 the last. He departed just as the sun was setting 
 on the seventh day. Only a few minutes before he 
 said, with a sweet, a heavenly smile, 
 
 " Don't cry for me, dear Aunty Davis. Mah 
 ma dee " The name melted softly from his 
 parted lips, and with it his innocent spirit rose to 
 heaven. 
 
 I had suppressed my grief to wait upon him 
 while there was life and hope, and even after his 
 spirit had left the form, while his beautiful face lay 
 calm and uncovered, my pent-up grief was still, 
 though my heart was bursting. But when he was 
 laid hi that deep bed, and the black earth was 
 filled over my loving angel, I lost all self-control. 
 I cared not for person or place. I thought I 
 could think only of this: "I shall never, never see 
 my sweet, my good, my kind little Henry again." 
 I was really insane, I think, the night after the 
 funeral, for I stole out to his fresh grave and cried 
 myself asleep upon it. The plantation-bell awoke 
 me at six in the morning. I arose and dragged my 
 
MASTER HENRY. 147 
 
 heavy heart and aching limbs to the stable, for a 
 slave must not neglect his duties because his heart 
 is breaking. Ned, Mr. Holgrave's own servant, 
 reached there as soon as I did. He had orders 
 from his master to relieve me that morning from 
 my stable-work. I went back to the grave-yard 
 and gave way to a fresh burst of tears. Some one 
 touched me gently, and said, mildly, " "Will you 
 assist me to plant a white rose at little Henry's 
 feet ?" It was Mr. Holgrave. We selected and 
 planted the white rose and a fragrant jessamine, 
 with many other flowers, about that sacred bit of 
 earth. I wept as I worked, but the labor of love 
 consoled me. I went the next morning to water 
 the plants, and, while thus engaged, I was told 
 that I was to go home with Mr. Holgrave, and 
 his man Ned was to remain at Orange Grove. 
 Ned was to take charge of the stables, and I was 
 to fill his place by going to Savannah-la-Mar, for a 
 month or two, as Mr. Holgrave's personal attendant. 
 It was at first much the same to me whether I went 
 or stayed, but in a few days I became truly grate- 
 ful for the change of place. 
 ' 
 
14:8 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER Vin. 
 
 NEW SCENES. 
 
 MB. HOLGBAVE was little Henry's guardian, and 
 he was worthy of such a precious trust. I rever- 
 enced him, and my service with him made another 
 distinct era in my life. He was an educated Hadji 
 Ali. I write it with reverential love, with pro- 
 found respect, with all due regard to his high po- 
 sition as a white gentleman in universal esteem. 
 Still, I deem my dear old tutor one in a thousand 
 among even the chosen of the good, and I cannot 
 feel that I am wanting to the memory of the just, 
 excellent, and observing Mr. Holgrave, in saying 
 that my African benefactor was, in his own country 
 and condition, eminent for the same virtues that 
 distinguished the Jamaica gentleman. They both 
 loved to do charitable deeds, both were faithful 
 students, both had inveterate habits of domestic 
 independence, they were both apart from and above 
 the level of the people around them, and, above all, 
 
NEW SCENES. 149 
 
 both- each in his own degree were true friends 
 to me. Even the situation of their dwellings had 
 a kind of resemblance, only that ours in Africa, the 
 house of a rich priest, and an extensive slave-trader, 
 had no equal in Kashna, except the king's house in 
 the day of Abdalla, my father ; while that of Mr. 
 Holgrave was poor and inconvenient for a gentle- 
 man of his standing. His books and his personal 
 quiet were Mr. Holgrave's luxuries, and those he 
 enjoyed completely, if any man ever did. 
 
 He lived in a small wooden house, near Savan- 
 nah-la-Mar, built upon stone buttresses, with some 
 cocoa-nut trees in front, and a garden behind. It 
 was never lonely, and, among others, we had abun- 
 dance of visitors of color. My master had some 
 skill in medicine, which, perhaps, was one great 
 attraction; but the pleasure of his company and 
 conversation was the chief inducement, I believe, 
 for he was a most especial favorite with these sim- 
 ple people. They frequently brought him presents 
 of fruit, and would come with their baskets at other 
 times, as if to offer their vegetables for sale, but 
 they rarely left without begging "a lilly drop of 
 medicine." He put in plenty of sugar with wine or 
 spirits, in which the peel of the bitter orange had 
 
150 THE PBINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 been steeped (a simple and unrivaled tonic by the 
 way), and other things which could do no harm, 
 and might do good. He kept bottles of these prep- 
 arations on hand for distribution. I had to measure 
 out doses from these bottles almost every day, and 
 soon became interested in their preparation. I ob- 
 served Mr. Holgrave and his very clever, but mar- 
 velously ugly black cook, were exceedingly care- 
 ful to follow the recipes, and that inspired me with 
 faith. Mrs. Bates (we black slaves pique ourselves 
 on our politeness, and always address each other 
 by suitable titles), Mrs. Bates then, the Congo cook } 
 knew these pet recipes practically by heart, and was 
 astonished beyond measure, when I came out one 
 day to assist her, paper in hand, and read off as 
 only a conceited puppy could read the directions 
 from Mr. Holgrave's written notes. 
 
 "Hi! you brack niggar read doctor larnin?" 
 she exclaimed. " Whar you come from ? You 
 born so ?" 
 
 In place of enlightening cook as to whether I 
 was born a reader, I went, with increased magnifi- 
 cence, into some such important matter as " strain 
 the water and keep the vessel closely covered," and 
 wound up grandly by expressing a patronizing con- 
 
NEW SCENES. 151 
 
 fidence in the superior efficacy of the prescriptions. 
 I declared them so excellent, that I should write 
 out copies for my own use. The old woman was 
 completely subdued. 
 
 "Mr. Mahmadee" (hitherto, being but a mere 
 boy, she had disdained to Mister me), " oh, Mr. 
 Mahmadee, make a paper for I. Much pain here," 
 laying her hand on her chest. " Give I paper for 
 cure him." 
 
 I was trying to impress upon her the folly and 
 inefficacy of this negro superstition ^of applying the 
 paper outside, when, in the loftiest flight of ex- 
 patiation, I happened to turn toward the door, 
 and there, to my confusion, I saw, scarce two feet 
 out of it, Mr. Holgrave. In his usual attitude, 
 with one hand in his coat breast, he stood with 
 an air of composed attention ; and not even when 
 I collapsed, in silent confusion, did he wither me 
 with so much as a smile of contempt. 
 
 " I am not sure but the prescription might do 
 cook some good, since she desires it so much" he 
 said gravely, and, without a moment's hesitation, 
 entering on the subject at the point where the dis- 
 covery of his presence had killed it, like a bird shot 
 on the wing. "She might try it written on clean, 
 
152 THE PEINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 thick paper, well oiled, and laid between folds of old 
 flannel before it is applied to the chest." I was 
 too abashed to reply. "Take care to rub the 
 flesh well night and morning, cook," he added, 
 turning his serious face toward the old woman, 
 who stood bobbing at him a succession of grateful 
 courtesies at every other word. " I trust the faith, 
 the liniment, and the friction will help do her 
 good, Mahmadee, and the paper can do her no 
 harm," said Mr. Holgrave, as he walked back to 
 his arm-chair in the piazza. 
 
 I copied some Latin formula or other, in a 
 large, straggling hand I could do no better then 
 and cooky applied it as directed, with the most 
 brilliant results. She considered her cure but little 
 short of miraculous. She did not stay cured, how- 
 ever ; and about the time Mr. Holgrave and I went 
 back to Orange Grove, she had added some Obeah 
 charm to our Latin prescription, and thought their 
 united forces were " killin' de pains fast." I had 
 begged him to favor me with something in Latin 
 to copy for th cook. I thought it would be more 
 impressive from being more unintelligible and 
 also less likely to. lose its magic powers by the 
 chance possibility of reaching profane eyes. Mr. 
 
N E W S C E N E S . 153 
 
 Holgrave furnished me with paper to stitch into a 
 kind of book, and I nearly filled it up with useful 
 selections, which he singled out for me. 
 
 But, to my taste, his gift of gifts was a book of 
 ballads. It was an old edition of songs arid ballads 
 of the Robin Hood and Chevy Chace order. That 
 book taught me to find a meaning in the words I 
 read. I learned Chevy Chace almost before I slept. 
 A ballad of Robin Hood, in which he dilates on the 
 charms of the wild wood, Mr. Holgrave taught me 
 to declaim in character, for the amusement of his 
 friends. Fancy a blacJc Robin Hood, declaring, " in 
 kirtle green, with bended bow," that "England's 
 king was less the lord of his forest dales and antlered 
 deer, than the bold outlaw and his merry men." 
 Yet, had it occurred to us which I think it never 
 did Jamaica even then possessed a startling paral- 
 lel to the merry men of Sherwood, in the lawless 
 and defiant Maroons, who so long held the forest 
 hills of the island, in spite of the most strenuous ef- 
 forts of many successive governors. Was this black 
 Robin Hood, with his wild boast, and woodland 
 garb, one of Mr. Holgrave's keen, though quiet, 
 ironies ? It only now occurs to me that it is very 
 possible it had an arrow in it. 
 
154: THE PRINCE OF K A s 11 N A . 
 
 At all events, it was a serious and downright fact 
 that Mr. Holgrave took great pleasure in my im- 
 provement. He never spoke of my faith ; he did 
 not read the Bible with me, nor explain it ; he al- 
 ways referred me to Mr. Wodenlone, and told me 
 to open my ears to his words on Sundays, and open 
 my mouth and thank God, every night of my life, for 
 my youth, health, and opportunities. However, Mr. 
 Holgrave talked to me freely on all other subjects. 
 He showed me how the world was round, and that 
 the stars might be worlds. He also taught me the 
 use of maps, and explained to me many of the dis- 
 coveries which have been made in the mysteries of 
 nature. I felt the most excessive gratitude to Mr. 
 Holgrave, and to my master and his family also, for 
 the instructions I had received from them. I for- 
 got to dream of my liberty, nor did any of these 
 good people ever even mention the subject to me. 
 I did my work as usual, waited at table, and at- 
 tended to the horses. I also kept a journal of all 
 occurrences of any moment, as Miss Lucy had rec- 
 ommended me to do, though I never could revert 
 to the first five pages without a swelling heart, for 
 they were taken up almost entirely with what 
 
NEW SCENES. 155 
 
 u Master Henry said," and what "Master Henry 
 and I" did with our slates and the horses. 
 
 I have that old journal to this day, and it is 
 only since I began these feeble recollections, that, 
 having turned to it to seek some dates I needed, 
 I noted the mile-stones of my progressive steps. 
 Then I saw the pale traces of the tear-marks where 
 I had kissed the scrawls that darling boy made, by 
 way, as he said, of helping me " write journal." 
 It was, perhaps, the very last time his little hand 
 held pen or pencil. I had barely reached the point 
 of proficiency which induced Miss Lucy to propose 
 my keeping a kind of journal, and this was the book 
 she gave me for the purpose a little before they 
 went on that fatal, fatal visit. 
 
 Mr. Holgrave directed me as a point of my 
 regular duty to write down on a slate every even- 
 ing the occupations of the day, and copy it at noon 
 in my journal. 
 
 " I beg pardon, sir," I said to him one day, 
 when he called for the book, and found nothing had 
 been recorded for nearly a week, "I am sorry to 
 appear so lazy, but there has been nothing to write 
 about." 
 
 " Nonsense, Mahmadee! You go to market, 
 
156 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 you exercise the horses every day, and you do a 
 great deal in the way of medical prescriptions. Use 
 your eyes, my boy, and you will see enough every 
 day to fill a book. I only insist on four or five lines, 
 but those must be regularly served up neat and 
 clean, mind you every day, while you are with 
 me. See that you do not disappoint me." 
 
 By this kind discipline I was instructed, and 
 meanwhile I was led, by constant occupation, to 
 overcome my disposition to brood over the loss of 
 little Henry. Oh how I dreaded the time when I 
 should have to leave Mr. Holgrave ! 
 
 There were two circumstances connected with 
 this visit to Savannah-la-Mar which in themselves 
 would have been sufficient to render it of lasting 
 interest. The first dated from the night of our 
 arrival at the margin of the sea. We reached the 
 house of an old college friend of Mr. Holgrave's 
 about dark, and there we supped and stayed all 
 night. I cannot say slept, for sleeping was out of 
 the question. Mr. Holgrave had remained up chat- 
 ting with his friend rather later than was usual with 
 him, and he had not much more than put out his 
 candle, and I, drowsily, stretched my limbs for re- 
 pose, when the most horrible clatter startled me. 
 
NEW SCENES. 157 
 
 I listened in breathless suspense. It sounded to me 
 as if ten thousand work-house prisoners were strik- 
 ing off their fetters by pounding them with stones, 
 as I saw Bryan vainly attempt' with his, after our 
 capture by the Maroons. Then hurried voices were 
 heard, as if the guards had discovered the purpose, 
 and were interfering to prevent it. The din was 
 bewildering, and I ventured to speak to Mr. Hoi- 
 grave through the open door, and ask him what 
 the noise meant. He replied by telling me to strike 
 a light. The flint and steel lay on the table near 
 him, and as I stepped toward it I perceived him, 
 half dressed, standing upright on his bed. Just 
 then lights flashed up through the window on his 
 face, and I turned my anxious looks to him for 
 succor. The clattering din continued, increased, 
 came nearer, but there was no change in his calm, 
 grave face. I believe nothing could drive that man 
 into a show of fear any more than a show of violent 
 temper. How I managed to strike a light, Heaven 
 only knows, for I scarcely moved my eyes from Mr. 
 Holgrave's, and they were as steadily fixed on mine. 
 Neither was a light necessary in that bed-room, for 
 the red glare of torches frpm the outside illuminated 
 it in every corner with wavering flashes, as if keep- 
 
158 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 ing time with the frightful, never-ceasing din. Yet 
 I did, somehow, get a candle alight, and held it, 
 with an unsteady hand, I fear, toward Mr. Hoi- 
 grave. 
 
 " Set it on the washstand, Mahmadee," said he, 
 speaking in the calmest manner, and for the first 
 time since the clamor began. " If they get in here, 
 you had better take to the dressing-table." 
 
 " Who are they, sir ? the Maroons ?" 
 
 " The Maroons ?" And he almost smiled. " No, 
 my poor Mahmadee. The Maroons would hardly 
 venture to take this place by storm, as the crabs 
 are doing." 
 
 " The crabs, sir ?" I felt slightly reassured by 
 that calm tone and half smile, but not quite, for the 
 confusion outside had, if any thing, become more 
 bewildering. 
 
 " Certainly, all this fuss is about crabs, and 
 nothing but crabs. Have you never heard of the 
 black crabs of Jamaica ? They are a great luxury ; 
 one of the choicest of the gifts of Nature to men 
 who live for eating. You shall have a surfeit of 
 them to-morrow, I can promise you that," said Mr. 
 Holgrave, sitting down on the bed. 
 
 "I hope, sir, I shall find them more agreeable 
 
SCENES. 159 
 
 after they are cooked than I do now," I answered, 
 very cheerfully. My courage had come home again 
 upon this explanation. The clamor, though equally 
 loud and continued, did not strike upon the ear 
 with such a terrible jar when I understood that it 
 was only made by innocent, eatable crabs, and the 
 people who were catching them. The irruption 
 had burst suddenly upon that locality in the form 
 of a compact mass of crabs, a black but moving 
 carpet, rising and spreading back from the beach 
 over every thing in its path for a mile. We were 
 in a one-story house, and our chamber looked to- 
 ward the sea. They have been known to climb a 
 house-wall in solid phalanx, search a path through 
 and over the apartments in their direct line, and 
 drive the inmates to take refuge on the highest 
 pieces of furniture until they had passed. The 
 only harm they do, is to pinch somewhat sharply 
 any thing that is caught within their claws. 
 
 Mr. Holgrave heard the invading army clatter- 
 ing among the out-buildings, and thought they 
 might get into the house, but he said he was prin- 
 cipally interested in noting my unqualified bewilder- 
 ment. 
 
 " But," said he, finally, " you are no coward, 
 
160 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 Mahmadee. It is a blessing to have steady nerves, 
 and I wish you joy of yours." 
 
 I was not so sure of my courage ; but I thanked 
 him for his kind opinion, and asked permission to 
 go out and have a share in the stir of the night. 
 It was readily granted, and I was soon in the 
 midst of it. The road was lit up with scores, nay, 
 hundreds of torches, in the hands of the " crabbers." 
 Women and children, as well as men, were swarm- 
 ing, with bags and baskets, along the outskirts of 
 the steady column, gathering up the stragglers. 
 But the main body moved on, in unbroken com- 
 pactness, neither hastening nor slackening its course, 
 nothing impeding its progress, nothing diverting 
 myriads from their line. When I went out they 
 were moving in a close black sheet over a long, 
 temporary shed in the corner of the yard, and the 
 low-roofed stable adjoining it, and thence straight 
 along to the end of the back piazza, and, beyond it, 
 into the road again. I had left the house by a side 
 door, and was at once on the fretted and broken 
 edge of this wonderful legion ; and, mingling with 
 the excited crowd of hunters, I followed the current 
 up-stream for half a mile, and had not yet reached 
 the sea, nor come to the end of the column. 
 
SCENES. 161 
 
 I came upon something else, however, that 
 startled the crabs entirely out of sight. I had 
 left behind almost the last of a set of mean hovels, 
 that looked as if they were ashamed of themselves, 
 and had straggled away from the town, to get out 
 of the sight of decent people. Passing them, I was 
 picking my way along in search of where the crabs 
 started from the sea, and was thinking of nothing 
 else in the world, when a kind of groan, close in 
 front of me, caused me to lift my eyes from the 
 ground. Plainly before me, perfectly visible in the 
 flickering glare of the not distant torches, a duppy 
 Cudjoe's duppy was staring me into stone. I 
 was dumb with consternation, but I felt that my 
 senses were not disordered. I knew that it was 
 Cudjoe. He stood leaning on his staff, just as I 
 saw him when he appeared to us runaways at the 
 hut of the drunken watchman, threatening us with 
 the misfortunes that had but too surely overtaken 
 us. He slowly extended his hand, as if about to 
 renew the curse. I threw up both of mine in an 
 agony of deprecation, and recoiled a step in silent 
 dismay. 
 
 " What, you no shake hands ? Him mighty 
 high for nigga slave, but all same to Cudjoe." 
 
162 THE PKINOE OF KASHNA. 
 
 " Is that you yourself, Cudjoe ?" I exclaimed, in 
 a revulsion of feeling impossible to describe, when, 
 with the first rough, but hearty and natural, tones of 
 his voice, came the sure faith that it was no ghost, 
 but a living presence of flesh and blood. 
 
 Crab-hunting had lost its charms for that night. 
 I only cared to hear what had brought Cudjoe so far 
 from his hut, and how he came to dog our steps that 
 night. The explanation was simple enough, as such 
 marvels generally are when we obtain the clew. 
 The old rascal was a Maroon scout himself, and 
 owned he would have led us into the net the first 
 night after we met him, and so saved us " de trubel 
 to walkee, walkee, tree day, an' do nuffin," but that 
 our obstinate refusal to be guided by him, and the 
 explosion of the powder-horn, had spoiled his game. 
 He went by a short " cross-cut " over the hill to the 
 other hut, not to intercept us, for he was, in fact, 
 surprised to meet us there, but to get something for 
 his hurts, but he could not keep from "cursing" us 
 when we came so conveniently before him. He 
 owned that he put the other Maroons on the track, 
 but, to his loud indignation, the men who captured 
 us refused to share the reward with him. It was to 
 claim some portion of this and some other blood- 
 
NEW SCENES. 163 
 
 money, that he had now taken this long trip. Mr.^ 
 Holgrave extracted all this out of the old Maroon in 
 about ten minutes the next morning, while he was 
 sipping his chocolate, and, to my inexpressible de- 
 light, he assured him that all the money that ever 
 would be paid on our account had already been 
 handed over to our Maroon captors. The next 
 night, the old fellow was out again with the crab- 
 bers, and the next night after that, as well. I met 
 him on both ; for from dawn to dark, for three 
 nights, did the teeming legions swarm lip from the 
 sea, and as regularly lose themselves out of view 
 when the sun was up. The old sinner caught and 
 feasted on their delicious flesh, until, with plenty of 
 that, and the liberal aid of sundry bottles of new 
 rum, Cudjoe became consoled, and departed in peace 
 to his own rural shades. The case might have been 
 slightly different had he accepted my pressing invi- 
 tation to visit at Orange Grove the friends he had 
 entertained up among the cascades of the Agua 
 Alta. 
 
 I made another acquaintance at that time, which 
 I was fully as much delighted to retain as I was to 
 lose sight of Cudjoe and his duppy and that is put- 
 ting a strong case in the way of defining the extent 
 8 
 
164 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 of my satisfaction. Among the persons of color 
 who came to see Mr. Holgrave, was a rich quad- 
 roon, who lived two or three miles in the country, 
 on a handsome place of her own. Even the white 
 ladies of that aristocratic little Savannah-la-Mar es- 
 teemed Madam Felix for her charitable character 
 and amiable manners. She came from St. Domingo 
 with her husband, an English merchant, long a resi- 
 dent at Port au Prince, but who was forced to leave 
 the country during its sanguinary war of races. 
 He bought this estate and some other property 
 about there, in which he was much guided and as- 
 sisted by the judicious advice of Mr. Holgrave, but 
 he did not live long to enjoy his new home. His 
 death left Madam Felix a rich widow, with all the 
 right and title to the property in the amplest legal 
 form, but with a drop of gall superadded to her 
 cup of loneliness. Being tainted, though but in a 
 minor degree, with the blood of the outcast Afri- 
 can, and having been married by a Catholic priest, 
 the rank of wife and widow was denied her by the 
 ladies of pure, unmixed European descent, and she 
 submitted with singular patience to her enforced 
 position. She received, with polite hospitality, the 
 visits of a few persons of her own country, who had 
 
NEW SCENES. 165 
 
 taken refuge in Jamaica, but rarely made any her- 
 self. Mr. Holgrave was a marked exception to this 
 rule. He visited her rarely, while she called on him 
 about once a week. But then he was her solicitor, 
 and, of course, she had to consult him frequently. 
 She made her visits in the most correct style, hav- 
 ing always with her her maid Yictorine, and some- 
 times a bewitching little romp, whom she called 
 her ward, and treated like an adopted daughter, 
 and who bore the very suitable name of Aimee. 
 This spoiled child was a dark quadroon ; a shade 
 lighter than Victorine, but not so fair as Madam 
 Felix. This trio never spoke any thing but French 
 with each other, or with Mr. Holgrave, so that, at 
 first, their visits did not promise me much pleasure. 
 Madam Felix spoke very little English, and laugh- 
 ingly declared she had no use for the language, for 
 every creature she had ever seen in her life, that 
 was worth speaking to at all, understood French. 
 
 She was a liberal and indulgent mistress, and a 
 most devoted friend. I saw she admired Mr. Hol- 
 grave, and liked me because I was a favorite with 
 him, and still more, perhaps, because she noticed 
 my assiduity to serve him in the way it best pleased 
 him to be served that I was vigilant to meet every 
 
166 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 wish, and, as he often said, was quick and quiet 
 about my duties. 
 
 "You ought to live with Mr. Holgrave always. 
 He loves you and you love him. You must not 
 leave him," she said to me one day, when some of 
 Mr. Holgrave's numerous patients had called him 
 out of the parlor. 
 
 I replied, from the bottom of my heart, that I 
 wished, above all things, to remain with him. 
 
 " C^est bien. We'll manage it. I will write to 
 Mr. Davis, your master, and you must beg of your 
 mistress to favor our little plot, for the cher philo- 
 sopJie needs an honest, attentive, affectionate boy 
 like you in his sick-turns." 
 
 Here we were interrupted by the return of Mr. 
 Holgrave, and Madam Felix took her leave. On her 
 next visit, which was the farewell one, for we were 
 packing up for Orange Grove, Madam Felix made 
 me the handsome present of a fancy suit, in which 
 to recite Robin Hood in character. At the same 
 time she slipped in the letter to my master, with 
 an injunction not to mention it to any other person, 
 not even Mr. H., until my purchase should be an 
 accomplished fact. Victorine was as gracious as 
 her mistress in her parting words, rather more so, 
 
SCENES. 167 
 
 for she bade me " make haste and grow up, for 
 she was only waiting for that, to marry me." 
 
 I replied that it was an engagement ; but when 
 I attempted to snatch a kiss in ratification of the 
 bargain, she boxed my ears, and said that all the 
 kinks had been boxed and pulled out of my hair 
 for my impertinence to the girls. 
 
 Aimee, Madam Felix's lively little ward, brought 
 her parting present also, in the shape of a package 
 of her own French story-books, to which she added 
 a handsome new prayer-book in the same language. 
 This she very earnestly enjoined me to read, for she 
 said she wanted to meet me in heaven when she 
 went there with her dear Aunt Felix. I had made 
 some start in reading French, and these books were 
 a help and a consolation in many a weary evening at 
 Orange Grove. As to the Book of Prayer, I to this 
 day guard it as a peculiar treasure, though I do not 
 follow its forms. 
 
168 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE MISSIONARY. 
 
 WE returned to Orange Grove on a pleasant 
 Saturday afternoon. Tatee had come down this 
 road to meet us, though she could only courtesy to 
 the passing carriage and wave a smiling welcome 
 to me. The affectionate creature knew I could not 
 quit Mr. Holgrave and the horses, but she felt it 
 would be kind, or, as she worded it, "mo lucky," 
 if the first thing I met on my return should be a 
 friendly face, with an intimation that all was well. 
 Rachel was with the young ladies and their mamma, 
 on the front piazza, when we drove up. They had 
 all hastened out to receive their dear Cousin Hol- 
 grave, whose superior qualities they were them- 
 selves so well fitted to appreciate. While the ladies 
 were exchanging greetings and family news with 
 him, Rachel was turning my silly young head with 
 her flattering praises. I spoke "buckra for true" 
 that is, used the language of a white gentleman 
 
THE MISSIONARY. 169 
 
 and had, she assured me, " ways Visely like Massa 
 Holgrave." Heaven knows I watched and aped 
 every word and motion of my honored patron ; and 
 to be told by a disinterested observer that I was 
 precisely like him in language and manners, fairly 
 intoxicated me with delight. I paid back Rachel, 
 partly in kind, by asserting that she was the very 
 image of Belle Bessie, the prettiest colored girl in 
 Savannah-la-Mar. w 
 
 This was a quadroon, whose proper name was 
 Bessie Bell, which the white gentlemen had changed 
 to Belle Bessie. She had about the size and figure 
 of Rachel, who was a tall, comely, well-built damsel 
 of fifteen, but their faces were not much alike, for 
 Rachel had the negro cast of features, while Belle 
 Bessie, as I noticed on an after-acquaintance, had 
 a finely-cut profile of Grecian regularity. However, 
 Rachel was handsome enough to please me won<Jer- 
 fully, while she was pretending to compare me with 
 Mr. Holgrave. Besides the return compliments, I 
 repaid her absurd flatteries with a nice bandanna 
 handkerchief a tribute of gratitude from the cook 
 for my paper cure, and which I had treasured up for 
 Tatee. I never wore those things myself, affecting 
 to find them too warm under my hat, but, in truth 
 
170 THE PRINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 since I am at my confessions from a vain desire 
 not to hide my straight hair. When I recollect 
 what a clod of untempered self-conceit I was in 
 those days, I wonder how it was that my fellow- 
 servants did not beat it out of me, with sneers and 
 sharp knocks, instead of continually lavishing upon 
 me so much unmerited kindness. 
 
 Rachel, in particular comely, coquettish Rachel 
 was enough to spoil twenty yofrng fools with her 
 insinuating attentions. She forgot, in the midst of 
 our mutual flatteries, to tell me, when I first arrived 
 with Mr. Holgrave, that my old shipmate and faith- 
 ful friend Brad was in the hospital with a broken 
 arm, and that my master and the doctor were there 
 with him, when the carriage drove up ; which ac- 
 counted for Mr. Davis not being with the ladies, to 
 receive his valued friend. When he came in he re- 
 lated the circumstances to Mr. Holgrave before he 
 sat down. It seems a neighboring gentleman had 
 been taken insane very suddenly, and making his 
 way over to the Orange Grove sugar-works, he 
 frightened every negro out of it with his violent 
 language, and the energetic use of a great stick 
 which he wielded right and left. 
 
 The overseer, in spite of the astonishment such 
 
THE MISSIONARY. - 171 
 
 an apparition was calculated to produce, had com- 
 prehended the difficulty, and directed the fright- 
 ened negroes to go for their master, and bring back 
 with them a blanket or two. Meanwhile the mad- 
 man launched himself upon the book-keeper the 
 only other white man present and drove him out 
 after the flying blacks. None of the negroes re- 
 mained to defend the overseer, who was so placed 
 as to be cut off from escape by either door. The 
 lunatic flew at him, and would have ended his days 
 in that dark corner of the boiling-house, had not 
 Brad, at that critical moment, rushed in and thrown 
 himself upon the raving assailant. He caught the 
 upraised stick on his left arm, and the limb fell shat- 
 tered to his side ; but the powerful and resolute black 
 wrested away the stick with his right hand, while, 
 with head and knee, he bore the foaming maniac 
 to the ground. The overseer came promptly to his 
 aid, and, with the blankets brought for the purpose, 
 the lunatic, still raging in impotent fury, was se- 
 curely lashed in an extemporized strait-jacket. His 
 friends had followed him so closely, that this scene 
 was hardly over, when a carriage and servants were 
 on the spot to convey him home. 
 
 All this had taken place in the two hours imme- 
 
 8* 
 
172 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 diately preceding our arrival; and Tatee, who had 
 gone from her own cabin down the road to meet 
 me, knew nothing of Brad's misfortune, when she 
 informed me, by her smiling nod, that there was 
 nothing amiss among our friends. 
 
 Perhaps Brad's accident ought not to be called 
 a misfortune. It was, in fact, a blessing, though it 
 came with a veil over its face. He was such a quiet 
 and capable hand with animals, that he had charge 
 of a cart all through the late sugar-making season, 
 and his mule-team had been noticed with particular 
 satisfaction by his master as well as the overseer. 
 He happened to be passing the "works" when the 
 sight of half a dozen negroes rushing out of the 
 boiling-house in a tumult of fright, and the loud 
 voice of the overseer, called him to the rescue. At 
 the cost of a broken arm to himself, he saved the 
 life of one man whose good-will had already been of 
 benefit to him, and won the confidence of another 
 his master who had the heart as well as the power 
 to release him from many of the hardest of his slave 
 burdens. 
 
 I embraced the occasion to state to Mr. Holgrave 
 that Brad had been brought up in Africa by a man 
 who owned a large number of animals, and was a 
 
THE MISSIONARY. 173 
 
 noted horse-trainer, and he could very well fill the 
 place then held by Ned, his own servant, in the sta- 
 bles. Mr. Holgrave said little or nothing to me in 
 reply, but our master had a talk with Brad about 
 the care of horses, and in a week he was walking 
 about with his arm in a sling, the head-groom at 
 Orange Grove, and the proudest "nigga" except 
 myself, for, in the article of self-conceit, no one could 
 exceed me at that time inside of the Island of Ja- 
 maica. 
 
 The presence of Mr. Holgrave filled the Great 
 House with that sort of placid enjoyment which 
 seemed to follow him like his shadow I ought 
 rather to say, the reflected light of his own good- 
 ness wherever he carried himself. Never did I 
 know another person, who, without being at all 
 mirthful in his own moods, had such a gift for ban- 
 ishing sadness from others. He had such a fund of 
 accomplishments, was such a mine of entertaining 
 knowledge, was gifted with such a happy art of 
 finding something to engage the interest of himself 
 and every one about him, that dullness and the sul- 
 lens could not live in the same house with him. His 
 company was universally sought by all the gentle- 
 folks far and wide, but he was very sparing of it 
 
174 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 with most people. His delicate health did not per- 
 mit him to partake of the sumptuous hospitalities 
 for which Jamaica is so famous, and he made no 
 long visits anywhere except to my master's family, 
 with now and then one of a day or two, to an old 
 college-mate and brother free-mason, the eccentric 
 Mr. Martineau. This gentleman had a reputation 
 as wide as the island for his vast reading, his biting 
 wit, his odd habits, and his reckless courage. I had 
 heard Madam Felix talking to Mr. Holgrave about 
 his peculiarities, but, as it was in French, I could 
 only understand that she was laughing at ce cher 
 Martineau^ and that her more cher philosophe was 
 defending him against her good-natured criticisms. 
 
 I was highly interested, therefore, when I heard 
 my master say, as they were all at coffee after din- 
 ner, that Mr. Martineau would pass a day or two 
 with them at the close of the week. 
 
 " I hope he won't take it into that death's-head 
 of his to bury any of us alive," said Miss Emma. 
 
 " Take care, Em, what you say about your cousin 
 Holgrave's bosom friend," said her father, holding 
 up his teaspoon with a mock air of censure. 
 
 "Cousin Holgrave can't love that cross-grained 
 old horror," replied Miss Emma, no whit abashed. 
 
THE MISSIONARY. 175 
 
 " I have heard you say, papa, that he respects no 
 one on earth but Philip Holgrave, and has no pity 
 for any thing that has feelings except his own pet 
 slaves." 
 
 Mr. Holgrave asked Miss Emma if she would 
 not have a little more sugar in her coffee, instead of 
 replying to her remark; but Miss Lucy observed 
 gaily, as she rose from the table, " I have made up 
 my mind to fall in love with this redoubtable Mon- 
 sieur Martin eau. His appreciation of our cousin 
 proves that he is a man of sense, and his kindness 
 to his slaves speaks well for his heart. I shall come 
 out with my best airs and graces to make a con- 
 quest, and you, Cousin Holgrave, must help me by 
 keeping Emma from playing the rival." 
 
 Mr. Martin eau came in due season, but not be- 
 fore I had, one way and another, picked up a very 
 curious account of his life, character, and circum- 
 stances. I really wondered how such a thin, blood- 
 less creature should have the strength to sit a horse, 
 when he rode up to the door ; but he dismounted nim- 
 bly enough, and made his salutations with the air of a 
 gentleman altogether at his ease. His reception was 
 polite, though not so warm and cordial as might 
 be given to some other visitors. Still, he was the 
 
176 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 friend of Mr. Holgrave, who was the dearest friend 
 of ray master and the cousin of my mistress, and no 
 pains were spared to make his stay agreeable. 
 
 I came near dropping the plate I was handing 
 him at dinner, when he remarked " that I seemed to 
 be, in every way, the boy I had been represented, 
 and he hoped to take me back with him." 
 
 " I have not yet decided to part with him," was 
 my master's reply, and there the subject dropped for 
 the moment. I was horror-struck. The idea of be- 
 ing sold to any one except Mr. Holgrave, had not 
 crossed my mind. Yet it was too plain that, in 
 some way, my transfer to Mr. Martineau had been 
 agitated. I thought that dinner would never end, 
 although, in fact, the gentlemen did not sit very 
 long over their wine. I scanned their looks, and I 
 weighed all I had learned of Mr. Martineau, as I 
 waited upon them, but I could not reconcile my 
 mind to be sent away from the pleasant, portly mas- 
 ter of Orange Grove, to serve that grim stranger, 
 who was, at that time, under forty years of age, 
 but he appeared fifty. He was a member of the 
 Assembly for an adjoining parish, and had passed 
 the greater part of his life in Jamaica. He had the 
 reputation of having been an admirer of the ladies, 
 
THE MISSIONARY. 1YT 
 
 but it seemed to me impossible that he ever could 
 have been admired by them. His father had sent 
 him to Europe for his education, and he had gradu- 
 ated at the same college with Mr. Holgrave ; and 
 after that they had spent a year or two together in 
 France and Italy. He was much attached to Mr. 
 Holgrave, and, as I heard afterward, had rendered 
 him important services in their early life. 
 
 At last the gentlemen separated, and I was alone 
 with Mr. Holgrave in his bed-chamber. I asked 
 him anxiously whether my master thought of sell- 
 ing me to Mr. Martineau. 
 
 " He will never do so while you remain a good 
 boy. You may be assured of that, Mahmadee," was 
 his prompt reply. " Unless, indeed, you should wish 
 a new master, and asked him to sell you." 
 
 " Oh, I shall never wish it unless I can go to 
 you, sir." 
 
 "That, I fear, is out of the question, Mahmadee." 
 
 "Oh, sir, please don't say so! I hope it will 
 come to pass." 
 
 Madam Felix's letter to my master, which I had 
 delivered into his own hand, but of which I had 
 heard nothing more, now strongly occurred to me, 
 
178 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 but as I had been so strictly charged not to speak 
 of it until questioned by my master, I kept silence. 
 
 " Mr. Martineau is the warm friend of Madam 
 Felix, probably the most sincere and devoted friend 
 she has in the world," observed Mr. Holgrave, after 
 a short pause. 
 
 I caught a ray of daylight, and looked up in 
 breathless expectation, as he added, slowly, " It 
 would make a difference, perhaps, if you knew 
 that Mr. Martineau was acting for her, and not for 
 himself." 
 
 " Oh, yes, sir, a great difference," was my eager 
 reply. 
 
 "It would make no difference with me, Mah- 
 madee. None in the world," said Mr. Holgrave, 
 gravely. 
 
 " Oh, sir ! oh, Mr. Holgrave," I began. 
 
 II We will drop the subject for to-night, Mah- 
 madee," said Mr. Holgrave, in his quiet, decided 
 way; and I had no choice but to obey him and 
 retire, but not to sleep. I considered myself free, 
 now that the subject had been fairly broached, to 
 solicit the kind intercession of my gentle mistress. 
 
 I have not said a great deal about Mrs. Davis, 
 because she was one of those still, calm, amiable 
 
THE MISSIONARY. 179 
 
 ladies, of whom one has little to record. You live 
 among their kind ways and good works, as in the 
 soft summer air, in unthinking content. It is only 
 when the storms arise to trouble us that we feel 
 the beauty of the calm, and pray for its return. 
 So now my best hope was to remain with my mis- 
 tress, in the secure peace of Orange Grove, since 
 Mr. Holgrave appeared not to favor Madam Felix 
 in her plan of giving me to him. Nevertheless, I 
 still trusted to have a slight chance of pleading my 
 case with him, when I went in to take his early 
 cup of chocolate and attend to his morning toilet ; 
 but while I was waiting to hear his bell, the door 
 opened, and, to my dismay, his own man Ned walked 
 out, closely followed by Mr. Holgrave himself, ready 
 shaved and dressed to join the ladies at coffee. My 
 heart stood still. I felt that it must be all over with 
 me, since I had been thus thrust away from him, 
 and Ned called back to his regular place. 
 
 Rachel's voice, summoning me to assist in wait- 
 ing on the coffee-table, forced me from my anxious 
 broodings, and we went together into the breakfast- 
 parlor. There the circle were amusing themselves 
 at my expense no, that is not exactly just. Mr. 
 Martineau was drawing a witty comparison between 
 
180 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 the Mahometans, who made a reasonably good use 
 of an absurd faith, and the Christians, who made 
 the most absurd use of a good religion. My mis- 
 tress was observing that I was a thorough Mahom- 
 etan, though unusual pains had been taken to bring 
 me into the light of Christianity. 
 
 " Let loose upon him the Reverend Buckly. Set 
 the missionary upon him, madam. He will run him 
 down in a week," said Mr. Martineau, turning upon 
 me his pale, solemn face, and glittering eyes. 
 
 " You mention Mr. Buckly as if he were a 
 bloodhound, or a Maroon at the very least," Miss 
 Lucy remarked, with a slightly reproving smile. 
 
 " You have expressed it perfectly, Miss Davis," 
 and the pale, ugly face turned on its long neck to- 
 ward her. "He is, spiritually speaking, a blood- 
 hound on the tracks of the unregenerate ; an evan- 
 gelical Maroon in chase of unbelieving runaways. 
 The description could not be more accurate." And 
 then those terrible eyes traveled back and settled 
 on mine. 
 
 " Pardon me, Mr. Martineau," replied Miss Lucy, 
 still smiling, " this description of Mr. Buckly if it 
 is a description is yours, not mine. I have never 
 seen the gentleman." 
 
THE MISSIONARY. 181 
 
 u I have no doubt it is near enough the mark," 
 said Mr. Davis, setting down his coffee-cup. " Half 
 these missionaries are but wolves in sheep's cloth- 
 ing. I would as soon see the boy a decent Ma- 
 hometan, as such a Christian as they will make 
 of him." 
 
 "My dear!" began Mrs. Davis, in a tone of 
 mild remonstrance, when Pompey entered to an- 
 nounce 
 
 " The Reverend Mr. Buddy? 
 
 11 Speak of the devil, and so forth eh, Hoi- 
 grave?" said Mr. Martineau, as the gentleman in 
 question the missionary, of course, not the black 
 one entered the room. 
 
 He was a short, compact, coarse-featured man, 
 with thin, reddish hair, and eyebrows to match; 
 by no means handsome or elegant, nor was he, on 
 the other hand, decidedly ill-looking. He had at 
 that time a clear, rosy complexion, and full, red 
 lips, inclined to a pleasant smile. He looked so 
 much fresher and kindlier than Mr. Martineau, that, 
 seen side by side, the missionary was a perfect beau- 
 ty compared to the planter. 
 
 A Jamaica gentleman makes it a point of honor 
 to treat every one who seeks the shelter of his 
 
182 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 roof with attentive politeness that is, every white 
 person of tolerably decent appearance and the mis- 
 sionary was immediately set at ease, both in body 
 and business. He was making " a tour of religious 
 observation," he so explained it, preaching to the 
 blacks on the several estates, where the planters 
 did not object, and organizing Sunday-schools where 
 it was practicable. He said he had done both " with 
 happy success at Martineau's Hall." Here I opened 
 my eyes very wide, and Mr. Martineau bent his 
 head in confirmation. Miss Emma slily pinched 
 her sister, who returned the compliment with her 
 fingers, while her lips smiled a polite approval of 
 these pious proceedings. Meanwhile, Mr. Buckly 
 had gone on to say that he had also been permit- 
 ted to preach to the slaves on the estate of Madam 
 Felix, and was not without hopes of establishing 
 a Sunday-school in that vicinity, under her direct 
 patronage. 
 
 " I was under the impression that Madam Felix 
 was a strict Roman Catholic," observed Mrs. Davis. 
 
 " So she is, at present, madam, but God has en- 
 dowed her with a feeling heart, and, I trust, under 
 Ilis grace, she may yet be a brand snatched from 
 the burning." 
 
THE MISSIONARY. 183 
 
 At these words I intercepted a curious glance 
 simultaneously directed to the immovable face of 
 Mr. Martin eau from both Mr. Holgrave and my 
 master; but as my duties in the breakfast-parlor 
 ended in serving the missionary with coffee and a 
 sandwich, I was forced to withdraw my inquisitive 
 ears and eyes. 
 
 Most of the missionaries were at first looked 
 down upon by the gentry, who did not approve of 
 their holding forth to the negro population, or teach- 
 ing them any other doctrine than unlimited obedi- 
 ence to their masters. They were regarded as 
 needy hypocrites, who came "to act the shark with 
 the quashies, and live out of their calabashes." A 
 later and more intimate experience has cured me of 
 this false and uncharitable judgment, but at that 
 time I naturally believed with the white gentry, 
 whose positions enabled them to form more exact 
 opinions of each other than a poor black boy could 
 be expected to attain. 
 
 Through the thin vail of their politeness I could 
 see that my master and his family had no respect 
 for Mr. Buckly, though he bore an excellent char- 
 acter among the negroes and people of color. He 
 was, however, very severe in his denunciations, and 
 
184 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 had a great deal to say about hell-fire, which he 
 described in such red-hot colors that Mr. Martineau 
 used to say the words issued from his mouth in a 
 blaze of fire, and had burned his very whiskers and 
 eyebrows. These were red by nature, and rather 
 thin and straggling. His eyes were also red, and 
 ever in motion, and this Mr. Martineau attributed 
 likewise to the brimstone within him, and the con- 
 suming fire which nothing quenches. The preacher 
 was devout with me, however. I was ordered to 
 attend him to his room when he retired, and before 
 he would let me off he made a long prayer for my 
 conversion, beside favoring me with a general lec- 
 ture on my lost and depraved condition. I had to 
 kneel with him, but saved my faith whole by repeat- 
 ing to myself with great zeal and rapidity all the 
 verses of the Koran I could heap together, without 
 stopping to consider their sense or connection. 
 
 Before he dismissed me, the reverend gentleman 
 dropped some remarks about Mr. Martineau and 
 Madam Felix, which had a quicker and more en- 
 lightening effect on my mental darkness than all 
 his preaching. He suspected Mr. Martineau of 
 being a pretender to the affections of the rich 
 quadroon, and I half suspected his reverence of a 
 
THE MISSIONARY. 185 
 
 similar proclivity. I rather liked the interest of 
 such a game, and, at all events, was not backward 
 to hint my belief that the rich, amiable, and hand- 
 some widow would not give her heart to a face like 
 Mi*. Martineau's. 
 
 The planter had represented the missionary as a 
 spiritual Maroon, and I was inclined to believe him, 
 The missionary broadly hinted that the planter was 
 a godless reprobate, and I believed him too. As I 
 passed my master's door to put out the parlor lights, 
 I heard him say, confidentially, to my mistress, that 
 the island could not produce such another brace of 
 disagreeables as the pair of them, and, like a dutiful 
 servant, I implicitly accepted his opinion. 
 
186 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE PLANTER. 
 
 WHATEVER of good or ill the white gentlemen 
 might think of each other, the poor black boy did 
 not find the way any the clearer to the haven of 
 his hopes. 
 
 When my day and evening duties were over, I 
 prostrated myself in prayer in a corner of the gar- 
 den, and I fervently besought Alia to help me to lib- 
 erty ; but I was no Christian, and did not ask God 
 for the grace to accept my lot in humble faith. I 
 invoked the spirit of my mother, and of Hadji Ali, 
 whom I now counted among the blessed, to come 
 and guide me. Arising from the ground, I wan- 
 dered round to the far side of the wing, in which 
 Mr. Holgrave and his friend Martineau had their 
 sleeping-rooms, in the faint hope of seeing lights, 
 and finding them still up. The light was not out, 
 and I peeped through Mr. Holgrave's lattice to see 
 whether he was reading, as was his custom when 
 he could not sleep as too often happened for the 
 
THE PLANTER. 187 
 
 good of his health. He was in bed, with the light, 
 transparent musquito-curtains disposed around it 
 for the night ; but Mr. Martineau stood by the table, 
 lighting his cigar, and even as I put my eyes to 
 the slats to look in, he approached to throw the 
 window open. He then seated himself on the ledge, 
 with his face inclined outward, that the smoke of 
 his cigar might be wafted abroad, and not trouble 
 his friend, who, I may *as well remark here, never 
 used tobacco in any form. 
 
 " You are too fastidious, Holgrave. You are 
 childishly scrupulous, I tell you," said Mr. Marti- 
 neau, as he settled himself in the window-seat, and 
 I subsided behind the rose-bushes nearly under it. 
 I had no time to get away, or do any thing but 
 drop down in this ready ambush. Mr. Martineau 
 was evidently pursuing a conversation broken by 
 his lighting a cigar, and had fixed himself in a 
 place to enjoy both. I did not catch Mr. Hoi- 
 grave's answer, but he did, for he replied pettishly, 
 "Sheer nonsense! She is rich enough to give you 
 half a dozen boys like this Mahmadee, and never 
 feel it. Besides that, Davis is behaving like a 
 prince as he always does and names a price be- 
 low what he gave for him, half his value, in short." 
 
188 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 " Once for all, Martineau, I am too poor to 
 accept such presents, and I will not," said Mr. 
 Holgrave, distinctly. I was afraid they would 
 hear my heart beat; its throbs sounded to me 
 louder than the low, clear voices of the gentle- 
 men. 
 
 "You are cursed ungenerous, beside being an 
 idiot," was Martineau's next speech. " Our poor 
 friend has her heart set upon it. She has taken 
 it in her head that this charcoal prince worships 
 you, and that, next to herself, he would be the best 
 nurse in creation in your sick-turns." 
 
 " I am sorry to oppose her wishes, for she is 
 one of the best of women," said Mr. Holgrave, 
 gently. 
 
 " There is not a better woman no, nor a more 
 perfect lady in Jamaica," was Mr. Martineau's an- 
 swer, as he knocked the ashes off his cigar. I did 
 not consider his face so very ugly, after all, as he 
 leaned a trifle toward my hiding-place, in his earn- 
 estness. It is true it was rather in the shade from 
 his attitude, and only presented in profile. 
 
 " She certainly deserves a better fate than to 
 marry that bigoted zealot Buckly," remarked Mr. 
 Holgrave, slightly moving in his bed. 
 
THE PLANTER. 189 
 
 " Marry the devil !" said the planter, scornfully. 
 " She never threw away the tenth part of a thought 
 on the vulgar, canting hypocrite. We insult her 
 in supposing it." 
 
 "Possibly; but I suspect he is thinking very 
 seriously of her," was Mr. Holgrave's bland re- 
 
 Pty- 
 
 If Mr. Holgrave brought up the preacher to 
 
 divert the* planter from pressing me as a gift upon 
 him, he hit the nail on the head. Mr. Martineau 
 tossed away the remnant of his cigar, and, without 
 reverting again to poor me, retired to his own 
 apartment. I crept out of my hiding-place, and, 
 after hesitating a minute or two, concluded not to 
 intrude upon Mr. Holgrave that night. 
 
 I had thus accidentally learned that it would 
 be useless to trouble my mistress about selling, or 
 not selling me, and I resolved not to speak on the 
 subject, even to Mr. Holgrave ; but from that night 
 an intense longing for personal freedom began to 
 possess me. How or when it was to happen I 
 could not discern, but that it must and would hap- 
 pen, and that I should some day belong to myself, 
 settled firmly into my mind. It was as sure as 
 death. Death and freedom might come very nearly 
 
190 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 together, but liberty would come first. I should 
 die as I was born, free. 
 
 Yet I was very unhappy at losing the hope of 
 living with Mr. Holgrave. I loved him almost with 
 the passionate tenderness I had felt for the lost 
 darling, and at the same time with the dutiful I 
 may even dare to say the filial devotion due to a 
 kind, and wise, and inexpressibly venerated parent. 
 
 Mr. Buckly had obtained the consent of my 
 master and mistress to preach and baptize among 
 the slaves, who greatly preferred his vehement min- 
 istrations to those of the Episcopal curate. The 
 house-servants and I generally among them at- 
 tended family service, which was regularly read in 
 the Great House every Sunday, either by my mis- 
 tress or one of the young ladies, one or the other 
 of whom remained at home for the purpose, even 
 when all the rest went to church. There was the 
 most perfect toleration at Orange Grove, only that 
 all the field-hands were advised and expected to go 
 and hear Mr. Wodenlone or attend the Wesleyan 
 Chapel if they did not like the regular Church 
 service at least every other Sabbath. The family 
 service and its catechism-class were held more ex- 
 clusively for the servants attached to the house and 
 
THE PLANTER. 191 
 
 grounds. The maids, waiters, cooks, stablemen, 
 gardeners, and so on, made a congregation of about 
 twenty blacks. The Sunday after Mr. Buckly's first 
 appearance on our stage, he held forth to a most 
 respectful and believing audience of field-negroes, in 
 what was called "the old trash-house," which the 
 overseer had caused to be cleaned and fitted up as 
 a kind of free chapel. The negroes may not have 
 understood all he expounded to them, but it was 
 devoutly received ; and the melody of their hymns, 
 as it floated over to us at the Great House, touched 
 me more than any thing I had yet heard or seen of 
 the Christian religion since I was brought a man- 
 acled slave within the sphere of its teachings. 
 
 The young ladies and their father had gone in 
 the carriage to the Episcopal church, and Mrs. 
 Davis read the service to those of the servants who 
 had not begged permission to attend Mr. Buckly's. 
 Mr. Holgrave was a prisoner in his room, and I in 
 attendance on Kim, under one of his periodical 
 attacks. His complaint had baffled the best physi- 
 cians, so he had taken his case entirely into his own 
 hands. "Diet and care are the only doctors I re- 
 quire," he used to say ; and, during the six months 
 in which I was constantly near him, I had learned 
 
192 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 to prepare his ptisans and the various little messes 
 which he liked, and agreed best with him, more to 
 his taste than either the cook or 'Ned. 
 
 " I shall be sorry to part with you, Mahmadee," 
 he said to me that Sunday, as I was arranging his 
 room. "I like your neat and handy ways, to say 
 nothing of your being able to read to me when it is 
 not prudent to read myself, and yet am not sick 
 enough to dispense with my books altogether ; but 
 it is impossible to make any arrangements about 
 you until I return from England. If I live to return 
 at all," he added, with a half sigh. 
 
 "Return from England, sir?" I exclaimed, in 
 consternation, for it was the first hint I had heard 
 of such an intention. 
 
 " Yes, I have about decided to go there in the 
 spring. I have business there which will detain me 
 several months, and I may be absent a year or 
 more." 
 
 " Oh, take me with you, sir. Do take me with 
 you, dear, dear master," and I sank on my knees be- 
 fore him, in an outburst of tears and supplication. 
 
 " So I would, Mahmadee, if I felt able to buy 
 you, but I am not. I do not mind telling you for 
 I know you are a discreet boy that I am in debt, 
 
THE PLANTER. 193 
 
 and that every pound I spend is so much added to 
 it. My only object in taking this voyage is to col- 
 lect the remnants of my father's property, that I 
 may clear off those galling incumbrances, and, if pos- 
 sible, settle myself on a small coffee-estate." 
 
 " But, if you will only take me with you, I will 
 return with you, and Mr. Davis will not lose his 
 slave." 
 
 " Will you swear to that, Mahmadee ?" 
 
 " Yes, by the sacred stone of Mecca, by the soul 
 of my father, by Allah and his Prophet, I will swear 
 to come back freely, if my master will let me go 
 with you." 
 
 How I did plead for the privilege of riveting 
 my own fetters ! and I did it in deep sincerity, for 
 the idea of losing Mr. Holgrave drove, for the time, 
 out of my heart, all my dreams and resolutions about 
 becoming a free man. 
 
 Mr. Holgrave was evidently moved, but he only 
 said, after reflecting a moment, " Go, now, and send 
 in Ned." . I did so, and in less than half an hour, 
 ISTed came to me, and, with a sour look, said gruffly, 
 " Mr. Holgrave wants you." I flew to him. He lay 
 with his face to the wall, and he did not turn toward 
 me, as he said quietly : 
 
194 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 " Ned has an old promise from me, to be taken 
 to England, and have his freedom whenever I should 
 go, and he will not consent to wait for his freedom 
 until my return." 
 
 "Ned will not wait until his master returns?" 
 I repeated, in amazement at his master's condescen- 
 sion. " Ned dare to say that ?" 
 
 " It was promised to him, and is, therefore, his 
 right. Tell him to bring in my ptisan, and I will try 
 to sleep." 
 
 I found Ned in the center of" a gaping circle of 
 the out-door servants, setting forth his brilliant pros- 
 pects of freedom, and a residence in England. 
 
 " What will you do with Ettee and the children, 
 if you settle in England ?" asked Pompey, coming 
 into the ring of excited auditors. 
 
 " I'll send for the old woman when Pse settled 
 down home" Ned answered, with a grand air. 
 
 " You'll have to buy her freedom first, I s'pose ?" 
 said Pompey, scoffingly. 
 
 " In course I will, ef I don't marry some rich 
 buckra widow out dere," said Ned, candidly. 
 
 " You had better carry your master his ptisan," I 
 put in, impatiently. " If you attend to him in this 
 way, he may not live to take you home" 
 
THE PLANTER. 195 
 
 This talk of going home, as everybody in Ja- 
 maica, black and white, styles the mother country, 
 chafed my bruised spirit beyond bounds. It did not 
 tend to soothe me, to* hear from Rachel that even- 
 ing, that my master had offered to keep ISTed in my 
 place, and that she heard him also say to my mis- 
 tress, that he was ready to accommodate Mr. Hoi- 
 grave in any way whatever about me, for there was 
 not another boy in the county of Cornwall that 
 would suit him so well, but that Mr. Holgrave felt 
 bound to take Ned and decline me. 
 
 Soon after this, Mr. Holgrave returned to Savan- 
 nah-la-Mar, Mr. Buckly went to make a round of 
 missionary visits, and I took up my arithmetic, un- 
 der my old mulatto teacher, in his evening school. 
 Rachel, too, was smitten with a desire to learn to 
 read, and her mistress consented to her going to 
 the evening school with me, part of the week, 
 though, truth to say, she tired of it very soon, and 
 threw up school and spelling-book together. Still, 
 the fit lasted long enough to help console me in 
 the dull and lonely first weeks that followed the 
 departure of Mr. Holgrave to his own house. 
 
 Rachel and Tatee were my comforters in every 
 
 difficulty one by her arch, unfailing cheerfulness, 
 a* 
 
196 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 and the other by sound advice and warm sympa- 
 thy. Tatee. had a fixed belief that I was to acquire 
 my freedom by dint of learning ; how she did not 
 exactly see, any more than I did myself, but it 
 seemed to her contrary to nature that a man 
 should remain a slave who could read and write, 
 and "preach buckra" as she, and the other slaves 
 who had heard me declaim, called my "Robin 
 Hood" and other recitations in verse. 
 
 " You are but a boy yet, Mahmadee, and you 
 must have patience," she said to me, one Saturday 
 afternoon, while she was helping me to weed the 
 flowers I had planted around darling Henry's little 
 grave. " You must wait till you are a man, to be 
 free. It won't come till then ; for what would a 
 boy do with his freedom ? But when it does come 
 to you, you must help me buy my freedom, too." 
 
 " I certainly will, if ever I am able, Tatee and 
 Brad's, too," I said, half in jest, but half in earnest 
 as well, for I had again begun to dream dreams of 
 belonging to myself. 
 
 " Brad does not expect you to give him free 
 papers ; he wants to take care of your horses, the 
 same as he takes care of buckra master's," said 
 Tatee, with perfect seriousness. This was too mag- 
 
THE PLANTER. 197 
 
 nificent. It brought me back to my real situation ; 
 and I laid my head on the little mound beside me, 
 not to pour out unavailing tears, as I had done so 
 often, but to talk to Tatee about the probabilities 
 of Mr. Holgrave buying me on his return from 
 England, and eventually giving me freedom, as he 
 was about doing by Ned. That seemed my hap- 
 piest hope, and Tatee was as sanguine that nothing 
 else could happen, as if the facts were visibly be- 
 fore her. She started up. 
 
 " There is a horse coming. It must be the mas- 
 ter. Run, Mahmadee, and open the other gate for 
 him, and I will see to this one. There was a mere 
 bridle-path, but little used, that passed by the grave- 
 yard. This "cross-cut" lane had two outlets, one 
 to the sugar-works, which Tatee went to open, the 
 other by a separate gate, close to the corner of 
 the burying-ground, and this opened by a picket 
 gate directly into the lawn. I stood ready to wait 
 upon it, but it was a stranger, a rather handsome, 
 well-dressed, well-mounted man ; but even while 
 I took off my hat and held open the gate, with the 
 humility becoming my position, there was that in 
 his face and mien which secretly enraged me. He 
 checked his horse midway in the gate, and, turning 
 
198 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 in the saddle, measured me with a supercilious stare, 
 and asked if there was not a " straight-haired nigger 
 on this estate named Prince." 
 
 "There is a man named Prince on the estate, 
 but he has not straight hair," I compelled myself 
 to say, in perfectly respectful tones, and in as cor- 
 rect English as he used himself. 
 
 " Ah, I recollect now, he is a prince himself, 
 and his name is Mammy Dear," drawling out the 
 name affectedly. " I have something for him from 
 Martineau Hall," drawing a package from his pocket. 
 
 I curbed my rising temper, and said: "I pre- 
 sume it is intended for me, sir ; my name is Mah- 
 madee." He mimicked my expression. 
 
 " I presume your sable highness is right. There 
 it is, Mammy Dear," and throwing at, rather than 
 handing to me, the little parcel, he spurred on, 
 and left the gateway free to be secured again. 
 The package was from Mr. Martineau, and con- 
 tained seven bulbs of a fine white lily, for Master 
 Henry's grave, with directions about the planting 
 and time of bearing. If planted at once, and care- 
 fully tended, they would give a succession of flow- 
 ers from Christmas to Easter. Mr. Martineau had 
 noticed the rose-bushes at little Henry's grave, and 
 
THE PLANTER. 199 
 
 observed that a close row like a miniature hedge 
 of white lilies would be the most appropriate or- 
 nament for the grave of a young child. I was sur- 
 prised to hear any thing about flowers come out 
 of a head like his ; and how much greater was my 
 surprise at his having had the kindness to send 
 them to me! I planted and watered the precious 
 bulbs before I left the place, and then I walked 
 to the house in such a state of gratitude to Mr. 
 Martineau, that I was ready to forgive and forget 
 the tyrannical airs of his messenger. I say tyran- 
 nical, for what else is it, when a white man abuses 
 the advantages of his complexion to insult one who 
 has given no provocation, who has even been cir- 
 cumspectly exact in his deference, and only be- 
 cause his victim cannot resist or resent? 
 
 When I attended the supper-table, the visitor 
 was not there, though the family had a great 
 deal to say about a Mr. McGregor, a master-me- 
 chanic, who had made very handsome work of re- 
 building the sugar-works at Martineau Hall, and 
 of repairing the Hall itself, and, still more, of his 
 undertaking a large still-house, on an improved plan 
 of construction, at Orange Grove. 
 
 "Martineau writes me that he is a superior 
 
200 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 workman, and has made good use of his seven 
 years in Scotland," said my master to his lady, 
 while I was waiting on the supper-table. " He 
 has given high satisfaction at Martineau Hall." 
 
 " Did he pass for white there ?" put in Miss Emma. 
 
 " My daughter !" said her mother, in a tone of 
 grave warning. 
 
 " Oh, I only asked out of innocent curiosity," 
 said the young lady, carelessly. " I am sure I 
 hope he will come and build up all you want, 
 papa, in no time, and then we may get the bil- 
 liard-room you promised Lucy and me if we would 
 speak French together for a year." 
 
 cc Which you do, at the rate of twenty words 
 in a week," replied her father. " Your billiard- 
 room will be a long time in building, if it keeps 
 time with your French." 
 
 " The girls do better than you give them credit 
 for," interposed their indulgent mother. "But I 
 shall insist upon a more steady practice of French, 
 for I intend to hold their papa to the new billiard- 
 room. It will be a great resource in a rainy day, 
 especially when we have friends staying with us." 
 
 " The billiard-room is, I see, a settled thing. 
 There is no escape for me, it appears, and I will step 
 
THE PLANTER. 201 
 
 over to the overseer's house and talk to McGregor 
 about that, with the rest of the plans." 
 
 So this insulting stranger was a master-builder, 
 who was coming to do plenty of work here, and he 
 "passes" for white. That expression puzzled me, 
 and I was still pondering over it, when my master 
 went by me into the parlor, with a quick step, and 
 said, in a hurried, anxious tone, " Holgrave is very 
 sick, McGregor tells me so sick, that Martineau 
 has gone down to stay with him." 
 
 " It is singular that he has not sent to inform us, 
 if he is seriously ill," observed my mistress. 
 
 "He is so delicate about giving trouble to his 
 friends!" said Miss Lucy, who seemed to read his 
 heart better than any one. " How I wish he were 
 here, or had Mahmadee with him! Could you not 
 send Mahmadee to him, papa ?" 
 
 Mr. Davis looked at his wife, as if to consult her 
 wishes. 
 
 " I think we may spare him," she replied to his 
 looks. 
 
 " Then he may go to-morrow morning," said my 
 master, instantly, " and as early as he can get off." 
 
 " I could start before daylight, if master pleases," 
 I said, as composedly as I could manage to utter it, 
 
202 THE PKINCB OFKASHNA. 
 
 for I wanted to borrow wings and fly to him that 
 instant. 
 
 "So you had better, Mahmadee. Go tell the 
 cook to put you up something for the road, while 
 I write your pass and a note to Mr. Holgrave." 
 
 The pass was written, the preparations made, 
 and all my directions received, including many kind 
 messages from the young ladies and my mistress 
 for the family loved Mr. Holgrave more like a 
 brother than a cousin before ten, and I was at 
 liberty to start as early in the morning as I liked. 
 I went to Pompey, to ask him to answer the bell 
 for me, if, by any chance, my master should ring 
 for me in the night, and then set off on my long 
 walk to Savannah-1 a-Mar. It is called twelve good 
 miles from Orange Grove to Savannah-la-Mar, and I 
 was at Mr. Holgrave 7 s door before one in the morn- 
 ing. All was still in the house, and, judging from 
 this silent calm that the master was sleeping, I threw 
 myself on the floor of the piazza, to wait for daylight, 
 without disturbing anybody. I awoke at about the 
 dawning, a little chilled and stiff, but happy to find 
 myself so near Mr. Holgrave. 
 
 At fair daybreak I marched into the kitchen, and 
 startled up the cook, who was, however, very glad 
 
THE PLANTER. 203 
 
 to see .me, for, beside being a favorite with her, I 
 told her I had come to cure her master. She in- 
 formed me that he was a little better now ; that 
 Mr. Martineau had staid with him three days, but 
 went home yesterday ; that her master had no appe- 
 tite, and was still too weak to sit up. " Hi ! dere 
 him bell now, and Ned done jes gone wid him 
 horses. Him mighty soon (early) dis ere mormnV 
 
 "Never mind, Mrs. Bates, you know I can do 
 as well as Ned for Mr. Holgrave." And I bounded 
 to the door of his bed-room. I opened it gently, 
 and stepped inside. 
 
 "Bring me something to drink," was all Mr. 
 Holgrave said, as he lay with his back rather toward 
 me, his thin white hand still resting on the bell-rope, 
 as if it was too much of an effort to remove it. 
 
 I went softly to a covered pitcher, poured out 
 some of the contents in a glass, laid the letter from 
 my master beside it on the waiter, and carried it 
 to the side of the bed. Mr. Holgrave extended his 
 hand to take the glass, and, raising his eyes at the 
 same moment, they met mine, suffused with heart- 
 felt emotion. 
 
 " My dear, good boy," said he, grasping my 
 hand. 
 
204: THE PBINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 Those words, and that gentle pressure, would 
 have repaid me for ten thousand hours of bondage. 
 
 My master's note Mr. Holgrave told me to read. 
 It was- only this : 
 
 "MY DEAR HOLGRAVE I send you Mahma- 
 dee, with my deep regrets for your illness. Keep 
 him as long as you please. My wife and the girls 
 desire me to say that they forbid the boy's return 
 to Orange Grove while you are on the island, unless 
 you will come with him for a long visit, which, we 
 all pray, may be very soon. 
 
 " Ever faithfully, yours, 
 
 . L.DAVIS." 
 
 "My master writes a beautiful letter," I ex- 
 claimed, in unbounded satisfaction. It seemed 
 to me almost like a deed of manumission. 
 
 "Pithily, and to the purpose, for us, Mahma- 
 dee," replied Mr. Holgrave ; and that was all he 
 ever said about it to me, but he had a fuller con- 
 versation with Mr. Martineau, when he joined us, a 
 few days afterward, one that finally settled my fate, 
 though not immediately. 
 
 Mr. Holgrave gradually recovered his usual 
 health, and I settled down in my old way, attending 
 
THE PLANTER. 205 
 
 to my duties, studying my lessons regularly, keep- 
 ing my journal, and reading poetry and novels 
 when I could get them at every spare interval. 
 
 Mr. Martineau made us two or three visits, to 
 the immense annoyance of the cook, who was firmly 
 persuaded that he was a cruel monster, a sort of 
 ogre, who had an unquenchable thirst for human 
 blood, and she averred to me, in the most solemn 
 manner, though, of course, under the strictest 
 pledge of secrecy which I trust that every one 
 who has it from* me will respect as religiously as I 
 have done that she knew he often buried his slaves 
 alive. After one of Mr. Martineau's visits, I ventured 
 to hint to Mr. Holgrave that very cruel things were 
 reported about that gentleman among the blacks, 
 and especially that he was much given to burying 
 people alive. Mr. Holgrave then gave me his own 
 brief version of a very singular story, which I after- 
 ward had confirmed by other parties, and which 
 is so odd, even for " that eccentric wit Martineau," 
 that it is worth recording. * 
 
206 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 
 
 MR. MARTINEAU was such a remarkable man, 
 and made such a figure in the scan. mag. of Jamaica, 
 that he shall have a chapter all to himself. As he 
 
 : 
 
 is now beyond the reach of friend or foe, and has 
 left no one behind him that will be pained in the 
 slightest by the recital, I shall tell the story, as I had 
 it from those who knew the facts, point by point. 
 He was an only child, and inherited a handsome for- 
 tune, but he gave himself up to riotous living until 
 he run out, one after the other, three valuable sugar- 
 estates. At thirty-eight, he had no other income 
 than the commissions he received on Ms own late 
 property, as " managing attorney," as we call, in Ja- 
 maica, those very expensive agents who control the 
 incomes and estates of rich absentees ! These he hnd 
 secured in a way not less peculiar than his general 
 mode of life and his striking personal appearance. 
 After becoming so involved as to be unable to 
 
A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 207 
 
 pay even the interest on his mortgages, from the 
 diminished proceeds of the estates, he submitted 
 quietly to the usurpation, as he called it, of his 
 creditor. The creditor successively possessed him- 
 self of all the three properties, which Mr. Martin eau 
 yielded, almost without any opposition, upon a 
 promise of being allowed still to be attorney for 
 them, and to draw his commissions six per cent. 
 on the proceeds. The commissions were consider- 
 able ; and, though a portion of them was appropri- 
 ated to the payment of the other debts, he still re- 
 tained nearly as good an income as the nominal pro- 
 prietor was able to derive from his investment 
 some said a better one. The new proprietor, not 
 finding the returns at all satisfactory, put these es- 
 tates up for sale hi England, and Mr. Martin eau con- 
 trived to have them bid in for him at the auction, 
 by means of paying down five per cent, upon the 
 price for which they sold. The purchases were 
 never completed ; notwithstanding which, Mr. Mar- 
 tineau re-entered as proprietor. Being on the spot 
 and in actual occupation, as attorney, this was no 
 difficult matter. Having already lamented his folly 
 in once resigning them, he was determined to keep 
 what he could, and to try whether force and in- 
 
208 THE PRINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 trigue together would not secure him against a sec- 
 ond abdication. His accounts became more and 
 more confused ; his management was not improved ; 
 and the rest -of the purchase-money remaining un- 
 paid, the British capitalist, still holding a mortgage 
 from Mr. Martineau, as a second time proprietor, 
 sued him again in chancery, for restitution of the 
 estates and arrears. In course of time he got an 
 order, and proceeded again to sale. Here was con- 
 fusion on confusion. Mr. Martineau was summoned 
 to give up possession ; judgment after, judgment was 
 obtained against him, and the deputy-marshal be- 
 came a frequent visitor in the neighborhood. Some 
 few of the negroes were levied on, but, in spite of 
 the law officers, he contrived to keep possession for 
 several years, until the mortgagee died, and his 
 rights devolved, by inheritance, to a young man 
 born in the island, but who had then just finished 
 his education, and been called to the bar in Eng- 
 land. 
 
 This young gentleman, being of a somewhat ro- 
 mantic turn of mind, determined on personally eject- 
 ing Mr. Martineau, and forthwith transported him- 
 self to the island for the purpose. He arrived, and 
 finding the island-marshal actually fearful of enforc- 
 
A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 209 
 
 log his judgment, he had himself made a deputy- 
 marshal for the sake of serving his writ in person. 
 He came, with a couple of negro-servants, to the 
 abode of Mr. Martineau, stating, however, his real 
 name and his desire to see the property. 
 
 Mr. Martineau knew, therefore, whom he was 
 called upon to entertain ; and very courteously did 
 he entertain him. Mr. Martineau was ever hospita- 
 ble and disposed to good-fellowship. He received 
 his guest as became him, feasted him, plied him, 
 though not unreasonably, with wine, and amused 
 him with his conversation. In short, he did the 
 honors of the house so well, that the stranger's 
 heart was touched, and he almost felt reluctant to 
 produce his writ and complete the important busi- 
 ness in which he had embarked himself. After a 
 long pause in their conversation, by which Mr. Mar- 
 tineau had begun to suspect what was coming, the 
 young man essayed to open his budget. 
 
 " I am afraid," said he but he could proceed no 
 further, for the other caught him up in a moment, 
 by exclaiming that he should fear nothing. 
 
 "Fear nothing!" repeated Mr. Martineau, "I 
 have no fears." 
 
 "No fears?" rejoined the young gentleman. "I 
 
210 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 am not a coward, but there are some things which 
 deserve to be respected, if not feared. I am afraid 
 of infringing the laws of hospitality." 
 
 " Not a whit," said Mr. Martineau ; " you cannot 
 do it here. This is Liberty Hall, my dear sir." 
 
 The stranger thanked him, and again attempted 
 a movement toward his exculpation. 
 
 " You know my situation ; my uncle's will ; I 
 am his heir-at-law. I have come out with full 
 powers." 
 
 Mr. Martineau smiled, and helped him to a glass 
 of wine. " Powers !" said he, " powers ! full powers 
 full bumpers ah, sir, my service to you ; we do 
 not care here for the powers above ; we have a great 
 contempt for all powers. This is Liberty Hall, sir ; 
 therefore, say and do what you like. Believe me, I 
 shall set you the example of so doing, if you are 
 backward." 
 
 "Why, then," replied the stranger, "here is a 
 writ I have against you"; and, to insure its being 
 served according to law, I am myself a deputy-mar- 
 shal, and you are my prisoner. As heir-at-law to my 
 uncle, and, with this order from the court of chan- 
 cery, I take possession of this house and estate." 
 
 So saying, he took the key of the door out of the 
 
A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 211 
 
 lock, put it into his pocket, walked across the room, 
 replaced it, and sat down again, in no little confusion. 
 Mr. M. only smiled, and begged the gentleman to 
 realize that he was entirely at home. 
 
 " I am your guest instead of you being mine. 
 Very well. You see this is Liberty Hall. "We shall 
 now understand each other. But will you not drink 
 to your guest ? Boy (to a negro within hearing), 
 bring more wine." 
 
 Another bottle of Madeira is placed upon the 
 table, and Mr. Martineau having in a parenthesis, 
 as it were sent for the head-driver, wittily enter- 
 tains the heir-at-law, and tries his utmost to re- 
 store the equanimity which the youth had lost, 
 talking of any other subject than the one in ques- 
 tion, to beguile the time. It was growing dusk 
 when the driver arrived, a sturdy sambo, with a 
 neck like that of Hercules, whose name he bore. 
 He had his long whip coiled two or three times 
 across his breast, from shoulder to hip, and, hav- 
 ing made obeisance, asked his master's orders. 
 
 " Open the door, Hercules, and call the waiting- 
 men. He whispered in his butler's ear, making, 
 however, an apology to his guest or his host and 
 told another waiting-man to go and fetch a spade. 
 10 
 
212 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 " I shall give you possession," said he to the stran- 
 ger, " in due form a handful of the soil." 
 
 The young lawyer was a little puzzled at the 
 conduct of Mr. Martineau, not knowing whether 
 he was serious, not serious enough, or too serious. 
 " A spade," thought he, " cannot be necessary." 
 
 "Have you arms?" said Mr. Martineau. 
 
 The youth had not, but Hercules was directed 
 to search his coat-pockets for pistols. 
 
 "We must have nothing with our wine but 
 your powers," said Mr. Martineau, always smiling. 
 " Nothing but your powers nothing." 
 
 Hercules was a little confounded, though he 
 executed his master's orders faithfully and civilly, 
 laughing, however, as if he thought it a kind of 
 practical joke. The gentleman was not refractory, 
 and the waiting-man returned with the spade by 
 the time the search was completed. 
 
 " The negroes are there," said he. 
 
 " Then come in, and shut the door," replied 
 Mr. Martineau. "Now, Hercules, pull up this 
 plank in the floor, and that, and the next to it." 
 
 The lawyer began to imagine that perhaps there 
 might be some treasure concealed below, which the 
 proprietor wished to take away with him, and 
 
A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 213 
 
 looked on, a patient spectator, while Hercules, with 
 the assistance of Simon, the butler, and by means 
 of the spade, tore up the planks designated by 
 their late master. There was an interval of a foot 
 beneath, between the earth and the floor timbers, 
 which last were wide enough to allow a man to 
 pass through them, and to dig the soil up. 
 
 Mr. Martineau bid Hercules descend and dig ; the 
 negro obeyed, and turned a spadeful on the floor, 
 which the young aspirant handled, either for pos- 
 session's sake, or to see the nature of the soil. Mr. 
 M. made signs to Hercules for more. " Dig," said 
 he, "dig heartily, dig a hole in short, dig me a 
 grave." 
 
 The lawyer shuddered as he laughed. Could 
 it be that his discomfited host was about to make 
 away with himself in despair, or rather, that he 
 would affect to do so, by way of trying some ex- 
 periment on the feelings of the young man? He 
 bad been confounded at the search for arms, and 
 all this was a new perplexity. 
 
 Hercules dug, and Simon looked on. The 
 sun had just set when the work began, and a 
 ruddy twilight gleamed into the room through the 
 open jealousie. The lawyer sat with his back to 
 
214 THE P BINGE OF KASHNA. 
 
 the window, and contemplated in silence, for some 
 time, the effect of the fading light upon the fea- 
 tures of Mr. Martineau, as well as the bewildered 
 expression upon those of Simon. Mr. Martineau 
 looked grim and melancholy, sighed now and then 
 profoundly, and the countenance of Simon sad- 
 dened, perhaps by sympathy; at least the lawyer 
 thought so, especially as, during the labor of Massa 
 Hercules, the light so died away that these ex- 
 pressions ceased to be any longer visible. But in 
 the dark the young man's fancy illuminated them 
 afresh, and gave to them a still more gloomy char- 
 acter. There was no treasure, no box of parch- 
 ments, no title-deeds, to account for the operation ; 
 and Mr. Martineau, becoming still more melancholy, 
 almost groaned as well as sighed. 
 
 " What wiU you do ?" said the lawyer. " What 
 is this pit for?" 
 
 Hercules had by this time almost buried him- 
 self; the grave was five feet deep, and the interval 
 between the earth and the floor timbers had sunk 
 him out of sight. Still he toiled on until his mas- 
 ter bade him stop. Hercules desisted, and ascended 
 in a foam of perspiration. Mr. Martineau poured 
 him out a tumbler of wine, and bade him rest him- 
 
A SINGULAB ADJUSTMENT. 215 
 
 self, and recover his strength. He then walked to 
 the window, and closed the jealousie. 
 
 " We will have no noise," said he, taking off his 
 neckcloth, "I would choose to die with decency; 
 would not you, young bailiff?" 
 
 The lawyer's heart sank within him. His imagi- 
 nation had conceived, no doubt, the idea of such a 
 purpose ; but he had combated it. 
 
 u Die !" echoed he " die ! you are jesting, Mr. 
 Martineau." 
 
 The host groaned again the lawyer moved to- 
 ward the door. 
 
 " Stir not," said the host ; " this grave is made for 
 you or me, or both. You, Simon, guard the door 
 you, Hercules, are either my slave or this man's ; if 
 he buries me, swear both of you to obey him, and 
 never to betray him ; never to own how I came by 
 my death. Swear, swear in your own fashion." 
 
 He made them swear upon a prayer-book, and 
 imprecate all sorts of curses in case of perjury. 
 
 " JSTow, if I bury this young marshalman, you 
 must be just as true to me." 
 
 They swore again. 
 
 "Lawyer," said he, "heir-at-law, deputy-mar- 
 shal, man of powers here is my handkerchief; I 
 
216 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 give it to Hercules. There are some dollars in it ; 
 guess if they are odd or even. If you guess right, I 
 swear that you shall bury me if wrong, you shall 
 descend into the grave. But you must make no 
 noise. We will not use violence. This is no mur- 
 der ; this is as fair as any other duel. Fortune shall 
 decide for us. You have, it is true, deceived me, 
 taken unfair advantages you came as a spy and a 
 traitor, and have broken the sacred laws of hospi- 
 tality. You came with powers to seize me, and im- 
 prison me, and to confiscate the possessions of my an- 
 cestors ; but let that pass. You are in my power ; 
 I can inter you alive or dead : but I will take no un- 
 fair advantage. You have entered the lion's den to 
 exterminate the lion ; and the lion takes up his own 
 line of battle. Are you agreed to the terms of this 
 arrangement ?" 
 
 " No, no," exclaimed the barrister, " I am not 
 content. I will not abide by any such agreement. 
 I will not bury you, if I guess right ; nor will I con- 
 sent to be buried myself, if I guess wrong. In short, 
 I will not guess at all." 
 
 " If you decline- the chance," said Mr. Martineau, 
 " there is nothing left but to dispose of you at once, 
 
A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 217 
 
 or to guess for you. Simon shall take your guess 
 for you. Cry, Simon, odd or even." 
 
 " No, no," again rejoined the lawyer. 
 
 " Silence !" retorted the host, " there is no other 
 alternative ; guess, or die." 
 
 He moved toward him, ordering Hercules also to 
 advance. 
 
 " One word, and you are dead ; our business ad- 
 mits of no other compromise, my brave bailiff. I 
 must be ruined, or you be buried. If the turn of this 
 trial of fate decides my ruin, I would rather die 
 than live." 
 
 So saying, he and Hercules closed up on each 
 side of the lawyer, and Simon, shaking the money, 
 cried, "Even" 
 
 " It is odd," said Hercules, opening the handker- 
 chief. "'Here are five pieces." 
 
 " Why did you speak for me ?" demanded the 
 agitated young man. " Let me try my own chance ; 
 but, for God's sake, Mr. Martineau, spare my life ! 
 Let us do no murder. I forego my advantage ; let 
 me depart as I came, and let the writ be served by 
 a regular officer." 
 
 "No, no," Mr. Martineau replied, "this is too 
 late ; you have staked all upon a die ; you must 
 
218 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 abide the throw ; your hour is come ; death is, after 
 all, no great matter ; we must all die ; dust to dust. 
 This is a vile world, not worth the living in. By 
 leaving it at once you will avoid the miseries that I 
 have suffered." 
 
 Here the young man made a spring, as if he 
 would escape from the window, but Mr. Martin eau 
 caught him by the arm, and said, with set teeth, 
 fiercely, " Be quiet, sir ! If you repeat that, we'll 
 strangle you at once." Then he added, more pa- 
 cifically, " You shall have steel or poison, opium or 
 brandy, to give you courage or insensibility, which 
 is another word for it but you must die." 
 
 He continued to hold his victim gently, yet firm- 
 ly, by the arm, while Hercules assisted him on the 
 other side. The lawyer chbked with the intolerable 
 thirst of fear, and gasped for breath and life before 
 any sort of force was used " Mr. Martineau, Mr. 
 Martineau, for Heaven's sake, don't murder me ! 
 Murder!" Hercules stopped his mouth with his 
 hand ; he could proceed no further. 
 
 " If you cry murder again," said Mr. Martineau, 
 " all is over. Dare not even attempt to call out. 
 See where you are ! But you shall have your 
 chance. Take you the handkerchief, put in it what 
 
A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 219 
 
 you please, and I will guess, and stand to my lot. 
 He took out and pocketed his own five pieces in the 
 dark. While he was doing this the lawyer, in a 
 subdued tone of voice, entreated Mr. Martineau to 
 swear that he would abide by the decision, and at 
 least allow him life and liberty, if he guessed 
 wrong. 
 
 " No, don't hope it. You must bury me, or I 
 must bury you ; I and you must swear to it," said 
 the host. 
 
 " I cannot, I will not swear !" gasped the almost 
 frantic lawyer. 
 
 "You must, you must no trifling swear, or 
 get into the grave !" 
 
 tc O Heaven !" exclaimed the youth, " was ever 
 man so mad ? Liberty Hall !" 
 
 The host grasped him : " Swear !" 
 
 " I swear, then." 
 
 The lawyer wrapped up a handful of pistoles in 
 the neckcloth, not knowing if they were odd or 
 even. He gave them to the negro. 
 
 t Count them into his hand," said Mr. Martineau. 
 " I say they are odd for every thing is odd in this 
 world, and in this house." 
 
 Hercules began : " One, two, three." The law- 
 10* 
 
220 THE PBINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 yer knew that there were many more. He shud- 
 dered still in the grasp of his opponent, who never 
 flinched a whit "Four, five, six" the "seventh" 
 fell down on the floor, and rolled to Simon's feet; 
 it was recovered. 
 
 " Keep it, Simon," said the lawyer, " and save me." 
 
 .Hercules went on : " Eight, nine, and ten." The 
 negro stopped. The tale might be no more " Eleven, 
 twelve." 
 
 " How many are there ?" sighed Mr. Martineau, 
 " twelve ?" 
 
 " This is thirteen, and this is all," said Hercules, 
 having forgotten whether his master had cried odd 
 or even. 
 
 "Your money shall lie with you," whispered 
 Mr. Martineau ; " what do you wish to do ?" 
 
 " Oh, let me commend my soul to God !" They 
 lifted him up, and placed him in the grave, where 
 he fell down flat in despair, with his face down- 
 ward, waiting for the earth to be heaped on him. 
 "Yet, hold a. moment," he cried again. "I may 
 still save my life, and give up all ; hold, Mr. Mar- 
 tineau." The negro threw in a spadeful of earth. 
 " Keep the estates ; let me go back to England ; I 
 renounce all." 
 
A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 221 
 
 " For what ?" said Mr. Mart/mean. 
 
 " For my life." 
 
 " For your forfeited, lost life ?" 
 
 ' Yes, yes, for my forfeited, lost life !" repeated 
 the young deputy-sheriff. 
 
 " What security have I that you will keep your 
 promise ?" 
 
 " My word of honor. My oath." 
 
 " That will not do, sir." 
 
 "My bond, then. A discharge in full of all 
 demands." 
 
 " Such an act would require witnesses." 
 
 " I will write a legal satisfaction, a receipt in full 
 on the back of the writ," urged the lawyer, anx- 
 iously. 
 
 " Ah, do you swear to that ?" 
 
 " I will I do ; so help me Heaven so help me 
 God I" 
 
 Mr. Martineau sent Simon for a light, and led 
 the lawyer into the piazza. A book-keeper was 
 ordered up from the overseer's house, and wit- 
 nessed the payment of thirteen pistoles to the 
 deputy-marshal, in full of all demands, from John 
 
 Sylvester S , against the estates of Alexander 
 
 Martineau. "No question was asked, no unneces- 
 
222 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 sary word spoken; the signature was witnessed, 
 and the book-keeper dismissed, while Hercules and 
 Simon returned into Liberty Hall, and filled up 
 the grave again. Mr. Martineau followed them, 
 leading in his guest, and, with his own hands, as- 
 sisted to complete the job by sweeping in the rem- 
 nants of the dust with a clothes-brush that lay on 
 the sofa. He even jested upon the whole transac- 
 tion ; but his guest had no appetite left for jesting. 
 Although it was night, he chose to decamp with 
 his two negroes who had been locked up in the 
 hospital during this affair rather than accept a 
 bed upon the premises to which he had now re- 
 signed all claim. 
 
 The lawyer considered himself bound by his 
 agreement, notwithstanding the circumstances which 
 had forced him to enter into it ; but Mr. Martineau 
 had compassion enough to forego it, and pay his 
 debts. He held the estates in trust, and paid a 
 certain portion of the annual proceeds to his friend, 
 the deputy-marshal, who retired to the mother 
 country, and professes to be satisfied with the con- 
 signments of produce he received. 
 
 By the judicious sale of his claims such as they 
 were on his other properties, he cleared his best 
 
A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 223 
 
 estate, Martineau Hall, of all incumbrances ; and, 
 as I have already stated, he consigned the produce 
 of his estate, for several years, to his British cred- 
 itor, until all was settled. Neither of them was 
 ever heard to complain of the peculiar mode of 
 the grand adjustment. The young lawyer had, as 
 report went, a decided aversion to the discussion 
 of the subject, and so Jamaica society did not 
 choose to take up the story too closely on the ec- 
 centric planter. 
 
 Mr. Martineau settled down on his estate, and 
 devoted his time to the business of making sugar 
 and rum. He never sold a slave, and would never 
 buy any ; but those he had, throve and multiplied 
 under his personal supervision. He lived handsome- 
 ly and hospitably, as is the custom of the Jamaica 
 ^planters, but he mingled as little a he well could 
 in the society of the fair sex. He owned nearly a 
 hundred slaves, which was not far from the number 
 at Orange Grove ; but it was believed that although 
 he was, like Mr. Davis, a humane master, he drew 
 a larger revenue from his property than my master. 
 
 It was believed by Madame Felix's servants that 
 Mr. Martineau was in love with their mistress " for 
 good and true," but that Mr. Buckly was " courtin' 
 
224: THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 her for lub of de Lord and to save her blessed soul," 
 and they were nearly unanimous in the wish that 
 she would marry the preacher " if she must give 
 we a master," they would say, in proviso, for she 
 had not a slave on the property who did not think 
 that she and they were best off as they were. 
 
 Madam Felix played them off against each other, 
 or rather, she used to beat off the attentions of 
 the reverend suitor by communicating some rather 
 alarming particulars about Mr. Martineau. The 
 preacher could see that he was a man to be dreaded. 
 He would almost lose his ruddy color when the 
 planter bent upon him those fearful eyes of his, 
 with their fixed, unwinking stare. The sound of 
 his slow, measured step, as he walked up and down 
 the room, turning upon him at every wheel one of 
 those unearthly looks, was always sufficient, at any 
 time, to drive Mr. Buckly out of the house in five 
 minutes. The approaching sound of the ungodly 
 planter's voice or step was a spell upon the car- 
 riage and demeanor of the holy man. His own 
 voice and gait became constrained, and he never 
 failed to instantly retire from the field. How far 
 he knew the real truth of the burying-alive tale I 
 cannot vouch, but the facts were as I have stated 
 
A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 225 
 
 them. I had a version of it from Hercules, a por- 
 tion of it from Mr. Holgrave, and I heard Mr. Mar- 
 tin eau relate some parts of the drama himself, to 
 that gentleman. When asked if he would have 
 really buried the lawyer, but for his capitulation, 
 he evaded an answer. Probably he had counted on 
 the young man's fears, and calculated on the actual 
 result. Both chances had turned in his favor, and 
 when I knew him he was in possession of the 
 fruits of his audacity. 
 
 Until I knew both their characters more inti- 
 mately, I wondered much how a man of Mr. Hoi- 
 grave's mild disposition and delicate tastes could be 
 attached as he certainly was to such a law-de- 
 spising creature as Mr. Martineau. But it was still 
 more singular to me to see and hear the planter in 
 Mr. Holgrave's sick-room. He was as quiet, pleas- 
 ant, and attentive as any woman could be, and his 
 conversation was always witty and acceptable. 
 When Mr. Holgrave was comparatively well, the 
 planter would often nearly petrify me by his savage 
 way of looking at me, and with many a short decla- 
 ration that the patient "ought to be hanged," or 
 shot, for not doing this or that for himself; but the 
 climax of all was a threat, one day, that he would 
 
220 THE Pit INGE OF KASHNA. 
 
 bury me alive if I neglected certain directions he 
 was giving me. I thought that was too serious for 
 him to jest about. I got used to his ways, and, to 
 my own intense surprise, grew attached to him. 
 He received graciously my thanks for the lily-bulbs 
 which Mr. Holgrave was informed, in a note 
 from Miss Lucy, were all doing well and promised 
 me plenty more when Mr. Holgrave returned, and 
 we should be settled on a place which he said 
 though Mr. Holgrave did not confirm it we were 
 next year to live upon in the Mountains of St. Eliz- 
 abeth. It was a place, he declared, so very healthy, 
 that when the inhabitants tired of life, they were 
 obliged to commit suicide, or go somewhere else 
 to find death. 
 
 Madam Felix, who happened to be present, 
 asked him why he did not, at once, seek the benefit 
 of those mountains for himself. 
 
 "Because I am sacrificing myself to save you 
 from the fangs of the missionary Maroon," he an- 
 swered, not with the smile of a gentleman uttering 
 a jest or a compliment, but with the same immov- 
 able face with which he would threaten to bury me 
 alive, or tell Mr. Holgrave he would shoot him. 
 
 At last the time arrived for the breaking up of 
 
A SINGULAR ADJUSTMENT. 227 
 
 the attached circle. In May, Mr. Holgrave sailed 
 for England, Mr. Martineau retired to his planta- 
 tion, and I went back to my master at Orange 
 Grove. 
 
 Mr. Martineau had been recalled to his planta- 
 tion about ten days before Mr. Holgrave's depart- 
 ure, and only returned, to say farewell, the day 
 before he embarked. During that time, Madam 
 Felix, and her maid Victorine, were in Savannah- 
 la-Mar almost every day, to attend to various little 
 matters. The gay, rattling Mademoiselle Amee 
 would come with them to see " Mahmadee, our Ma- 
 hometan," because, as she constantly declared, she 
 wanted to make him a Christian. She was natu- 
 rally very tender-hearted, and she had associated, 
 somehow, such dreadful ideas of deceit and cruelty 
 with my particular faith, that it became almost a 
 passion with the child to have me renounce it. She 
 had, before that, teased her godmother, Madam 
 Felix, into buying me a handsome prayer-book ; and 
 now, after gravely instructing me in the Apostles' 
 Creed, she exacted a parting promise that I would 
 say the Lord's Prayer every day. It was a singular 
 request for such a lively, romping little girl to make ; 
 but it was made, and I kept the promise. 
 
228 THE PRINCE OF KABHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 MY FIRST LOYE. 
 
 I CARRIED back a heavy heart to Orange Grove. 
 Nothing looked bright and hopeful about the place. 
 The cloud on my own spirits seemed to dim the very 
 sunshine. Yet there was, at first, but little real 
 change. Brad was still head-groom, and my morn- 
 ing duty at the stables was little more than a pleas- 
 ant chat with him. My light work was mere pas- 
 time, for I love horses, and am not a lazy fellow. 
 Tatee had a little boy, which she wished to have 
 baptized by my name, Sidi Mahmadee, but Mr. 
 Buckly objected. He had become the prophet and 
 high-priest of about fifty slave families belonging 
 to Orange Grove and the adjoining plantation. 
 Among his most zealous converts were. Dickie 
 Smith, Tatee's husband, and my old shipmate Bryan. 
 How that fellow would sing the " praises of the 
 Lamb " on Sunday, and how he would rave and tear 
 at his brother-Christians the rest of the week ! Yet 
 
MY FIRST LOVE. 229 
 
 Bryan was not a bad man at heart, and far from being a 
 cruel driver for he was now a driver over the African 
 gang of field-hands only he had a savage manner 
 and a hasty temper. Mr. Buddy's unction of grace 
 never went deep enough to cure that, as one person, 
 at least, learned to his cost but that was at a later 
 day. Dickie Smith, the cooper, was an affectionate 
 mate to my good friend Tatee, and she naturally 
 adopted his ideas on religion. Having passed her 
 "probation," she was to be married and baptized 
 on the same day. Other couples were to share in 
 the same rites in company with her and her husband. 
 Dickie and his fellow-slaves had been in the habit 
 of taking their wives as Adam had taken Eve, but 
 the pious missionary would receive noire to the 
 Lord's Supper, in full membership, who lived to- 
 gether in this primitive disregard to forms. The 
 overseer and book-keepers sneered at this strictness, 
 and affected to believe that " Brudder Buckeye" was 
 only looking to the little presents which the very 
 poorest and most thriftless of the slaves will con- 
 trive to scrape up and offer their pastor on these 
 occasions. But truth is truth. I never liked Mr. 
 Buckly, from first to last. I had my own reasons 
 for not respecting him; but, in all his inconsistent 
 
230 THE PRINCE OF KABHNA. 
 
 wanderings, he was never any thing but true and 
 untiring in his labors with and for the slaves. 
 When Quashie brought his mate with him, to ask 
 the marriage-blessing, or Quasheba brought her 
 picaninny to receive its name and place in Christian 
 life, Mr. Buckly was always ready with an encourag- 
 ing word, and he has officiated more than once when 
 it would have been far more to his personal comfort, 
 and just as agreeable to the whites about him, to 
 have omitted the occasion. 
 
 There was always a great feasting among the 
 slaves when the sugar-season closed. They had a 
 week allowed them to work in their ground, feast, 
 frolic, or have prayer-meetings, at their own choice 
 and pleasure. Several slave couples used the occa- 
 sion to be married, and others had their children 
 baptized. My friend Tatee did both, and was her- 
 self baptized and married on the same Sunday. To 
 marry five couples, baptize eleven children and three 
 adults, preach two sermons, and review the singing- 
 class in the evening, was not a light day's work for 
 the missionary, but Mr. Buckly was equal to the 
 emergency. He would not christen Tatee's baby by 
 the unchristian name of Sidi, but he so far humored 
 the wishes of the mother as to give it the name of 
 
MY FIRST LOVE. 231 
 
 Sidney, which she accepted as a fair English substi- 
 tute. The child grew up to answer to the name of 
 Sid, which was exactly what my playmates in Kash- 
 na generally called me, so that we were namesakes, 
 after all. Tatee herself was baptized Kitty, and 
 both her own Houssa name and the Beauty, writ- 
 ten down for her on the slave-book of the estate, 
 were rubbed out by the new Christian appellation. 
 A general feast to provide which, all the parties 
 assisted with " bread-stuff," as they call yams, 
 cocos, potatoes, and cassava, from their own gar- 
 dens, and the master contributed rum and sugar for 
 the punch wound up the holiday. I had but little 
 shave in any part of it. The house was full of com- 
 pany, and I was kept so busy early and late, that it 
 was only by stealing an hour or two from the time 
 needed for sleep, that I could gratify Tatee I beg 
 her pardon, Mrs. Kitty Smith by attending her 
 wedding-supper. 
 
 Directly after this holiday, the alterations and 
 repairs about the buildings were pressed with vigor 
 rigor would be the better word, for never, while I 
 knew the place, were all the slaves kept so unremit- 
 tingly to work. The usual amount of labor was car- 
 ried on in the field, the service in the house was 
 
232 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 even increased, for there was an unusual influx of 
 visitors, and yet every week there were one hundred 
 days of extra work called for and done too on the 
 buildings. To meet this increased demand for labor, 
 only three men mechanics from an adjoining estate 
 were hired. To perform all this additional work, 
 boys and women had tasks almost beyond their 
 strength imposed upon them. All tMs was the 
 work of Mr. McGregor, the Scotchman, as he called 
 himself, though we blacks were not slow to learn 
 that he was born on the island, and only sent young 
 to Scotland for his education. He gave it as his 
 opinion, that the estate-force was quite sufficient for 
 all purposes with proper management and that 
 piqued the overseer into undertaking to have it 
 done. He drove up the drivers, and they drove the 
 poor slaves nearly to death. The field and the build- 
 ing work went on well and rapidly, however ; and 
 that, with his visiting and visitors to occupy him, 
 was about all my master had time to inquire into. 
 Brad worked hard in the stables, for Pompey and I 
 had no chance to give him a helping hand. 
 
 At the close of the summer, Rachel had to go to 
 the overseer's house to take the place of a stout wo- 
 man, who was drafted for some heavier duty else- 
 
MY FIRST LOVE. 233 
 
 where. One new maid-servant, a free French quad- 
 roon from St. Domingo, who could not speak Eng- 
 lish that being, in fact, her principal merit was the 
 only increase of help to meet the increased house du- 
 ties, and she did not half, no, nor quarter, make up 
 for the absence of Rachel. I had to rise at dawn to 
 have the hall, sideboard, and coffee-table ready for 
 the early hour at which it is usual to take the morn- 
 ing-cup in Jamaica. Then there was breakfast, lun- 
 cheon, dinner, and supper. There were rides, and 
 dances, and tableaux, and finally, a series of parlor 
 dramas, to be arranged and waited upon ; and, one 
 night with another, I seldom tasted repose until mid- 
 night or past. 
 
 It was a singular time, for a boy of fifteen, to se- 
 lect for falling in love or fancying he was in love 
 which is just as bad. When I now look back at my 
 absurd sufferings, I smile with a sort of incredulous 
 contempt at their imagined bitterness, but my heart 
 was sore enough then. When I first came back to 
 Orange Grove after Mr. Holgrave had sailed for 
 England, Rachel laid herself out to drive away my 
 low spirits. I had shot up into a tall youth, nearly 
 or quite as tall, indeed, as I ever became, used bet- 
 ter language, and had more correct manners thanks 
 
234 THE P BINGE OF KASHNA. 
 
 to Mr. Holgrave's training than any black, slave or 
 free, I had ever seen, or she either ; and, above all, I 
 had self-conceit enough to stock the whole planta- 
 tion. In one word, I thought myself entitled to 
 make love to any damsel of my own condition, that 
 came in my way. Rachel was older than I by, 
 perhaps, two years, but that was no objection to a 
 lover of fifteen, and she, at first, did not seem to re- 
 gard the difference in our ages as an obstacle to our 
 love-making. It is true she was of a much lighter 
 shade than I, for, though Pompey, her father, and 
 Myrtilla, her mother, were both of them fully as 
 dark as I am, Rachel, their only child, was, by one 
 of those unaccountable freaks of Nature which occa- 
 sionally occur on plantations, a clear mulatto; but 
 she was not scornful because she was of a more fa- 
 vored complexion. I declared my love and admira- 
 tion in every form and at all seasons, that I could 
 command, and, if she did not exactly profess to love 
 me in return, she certainly allowed me and all the 
 rest of the servants as well to understand that I 
 stood foremost in her good graces. She permitted 
 me to speak to Pompey, and ask him to obtain the 
 consent of my master to our marriage at a suitable 
 time. The old man made no objection, except that 
 
MY FIRST LOVE. 235 
 
 we were too young ; but we expected to wait awhile, 
 and he was satisfied. Myrtilla proposed that I 
 should make myself a Christian, and be baptized 
 for my stubborn Mahometanism was a standing 
 theme of surprise and disapprobation in the house- 
 hold but when I anxiously submitted this delicate 
 point to Rachel, she replied, with the easy liberality 
 of perfect indifference, that "such Christians as 
 Massa Buckly makes are plenty as rats on this es- 
 tate, and I wants none of 'em." 
 
 Thus accepted and sustained, what more could 
 be desired ? For a few weeks I was in the seventh 
 heaven of contentment, only in place of the innumer- 
 able houris, which await the true believer there, I 
 had but one lively, ready-witted, dark-skinned dam- 
 sel to comfort me here below. She suited me, how- 
 ever, much better than the distant beauties of para- 
 dise. The unusual number of visitors pressed some- 
 what hardly on both of us, but I contrived to relieve 
 Rachel of some hours' labor by sitting up later at 
 night. The silver, of which there was a good deal 
 in daily use when the family was large, had been 
 thrown upon us to clean and account for, and it was 
 happiness for me to coax her to take an hour's rest 
 
 on the wide hall-lounge, while I attended to the 
 11 
 
236 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 plate, and when the last spoon and dish-cover had 
 received its polishing touch, to wake her with a 
 light kiss and tell her our work was all finished, 
 and she could go to her night's rest without care 
 for the table duties of the morning. Then she 
 would say so kindly : " You are too good, Mahma- 
 dee, to do all my work, as well as your own, but I 
 was so tired !" 
 
 Part of the company went away, and then, the 
 overseer having Mr. McGregor at his table and Mr. 
 McGregor's room to be taken care of, Rachel had 
 to go over there to wait on the table and do the 
 chamberwork. It was impossible for me to relieve 
 her there, for I was incessantly occupied at the 
 Great House through the day ; but she had to be 
 at hand every evening, for Rosa, the new French 
 girl, was raw then, and useless to my mistress, who 
 did not speak any language but English. But 
 Rachel was no longer the same to me, after she 
 began to wait at the overseer's house. She became 
 cold and distant; and when I entreated her to let 
 me know in what I had offended her, she cut me 
 off with short answers that bruised my very heart. 
 She refused my assistance, when, in the hope of 
 softening her sudden hardness to me, I would hang 
 
MY FIRST LOVE. 237 
 
 about and watch the chance to offer it. I grew 
 wildly jealous at last, and accused her of deceit, 
 and of breaking her engagement. She laughed 
 scornfully, and denied the engagement. I must be 
 crazy, she said, to suppose she had ever thought of 
 a boy like me. I think she did set me half crazy, 
 but she never would have had that power over 
 me if she had not, in the first place, flattered and 
 fooled me with a very winning show of affection. 
 
 I had not the sense and resolution to take my 
 dismissal like a man, for I was, alas, but a fond and 
 foolish boy. I could not give up Rachel. I would 
 have bought her with my heart's blood. I would 
 have turned Christian for her sake, and was ready 
 to be married to her in church. I went so far as 
 to tell my tnistress so, but she, who was once so 
 bent on my Christian salvation, only laughed at me. 
 
 I appealed to Mr. Buckly, but he told me I must 
 learn my catechism, and look out for some other 
 girl. 
 
 I went to the overseer, who told me to call 
 again, in two years' time, and he would give me an 
 answer. I applied to the parson of the parish, who 
 called me a sensual beast, and said he would not 
 baptize me under such circumstances. 
 
238 THE PEINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 No one had a word of comfort for me. Pom- 
 pey told me I was a fool, and so did his wife ; but 
 none among them all put me on the right track, 
 until Tatee that is, Kitty Smith sent for me, and 
 said, without much preamble : 
 
 "That white-faced master-builder is a-going to 
 stay at Orange Grove, and he picks out Rachel to 
 be his housekeeper. That's the whole story, my 
 poor Mahmadee, and there is no use in your fight- 
 ing against it. Rachel sets herself up for a grand 
 lady, now, and will never look at a black boy again, 
 if he is a king's son." 
 
 It was as clear as the sunshine, but it was too 
 much for my strength. The fatigue, excitement, 
 and unseasonable hours, joined to the worry of my 
 pursuit of Rachel, and the bitter shocl of the final 
 disappointment, overcame me. I was taken sick, and 
 ordered into the infirmary by the estate doctor. I 
 was not kept to my bed more than three days, but it 
 was a fortnight before I was able to return to my 
 duties, and it was nearly two months before the doc- 
 tor would allow me to take hold of any kind of 
 heavy work. 
 
 This Dr. Marsh was the same gentleman who 
 passed us on the road the night we ran away, and 
 
MY FIKST LOVE. 239 
 
 whom Bryan was wild enough to propose to rob 
 and kill. I had opposed the motion, and Brad, in 
 particular, had sided with me, when I declared it 
 should not be done, and that I would call out and 
 warn the doctor if Bryan attempted to approach 
 him. I had almost forgotten the circumstance, and 
 in no case whatever would have dreamed of reveal- 
 ing it; but, to rny surprise, Dr. Marsh mentioned 
 it to me himself, and asked how such a mere child 
 as I was at that time had dared to oppose myself 
 to a powerful savage like Bryan. I attempted to 
 evade the question, by saying I could not see how 
 any one could get up such a story about poor Bryan. 
 
 " Bryan himself is my authority for the story," 
 said the doctor ; " and I only want to hear from 
 you what induced you to oppose him so stoutly." 
 
 "I believe it was from my horror of the crime 
 of murder," I answered. 
 
 " It was not, then, from a calculation of the 
 consequences?" pursued the doctor. 
 
 " I was too young for much calculation ; but I 
 hope that old affair won't bring Bryan into trouble 
 now," I said, anxiously, for there was no mercy in 
 those days for the negro who had threatened the 
 life of a white man. 
 
240 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 " Be at ease about that," the doctor said. " The 
 confession tumbled out head foremost when he was 
 sick, and I would have then asked you about your 
 own part in it, if you had not been absent attending 
 my friend Mr. Holgrave. I like your, courage." 
 
 I did not see any courage in it, to speak of, but 
 I was pleased to receive the approbation of the doc- 
 tor, for he was quite a personage at the Great 
 House. 
 
 Dr. Marsh was always esteemed by the family, 
 and about that time had become a frequent visitor. 
 He also began to take notice of me, and finally fell 
 into the habit of hearing me read and recite poetry. 
 He was a tall, thin man, and had been very sickly 
 in England, and in Jamaica, too, for some time. 
 But he had been brought up a doctor for his father 
 was one before him and knew how to manage his 
 complaint, which was an affection of the lungs. He 
 was a rather silent and reserved person, but with a 
 great fund of knowledge in his long head. He was 
 a very fine musician, too, and a poet. He wrote 
 verses, and painted landscapes in water colors, for 
 the mistress. He used to accompany the young 
 ladies when they played the piano, and he gave 
 them lessons in drawing. This gentleman gave me 
 
MY FIRST LOVE. 241 
 
 a Latin grammar and a Corderius, though rather 
 against the consent of my master, who did not ap- 
 prove of my education being extended to the dead 
 languages, perhaps because he had very little recol- 
 lection of them himself. However, I begged hard 
 to be allowed to learn, and he consented, though 
 with a sort of growl. 
 
 " So our prince wants to be a black bishop, as he 
 can't be a king. Well, in for a penny, in for the 
 pound." 
 
 My memory is of the strongest stuff. It holds 
 any and every thing. But of all things I ever piled 
 into it, the contents of that Latin grammar were the 
 least relishing. Yet I as regularly dosed myself 
 with a page or two of it, while I was cleaning the 
 plate, as I counted the spoons. It helped me to 
 forget my foolish passion for Rachel. 
 
 My mistress had not been altogether pleased 
 with her transfer to the overseer's house, and her 
 face was almost as rarely seen at the Great House 
 as mine in the region of the "works" which was 
 never. The overseer and book-keepers were a dis- 
 tinct circle from the family society. It was a step 
 in the direction of the laboring herd, but only a 
 step, for the distance between any white man and 
 
242 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 a being stained with the African tint, even though 
 but in the fourth or fifth degree, was inconceivable, 
 immeasurable. Dr. Marsh used to style our three 
 classes on the plantation lords, commons, and peo- 
 ple. Mr. Davis was the sovereign and a pretty 
 absolute one, too of the whole community. 
 
 During my illness my old mulatto teacher came 
 to see me, and had a great deal to say about my 
 gifts and my learning, and of my duty to behave 
 like the son of a king, and of being looked up to 
 accordingly. These visits were paid to me while I 
 was confined to the estate hospital for negro visit- 
 ors are not much tolerated to the servants of the 
 Great House and did not then much attract my 
 notice, but after-circumstances raised them to an 
 alarming significance. I had ceased to be his pupil, 
 when I had learned of him considerably more of 
 arithmetic than he knew himself; but I had assisted 
 him pretty regularly with his singing-class on Sun- 
 day evenings, until Mr. Buckly made his appear- 
 ance. It was only when the missionary joined forces 
 with the schoolmaster, in the .pious determination 
 to bring me into the Christian fold hy the hair of 
 my head, that I beat a retreat. 
 
 In the busiest time, with more visitors and fewer 
 
MY FIBST LOVE. 243 
 
 servants than usual, my indulgent mistress, and the 
 kind, considerate Miss Lucy, would grant me per- 
 mission to attend the singing-class; but Rachel's 
 coquetries, and the mortification and illness that fol- 
 lowed the loss of her fickle heart, had kept me away 
 for many weeks. The mulatto teacher now urged 
 me to come to the singing-school, if not to sing, at 
 least to see my old friends. Mr. Buckly had col- 
 lected such a number of " sacrament members and 
 probationers" (I use his own phrase, and hope it is 
 correct), that the Sunday evening was not suffi- 
 cient, and had to appoint a singing-practice for the 
 "ladies and gentlemen of that standing on Thurs- 
 day." Again I use his own words, and therefore I 
 again venture to hope I am quite correct. On at- 
 tending the Thursday night singing-practice, I gen- 
 erally met, beside our own people, a large collection 
 of slaves from the plantations on each side of Orange 
 Grove, who had permission to come and sing hymns 
 with their neighbors. They were not all, nor even 
 a majority of them, of Mr. Buckly' s special congre- 
 gation ; but the Baptists, Wesleyans, and Moravians 
 have many sacred songs in common, and it was not 
 a subject of surprise that members of the different 
 faiths should meet to sing them together. So, for 
 
24:4: THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 a time, I found a soothing relief in being present 
 at these exercises, in which I was, to the last, a 
 welcome and petted leader, although known to be, 
 ail the while, an obstinate Mahometan. 
 
 My master and the ladies encouraged my regular 
 attendance at these meetings for " singing-practice," 
 and Dr. Marsh was uniformly kind and instructive 
 in his notice of me, but I was not at ease. 
 
 Mr. Holgrave spent a week at Orange Grove, 
 prior to his departure for England; and after he 
 sailed, Mr. Martineau often passed a day with the 
 family. Pompey told me that he overheard him 
 make an agreement with my master for my perma- 
 nent transfer to Mr. Holgrave, on that gentleman's 
 return to Jamaica, but no hint to that effect reached 
 me from any other source. I had something to 
 occupy me in teaching the other slaves their Sun- 
 day-school hymns, and in learning the first elements 
 of the healing art under Dr. Marsh, who was kind- 
 ness itself. 
 
 The family were much absent in the fall ; and 
 when they were away I was placed, at his own par- 
 ticular request, under the exclusive charge of Dr. 
 Marsh. He asked for me, nominally, to assist him 
 in making up medicines, but, in reality, to enable 
 
MY FIKST LOVE. 245 
 
 me to pursue my studies under his directions. I 
 soon learned to feel a pulse, judge of the tongue, 
 and, in slight cases, attend the out-door patients ; 
 and from that practice I acquired a love for the 
 profession which has lasted through life. 
 
 The other whites on the plantation hated me for 
 the distinction of an education already superior to 
 their own, which they considered a sort of treason 
 to the lordly dignity of their race. 
 
 It was then almost a crime for a black to aspire 
 to an education, and scarcely less criminal in a white 
 to assist him to attain one. 
 
 The overseer, who had some slight idea of what 
 I was doing with the slaves, treated me with cold 
 contempt. The book-keepers I presume so called 
 on Jamaica estates because they usually have noth- 
 ing to do with books were bountiful of derision. 
 They called me Mammy .Dear, Dr. Nigga, the char- 
 coal Euclid, the darky poet, and the Black Prince 
 though that last expression was used very freely 
 and not in unkindness by the doctor and his visit- 
 ing friends. The book-keepers would scream out a 
 hundred yards off for me to come and solve what 
 they called equations. As, for instance : Suppose a 
 goat lost one of his horns, how far would that make 
 
24:6 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 it from his tail to Christmas, and again from Christ- 
 mas to Capricornus in the Zodiac. This choice 
 wit was chiefly coined in the brain of my b$te noir 
 McGregor; and, silly as it may seem to one above 
 the reach of such petty shafts, they stung me to the 
 quick in those days, for I felt, in my burning spirit, 
 that Rachel often heard and admired the malicious 
 sallies launched at the helpless head of her discarded 
 lover. 
 
 It all helped to burn deeper into my heart of 
 hearts the desire the determination to become a 
 freeman. With Rachel I might have sunk lower, 
 and settled down in the mire of slavery in stupid 
 content. Scorned of her, and in the desperate need 
 of something to fill the craving void, I began to 
 hoard up, penny by penny, a little " white music," 
 as work-house Ben had advised me, in the Medinet 
 pouch of his gift, with a steadfast aim to future 
 freedom. 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 247 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 THE CONSPIRACY. 
 
 IT was while my master and mistress were on a 
 short visit to Savannah-la-Mar, that I was very par- 
 ticularly invited to attend the singing-practice on 
 Saturday evening, instead of Thursday, as usual. I 
 went in company with my old shipmates Brad and 
 Bryan, who were both very devout believers in Mr. 
 Buckly and his ministrations, and had a common 
 passion for hymn-singing. There was something 
 unusual in the respectful attention accorded to me, 
 a boy as yet short of sixteen, by the assembly. I 
 noticed, at the time, that there were many of the 
 ablest men, and but few women, from the neighbor- 
 ing estates, but I did not dwell upon it. I had a 
 seat beside my old mulatto schoolmaster, who then 
 and always seemed to take much pride in parading 
 me as a sign-board of his teaching capabilities, and 
 was very politely requested by him to open the 
 meeting with a speech on my experience at Savan- 
 
248 THE PRINCE OF K AS UN A. 
 
 nah-la-Mar. I had no experience to relate, and said 
 so, but I contrived to entertain them with an account 
 of some missionary meetings I had attended while 
 living with Mr. Holgrave. 
 
 The schoolmaster followed this up Tby a glowing 
 account of various meetings all over the country, and 
 concluded by asking me if I had not read in books 
 that there were two black church-members in Ja- 
 maica for every white one. I had read some report 
 to that effect, and stated my belief in its accuracy, 
 whereupon a man arose, and said, " The brothers of 
 the good cause were much obliged and very thankful 
 to Prince Mahmadee." 
 
 I have here italicized " the brothers of the good 
 cause" though, at the time they were uttered, I only 
 noticed that they were pronounced in good English 
 instead of the negro lingo, but so were many of Mr. 
 Buckly's pet phrases, by dint of admiring repetition.* 
 We had three or four of these meetings before my 
 suspicions were fully aroused, and even then they 
 were not directed to the true point of danger. 
 
 I was invited to assist in teaching Bryan and 
 Belton to read. They had secretly learned the al- 
 phabet, and each of them had a small printed sheet, 
 the size of a page in a common Testament, contain- 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 249 
 
 ing the alphabet in large capitals, and a few words, 
 such as HAT, CAT, BAT, printed in small letters at the 
 "bottom. On the back of the sheet were two col- 
 umns of such words, with small cuts of the animals 
 opposite the names. It was an attractive way of 
 teaching young children or our ignorant blacks, 
 who were but young children in their mental devel- 
 opment how to form letters into words and connect 
 them with a meaning. 
 
 My master had exacted from me a promise, 
 which I kept faithfully, not to instruct any other 
 slave without his express permission ; and Mr. Hoi- 
 grave, with all his liberality, enforced on me the ne- 
 cessity of keeping this obligation sacred. Hitherto 
 there was not much occasion for it. I had until 
 then never found a brother-negro anxious for real 
 instruction, or, at least, ready to encounter the diffi- 
 culties of acquiring knowledge. I did not think, 
 therefore, I was depriving my old friends of any 
 very important benefit, when I declined teaching 
 them to read. I was, however, often amused but 
 did not mention the fact to any white person to see 
 Dickie Smith sitting up at night, and laboring by 
 the hour, with Brad and Bryan over their C-A-T, 
 
250 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 cat, and R-A-T, rat, and thought it almost too late 
 to arrest the progress of their education. 
 
 This was in 1810. The United States had sup- 
 pressed the slave-trade, and England had kept step 
 in this great beginning in the march of civilization. 
 It was rumored among the slaves that the king of 
 England had " promised God to make free Chris- 
 tians of all the negroes in the world." Our white 
 masters were careful not to discuss these matters in 
 the hearing of the slaves or thought they were 
 but the dark, broken hints of discontent with the 
 general aspect of affairs, and the uneasy distrust of 
 the planters as to the future policy of the Govern- 
 ment at home, would escape them while over their 
 wine, or in family conversations, and they trickled 
 down to the lower levels, and were there shaped and 
 circulated as a pledge of early emancipation. The 
 frequent, and often violent, dissensions between the 
 governor who was appointed by the king and the 
 island Parliament, which was elected by the plant- 
 ers, greatly confused the minds of men at once eager 
 for the great boon of emancipation, and ignorant of 
 any possible road to it, except by the direct act of 
 an absolute king or, by the extermination of the 
 whites. 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 251 
 
 A belief that the king willed their emancipation, 
 and that his governors had orders to set them free, 
 but that the House of Assembly prevented it, was 
 gaining ground among the blacks in town and coun- 
 try. Only a crafty, able, unscrupulous leader was 
 wanting to light the match, and desolate the island 
 with blood and flame. The planters felt insecure; 
 property depreciated ; those who could, mortgaged 
 their estates to British capitalists, as the most direct 
 way of raising large sums of money wherewith to 
 take their families out of the island. These omens 
 of change escaped me then, but in looking back I 
 now see, by the light of experience, that it was not 
 the abolition of slavery so much as the blind dread 
 of its eflects, and the still more blind neglect to pre- 
 pare for it, which, for half a century, kept the finest 
 British colony in those seas on the verge of utter 
 ruin. 
 
 My master had returned, and was sitting with 
 Dr. Marsh and a neighboring planter on the piazza, 
 enjoying the fresh evening and a bowl of punch, 
 when I returned from the singing-practice, for the 
 first time fully awake to the fact that a great mis- 
 chief was brewing. The meeting was that night al- 
 most wholly composed of men, and various frag- 
 
252 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 ments of hymns had been sung, which, as they were 
 given out in mutilated parts, had in them much more 
 of war than religion. I had gone from the meeting 
 to Dickie Smith's in company with Bryan, and had 
 drawn from them a general admission that there was 
 something great on hand. Bryan hinted at a speedy 
 revenge on one of the book-keepers, and promised 
 me the same on McGregor. It was taken for 
 granted that I must and would seize the opportu- 
 nity to pay back the smarts I had suffered, and that 
 from my free birth and buckra education I would be 
 proud of the leadership they were ready to offer me, 
 as they said, " when the cane was cut and the sugar 
 a-boiling." 
 
 I gathered all I could of the plan, which was not 
 much, for they were not trusted entirely with the 
 hights and depths of the plot, and, after many and 
 earnest injunctions from me to be silent and on their 
 guard, I left them to seek out Brad. He was not in 
 his place he had gone to the schoolmaster's. It 
 was already late for my night duties, and I hastened 
 to the Great House, where I found the three gentle- 
 men discussing punch and politics on the piazza. 
 The doctor rose almost immediately, and, bidding 
 me come with him to the dispensary for some medi- 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 253 
 
 cines, led off toward the estate-hospital. As soon 
 as we were inside, he forgot the medicines, and be- 
 gan to cross-examine me about the singing-meetings. 
 I was not disposed to betray my fellow-slaves, but I 
 was anxious beyond measure to check the rash in- 
 surrection, for I knew it could only end, as all pre- 
 vious ones had ended, in the defeat and cruel chas- 
 tisement of the blacks. I affected, therefore, to un- 
 derstand him only in the sense he had always treated 
 these meetings, as a harmless imitation of the secta- 
 rian congregations of the whites. The doctor made 
 the same feint to deceive me, but, of the two, I was 
 the most successful hypocrite. 
 
 " This Buckly is getting up a great congregation. 
 Our regular parson must look sharp, or he will not 
 have a black soul left in his care," said the doctor, 
 with an affectation of carelessness. " How many, 
 think you, has he baptized, and married, and fleeced, 
 among our slaves ?" 
 
 "Thirty or so, I should say, but he has more 
 members on the estates round Orange Grove," I 
 answered, as sure of the next question as if it were 
 already uttered. 
 
 " And how many people have you usually at the 
 singing-schools you attend, Mahmadee ?" 
 
254: THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 " Just as it happens," I replied, now perfectly on 
 my guard. " When the evening is clear and pleas- 
 ant, so as to bring out the young girls to show their 
 fine buckra dresses, there will be a gathering of forty 
 or fifty singers from the different estates." 
 
 I did not say I had seen nearly twice as many 
 robust, excited men together that very night. 
 
 " It will be well to stop this business of running 
 about to different estates, and collecting in such 
 numbers." 
 
 The doctor said this in a quick, anxious way, as 
 if the words slipped out unawares, but I chose to 
 consider it a remark addressed to myself. 
 
 " Yes, sir, the congregations are too large for 
 comfort, and beside that, there is danger of their get- 
 ting into fights. Such ignorant people are always 
 ready to run themselves into scrapes." 
 
 The doctor looked so very keenly at me, that I 
 felt my cheeks burn, but blushes don't show through 
 a black skin. I have, more than once, found that a 
 decided convenience. 
 
 " Mahmadee, I think you appreciate what has 
 been done for you and are grateful for it," said the 
 doctor, after a pause that began to make me uncom- 
 fortable. 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 255 
 
 "I do appreciate it, sir, with all my heart and 
 soul," I said, with sincere warmth. u If I had the 
 power to prove it, even with iny life, you and my 
 master, and Mr. Holgrave, and the ladies, too, 
 would be convinced that a grateful heart can beat 
 under a black skin." 
 
 " Well, let us suppose a case. If, for example, 
 you had lived in Trelawney when the blacks had a 
 rising there, you would have put your master on his 
 guard against the conspirators, and defended him 
 and his family to the death. Would you not ?" 
 
 " Undoubtedly I would defend my master against 
 such murderers and house-burners, while I had a 
 drop of blood left in my body, but, excuse me for 
 saying, that if there had not been white fools as well 
 as black ones, in Trelawney, all those lives might 
 have been saved." 
 
 " In what way, Mahmadee ? I don't understand 
 you." 
 
 " The plan of insurrection was suspected some 
 time before it broke out, and I think there ought to 
 have been men found competent to dive into the 
 plots of the ringleaders, and frustrate them." 
 
 "Yes, I see. Work into their confidence and 
 expose them, before they could bring their hellish 
 
256 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 plots into execution. Excellent ! excellent ! if it can 
 be managed," said the doctor, warmly, quite forget- 
 ting that we were not talking of any thing of present 
 concern, but only of far away and suppositions cases. 
 I was more wary, and stuck to the Trelawney text 
 in answering his suggestion. 
 
 " If there had been any faith or good sense among 
 those Trelawney negroes, some of them would have 
 had influence enough upon the poor, ignorant rebels, 
 to persuade them out of their mad schemes, and so 
 saved their own lives and their masters' property. 
 It seems to me the white gentlemen were to blame, 
 in not setting their better-instructed servants to 
 search into the bottom of the afiair as soon as they 
 suspected it. They might have cured the folly by 
 discouraging it, instead of 'burning up the house 
 to kill the rats,' as we say in Africa." 
 
 He remained silent for some time, and then, with 
 a kind of sigh, he locked up the medicine-case, and, 
 putting the key in his pocket, walked out of the 
 door. I followed him with my eyes until he had 
 entered the house, and then I went back to the 
 cooper's cabin, at the risk of being wanted and 
 missed at the Great House. 
 
 I had decided on my part while talking with the 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 257 
 
 doctor. It was precisely what I told him the Tre- 
 lawney masters ought to have done : dive into the 
 plans of the ringleaders, and frustrate their mad 
 plot without betraying the conspirators. Affairs 
 went on as if my master and the doctor read the 
 inmost thoughts of my mind, for whatever I asked 
 was instantly granted, and that without a look of 
 suspicion or a word of question. Either would have 
 disconcerted me. I went from man to man, and 
 from meeting to meeting, and by always talking of 
 what I would like to do to McGregor but only at 
 the proper time by holding out promises of uni- 
 versal freedom pretty soon but not exactly fixing 
 the time when and dilating upon the bright days 
 when we and the buckras should own estates to- 
 gether, and a thousand other things too silly to 
 repeat, but which did what I was aiming at, I soon 
 created a party disposed to be wary and patient, 
 rather than rash and violent. All even those who 
 were opposed to my extremely cautious policy of 
 waiting until the governor himself should call us 
 out trusted me with their own ideas, and let me 
 into the inner heart of the plot. It was organized 
 at Kingston, and I soon found it had a fearfully- 
 wide, though wretchedly-organized, rang Those 
 
258 THE PEINCE OF KASHNA. - 
 
 little alphabet sheets, with their few words of read- 
 ing, were to be used as passports by the messengers 
 of uprising and desolation. A very simple, yet most 
 cunningly-devised, combination of those few short 
 words had volumes of bloody teachings. I need 
 not dwell upon it. Rat meant the negro who, at 
 the appointed hour, would eat up the life and stores 
 of the whites. The bat was the white man fancying 
 himself a winged bird, but in reality living only in 
 the dark. Cat was the military force, which were 
 to be foiled by the cunning rats. 
 
 Suffice it to say, that having learned that the 
 Kingston blacks were to find arms and second the 
 uprising of the country negroes, I and my party 
 resolved to keep quiet until the Kingston negroes 
 had actually risen and obtained arms for us, and 
 this sensible idea of waiting for arms was spread 
 as far as our means of communication reached. 
 When I had made sure of my ground, I told the 
 doctor and my master this much, and no more, for 
 it was all the case required. I assured them that 
 our slaves had been somewhat moved by the idea 
 that the king of England had or was about to have 
 them all made free, and that they believed the gov- 
 ernor was ready to act upon it, but was not per- 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 259 
 
 raitted to do so. I also told them that the negroes 
 of Kingston were, in their own fashion, planning to 
 rise upon the whites, -to obtain, as they thought, 
 their own liberty and that of the governor, and 
 that it was quite likely there were those about 
 Orange Grove who might be wrought upon to 
 follow such a lead, but that I felt confident I could 
 manage to keep them out of the fire. 
 
 The doctor set off for Kingston to avert the 
 storm, if possible, and arrived at that city just in 
 time to find it under martial law. The conspiracy 
 had been discovered, and the desperate plot broken 
 up. There had been one or two rash attempts at 
 rising and not far from us either but they were 
 speedily and severely crushed. Those of our slaves 
 who had been saved from these horrors, by taking 
 my advice, were so thankful to me, that I had as 
 much trouble to keep them from betraying them- 
 selves in that way, as I had gone through to pre- 
 vent them from throwing themselves headlong into 
 a bloody and fruitless uprising. 
 
 My master never said much to me on the sub- 
 ject, but he was so deeply impressed with the inse- 
 curity of life and property in Jamaica, that he 
 12 
 
260 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 determined to sell or dispose of the estate in some 
 way, and remove with his family to England. 
 
 Mr. Holgrave had now been absent ten months, 
 and in his last letters named from four to six months 
 as the earliest period of his return. I felt heart-sick 
 at this long delay, but I had also the comfort of 
 being kindly remembered by him in every letter. 
 By this last vessel he had sent me six volumes of 
 history, ancient and modern, with several maps. 
 He also sent sheets of music, and volumes of 
 poetry to the young ladies, and a microscope, with 
 some other articles, to Dr. Marsh. His affairs in 
 England went well, he wrote, but that the British 
 winters were too severe for him, and that nothing 
 there could make up to him the loss of the delicious 
 climate and perpetual verdure of the coffee mount- 
 ains of Jamaica. 
 
 Mr. Holgrave was informed, in reply, of the un- 
 easy state of the island, and of the cc faithful courage 
 and superior intelligence displayed by Mahmadee, 
 in keeping the slaves of Orange Grove and the ad- 
 joining plantations in perfect quiet. In justice to 
 his services," my master went on to say, " I would 
 instantly set him free, but he will be so much bet- 
 ter off under your instructions, that I make him 
 
THE CONSPIRACY. 261 
 
 over to you until such time as we can provide a 
 suitable line of livelihood for him." My master 
 read me this part of his letter, but recommended 
 me to keep silent about it while I remained on the 
 plantation. 
 
 Mr. Buckly, however, came in for the chief 
 credit of suppressing the conspiracy, with the other 
 planters ; and even my master took his word for 
 it that his admonitions had done wonders in re- 
 straining the slaves under his teachings from out- 
 break and violence. He said he had broken down 
 his riding-horse, hurrying from point to point to 
 enjoin peace and obedience to their masters. To 
 atone for this loss in their service, our fine pacing- 
 pony Easy was presented to him, and he ambled 
 off on it in high content, leaving his miserable old 
 hack to be nursed up for sale by his zealous pro- 
 bationer, Brad. I well knew the exact value or 
 rather no value of his peace-keeping services among 
 the slaves, but I said nothing, for to prate much 
 would be to let out what I labored and prayed 
 to have buried in oblivion. I wished to keep secret 
 forever the daring extent of the conspiracy, for I 
 knew that if it were once completely understood, 
 there would be an end of comfort for master or 
 
262 THE PRINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 slave on that plantation ; and I was glad to see the 
 family prepare to leave for England without press- 
 ing the inquiry too closely. 
 
 I remained at the plantation until Mr. Holgrave 
 arrived to assume the entire charge of me. Dr. 
 Marsh was the only person who had the right, 
 meanwhile, to give me orders ; and after Mr. Davis 
 left, the book-keepers, and more particularly Mr. 
 McGregor, was made to understand that I no longer 
 counted for an ordinary plantation slave. I was 
 kept steadily to my work and my books, however, 
 and had glowing visions of how much my dear Mr. 
 Holgrave would be pleased with my improvement. 
 
 Mr. Martineau came to see the family before 
 the final removal from Orange Grove, and took the 
 precaution to have papers made out, to the effect 
 that I was to have my freedom, without conditions, 
 January, 1812, but that, in the mean time, my per- 
 sonal services were to remain at the exclusive com- 
 mand of Philip Holgrave, Esq. 
 
MlEAFLOR. 263 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MIRAPLOE. 
 
 NEARLY a month sooner than I had dared hope 
 for Mr. Holgrave's return, my old friend Hercules 
 rode in with the joyful tidings that my dear master 
 had landed at Kingston, and was well on the road 
 to his own house in Savannah-la-Mar. Mr. Marti- 
 neau had gone to meet him, and meanwhile had 
 sent his own man, Hercules, to bring me to my 
 future home. Dr. Marsh had been kind to me, far 
 beyond my merits, but my heart never melted and 
 bowed down before him as it did in the mild 
 warmth of Mr. Holgrave's presence. I was grate- 
 ful to him, and still more to my late master, Mr. 
 Davis; but it was a cold feeling compared to the 
 devout, admiring love I cherished for my new and 
 ever-gentle owner. 
 
 I parted with Kitty Smith (we no longer called 
 her Tatee) with sincere regret, but she promised 
 to take care of the flowers around little Henry's 
 
264 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 grave ; and, that arranged, I shook hands with Brad 
 and the rest, and set out eagerly for my long-prayed- 
 for home with Mr. Holgrave. 
 
 The first winter of his return Mr. Holgrave en- 
 joyed unusually good health; and Mr. Martineau, 
 who was more than half his time with him, grew 
 in grace and good looks every day. Madam Felix 
 would drive in once or twice a week, for a couple 
 of hours in the afternoon, and there was always a 
 store of delicacies in the carriage for her " spoiled 
 children." On other days, I drove out the two 
 gentlemen for an evening at her house. It was 
 the occasion of some sneering criticisms, that two 
 white gentlemen should maintain such an open and 
 respectful intimacy with a quadroon. Had the in- 
 timacy been equally open, and not respectful, it 
 would have passed without an ill-natured comment. 
 It was the evident respectability of the transaction 
 which gave edge and point to the scandal. The 
 friends kept each other in countenance and their 
 critics at bay, by always going together. A smooth, 
 sedate gentleman I think he was the rector of the 
 parish called one morning, and, as if half in jest, 
 asked them what they found so attractive in that 
 person of color, that they bestowed upon her the 
 
MlRAFLOR. 265 
 
 attentions generally reserved, by gentlemen of their 
 standing in society, for ladies of their own con- 
 dition. 
 
 " Madam Felix is a most estimable and intelli- 
 gent woman, and has been to me the Tdndest of 
 friends and nurses," said Mr. Holgrave. 
 
 " No doubt no doubt, my dear sir, but she is, 
 nevertheless, a person of color, and out of question 
 as as as an associate." 
 
 "My health and my inclination, sir," replied 
 Mr. Holgrave, with a freezing bow, " must regulate 
 my habits and associates." 
 
 I was charmed to hear gentle Mr. Holgrave take 
 such a firm tone. The reverend gentleman was a 
 little disconcerted, but he had the nerve to look 
 into Mr. Martineau's cast-iron face, and say that he 
 presumed he too found a tender nurse in Madam 
 Felix. 
 
 "Inestimable, sir, inestimable; and in order to 
 secure the treasure to myself, I am soliciting her 
 hand in marriage." 
 
 " In-deed, sir?" dragged out the venerable vis- 
 itor, taking up his hat and bowing himself out, per- 
 fectly overwhelmed by the cool audacity of word 
 and look with which the planter spoke and stared 
 
266 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 him down. It was altogether indescribable, but 
 never to be forgotten. . 
 
 Mr. Holgrave courteously attended the gentle- 
 man to the door, and then, throwing himself on the 
 lounge, he laughed as I had never heard him laugh 
 before. Mr. Martineau never moved a muscle of 
 that stony face, though I had to nearly bite my 
 tongue through to maintain the decorous non-ob- 
 serving so becoming my position. 
 
 "Here, you Prince of Darkness, what are you 
 waiting for? If you don't hurry out with those 
 glasses, I'll flay you alive !" 
 
 This was to me, of course, and witk the same 
 look, though with a milder voice than he had vouch- 
 safed to the clerical visitor. I retreated in silence ; 
 and I imagined that I heard his. sharp, dry "Ha! 
 ha !" mingling with Mr. Holgrave's uncommon fit of 
 merriment, but it may have been but an imagining. - 
 
 They went out that evening on purpose, I really 
 believe, to relate to Madam Felix the formal decla- 
 ration of his views on her hand and heart, which Mr. 
 Martineau had made to the clergyman. As I was 
 flirting with Yictorine, on the piazza by way of 
 antidote to the bitter memories of my Rachel-mania 
 I heard Mr. Holgrave presenting a version of the 
 
M I It A F L O B . 267 
 
 affaii well calculated to raise the planter in her es- 
 teem. While they were all on the subject, Mr. 
 Buckly ambled up on my old pet, Easy, but seeing 
 me which meant that certain gentlemen were not 
 far off he declined alighting. He said he had only 
 called to inform the house-servants there would be 
 service and singing-practice the next Sabbath even- 
 ing. As all the house-servants were Catholics, like 
 their mistress, they never attended his preaching, 
 and, speaking next to no English, they could not 
 understand him if they had ; but it was an available 
 excuse for a visit to the rich and captivating quad- 
 roon, and the zealous missionary made the most 
 of it. 
 
 "Evil communications corrupt good manners," 
 was one of the copies set for my writing-lessons, 
 and I pin much faith on that maxim. It must have 
 been Mr. Martineau's wicked example unless it was 
 a deferential setting forth in practice of my sense 
 of the truth of Mr. Buckly's assurances, that I was 
 by nature a bottomless abyss of depravity that in- 
 stigated me to vex the spirit of this saintly suitor. 
 I managed, while patting Easy and receiving his 
 message, to mention the fact confidentially, and 
 
 with a respectful petition that he would not allow 
 
 12* 
 
268 THE PRINCE OFKASHNA. 
 
 my name to get out that I heard Mr. Martineau 
 speak to the clergyman about his intended mar- 
 riage to Madam Felix. This sudden announcement 
 brought matters to a crisis. The holy man had 
 abandoned the hope of making me a Christian, so 
 he made me his confidant. I intimated an opinion 
 that the planter had made himself a little too sure 
 of the lady, touched upon how much every slave on 
 the property, even to the house-servants, would pre- 
 fer him for a master to such a stern man as Mr. Mar- 
 tineau which was true enough, for they all stood in 
 mortal awe of the man who was suspected of the 
 irregular practice of burying his slaves alive and 
 closed with a sigh of regret that I, a poor slave, 
 had no power to influence the amiable lady to be 
 careful of her happiness. 
 
 "But you have influence, my boy," he whis- 
 pered, eagerly. " You have uncommon influence, 
 both with Madam Felix and Mr. Holgrave. You 
 can drop a word here and there, that will sprout, 
 and grow, and take root, like kernels of wheat in 
 good ground." 
 
 I heaved up another sigh by main force, and 
 declared my readiness to go through fire and water 
 to serve such a kind, excellent lady, if I but knew 
 
MlRAFLOli. 269 
 
 how. The pious man thought the way plain enough. 
 It was to aid her union with him. To serve this in- 
 terest was to secure her happiness in this world and 
 the next. 
 
 "This is not clear to you now, Mahmadee" (it 
 certainly was not), " but when your heart is opened 
 to gospel light, you will understand that it would 
 be like linking her precious soul to eternal perdition 
 to join in wedlock with a godless mate." 
 
 With this bit of spiritual unction, a fervent press- 
 ure of the hand, a whispered hint that my freedom 
 would be secured in the " rescue of that lamb from 
 the spoiler," and a louder charge to lay his admo- 
 nitions to heart the good man went his ways. 
 
 On second thoughts, I was not quite so much 
 delighted with myself as I had felt while playing 
 my game with Mr. Buckly. I rather feared he had 
 won it. I had prated of things said and done be- 
 fore me a fault I had been schooled to avoid, and 
 one Mr. Holgrave to say nothing of Mr. Martineau 
 and his stern, staring eye would not look upon 
 with indulgence, if it came back to him in an un- 
 favorable shape, which might happen any day. I 
 had pretended to lend myself as a spy and informer 
 to the missionary, and I had undoubtedly put him 
 
270 THE PEINCE OF KASIINA. 
 
 on a scent which he was sure to follow up hotly, 
 and like the bungler he was equally sure to betray 
 himself, and whoever else was fool enough to mix 
 up in his business. I half resolved to tell Mr. Hoi- 
 grave all about it; but, beside the doubt how he 
 would take it, I felt some compunction about be- 
 traying the preacher's confidence, after inviting it 
 by a hypocritical show of devotion to his interests : 
 so, upon the whole, I concluded to keep my own 
 counsel for the present, and be more cautious in 
 future. 
 
 In all this time I mean while the winter and 
 spring were slipping away, and Mr. Holgrave was 
 settling up his affairs, to remove to some healthy, 
 bracing situation in the mountain my own future 
 destiny remained undecided, or, at least, undeclared. 
 Mr. Holgrave had, in every respect, assumed the 
 entire control of me, and never used any other lan- 
 guage than that of admitted ownership. He told 
 Mr. Buckly, one day, that he should not part with 
 me while he lived, but that, on his death, he would 
 make a bequest of me to his sect, if they would en- 
 gage to make me as good a missionary as himself, 
 and send me out to Africa to convert my country- 
 men, and cure them of slave-trading. The preacher 
 
MlKAFLOR. 271 
 
 caught at that, and hinted that it would be a whole- 
 some thing for his own soul, as well as mine, if I 
 were handed, at once, over to his instructions ; but 
 Mr. Holgrave said that I must remain yet a while, 
 to attend to his bodily ailments. 
 
 With the early spring rains, a visible change for 
 the worse came over Mr. Holgrave, and Madam 
 Felix invited him to go up to Miraflor, a coffee-estate 
 she owned in St. Ann's, and be nursed through the 
 rainy months. Mr. Martineau promised to be of 
 the party, and after some hesitation he consented 
 to the plan. Arrangements were made accordingly, 
 and by the end of May we were comfortably estab- 
 lished in the most charming place I had then ever 
 seen. Madam Felix had preceded us a fortnight, to 
 have the house hi readiness, and had taken with her 
 the whole staff of French servants. 
 
 An incident of the trip to the mountains nearly 
 deprived me of the best of masters. In crossing a 
 mountain-stream, which the late rains had swelled 
 to a torrent, the horse rode by Mr. Holgrave missed 
 his footing, and threw his rider into the water. I 
 had my eye on hiss as I always had in rough 
 places, on account of his feeble health and I man- 
 aged to swing myself below him in the current, and 
 
272 THE P KIN OK OF KASHNA. 
 
 secured him, I never could really understand how, 
 on my left arm and shoulder, and so bore him up, 
 and landed him safely on the other side. I had to 
 let go of my horse, and was nearly carried away 
 myself, while I was helping Mr. Holgrave up the 
 bank. Mr. Martineau, who rode a fine, powerful 
 horse, was in time to seize me by the collar, and 
 steady me up to firm standing-ground, while his 
 man Hercules saved our floating horses. Luckily, 
 we were almost at the end of our journey, and had 
 the enjoyment of dry clothes and a hot dinner, at 
 Miraflor, before we had time to get chilled. I was 
 almost ashamed to hear Mr. Holgrave say he owed 
 his life to my courage and presence of mind, when 
 I knew there was no presence of mind about it. I 
 saw his horse plunge him into the water, and in my 
 fright not my courage I plunged in to catch him. 
 How I managed to do it I had so little idea, that 
 my first thought and first word was of thanks to 
 Allah, for His mercy in saving my master. If grati- 
 tude was due anywhere among us, it was to Mr. 
 Martineau, in forcing his horse into the foaming 
 eddy, and risking his life to save me, a poor slave- 
 boy, from being carried under. But when I ven- 
 
MlRAFLOR. 273 
 
 tured to say as much, he ordered me to keep my 
 silly tongue inside of my black numskull. 
 
 We were all on the wide piazza, Mr. Martin eau 
 walking up and down its length, Mr. Holgrave re- 
 clining on the lounge, from which he could look far 
 away, over hill and dale, to the sea, shining like a 
 silver floor, under a starry roof. I had been serving 
 him with his light supper of arrow-root when this 
 conversation took place. Madam Felix was tuning 
 her guitar, to favor the planter with a particular 
 chanson, at his request, and she now begged him to 
 sit down, as I had a message to deliver him. He 
 obeyed, and she beckoned to me. I approached her 
 with the little silver waiter on which I had handed 
 Mr. Holgrave his cup of arrow-root. She drew a 
 diamond ring from her finger, and said, in French, 
 u Mahmadee begs to offer this ring to his brave 
 preserver, in the name of all who may have a drop 
 of African blood in their veins." I knelt as I pre- 
 sented the salver for the ring, and she again repeat- 
 ed the words as she laid it down. I crossed the 
 room, and repeated them with great exactness, as, 
 again bending the keee, I held forw r ard the ring. 
 Mr. Martineau rose, took it up, and, turning toward 
 Madam Felix, bowed with grace, and kissed it, say- 
 
THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 ing that none but a Bayard, sans peur et sans re- 
 proche, was worthy of the precious gift, but that 
 he could at least appreciate it. There was a degree 
 of grace and emotion in that act of Mr. Martineau 
 that made me wonder why I once thought him so 
 very ugly. I had taken my cue in this little scene 
 from others, half serious, half playful, which were 
 often got up in that circle. They all retired soon 
 after, and Mr. Holgrave remarked, that he had not 
 passed so pleasant an evening in the last three weeks. 
 
 Mr. Martineau's room was separated from Mr. 
 Holgrave' s by a narrow passage, or ante-room, in 
 which a pallet was laid at night for me, and he had 
 literally to step over me when he came to Mr. Hoi- 
 grave's door, later in the evening, and said, laugh- 
 ing actually laughing "The missionary has been 
 here before us, Holgrave. That is something to 
 keep us alive eh?" as he stepped back over my 
 body. I was inclined to think this odd genius had 
 buried himself in Westmoreland, and another spirit 
 had borrowed and improved his body for this social 
 gathering in the mountains. It was a delightful visit 
 in a delightful region. 
 
 The hills of Jamaica are celebrated for their 
 health-restoring properties, and Miraflor is one of 
 
MlEAFLOK. 275 
 
 the coolest and most invigorating situations on the 
 island. It is somewhat difficult for an invalid to 
 reach, for there is no carriage-road to it, and the 
 steep mountain bridle-paths are very fatiguing ; but 
 when you are fairly up on the spreading table-lands, 
 you are in a lovely paradise. The prospect from 
 Miraflor is magnificent. No pen can depict the bril- 
 liant charms of nature in these enchanted regions. 
 No pencil can paint the bright and endless variety 
 of colors that deck the fruits and flowers of these 
 gardens of nature. The air, too, was fragrant with 
 the invigorating odors of the pimento (all-spice) 
 groves, and this peculiar balm acted like a tonic on 
 Mr. Hoi grave. Miraflor was, indeed, a residence to 
 chnrm him. Beside the grand mountain scenery to 
 the right and left, it commanded a view over the sea, 
 and a great many estates below us. There was a 
 fine garden, and a pretty grotto, which, like one or 
 two others I know of, contained a range of curious 
 caverns under it, of unknown extent. 
 
276 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE GROTTO. 
 
 THE grand open arch of the grotto at Miraflor 
 extended at least fifty feet back into the rocky heart 
 of the hill. At the extreme rear a long shelf had 
 been niched into the living rock by dint of human 
 labor, and on it was ranged a row of skulls. 
 
 Like some other grottoes in St. Ann's, this had 
 been used by the Indians as a temple, and it is stated, 
 in the early history of the island, that the old Red 
 Race used to resort to these rock temples at certain 
 seasons of the year, to celebrate, with songs and 
 dances, the exploits of their high chiefs, of whom, 
 tradition says, these skulls were the honored relics. 
 
 These remains of a persecuted and almost extin- 
 guished race were not offensively displayed. They 
 were ranged along a ledge or cornice hewed out of 
 the rear wall of the grotto, and only the top fronts 
 of the skulls could be discerned in the obscurity of 
 that part of the arched vault. It was only by step- 
 
THE GKOTTO. 277 
 
 ping upon a large, flat rock, which rose ill front of 
 this cornice, like a natural altar, that one could see 
 that the glimmering row of something lighter than 
 the gray walls of the grotto they leaned against, 
 were relics of human beings. We had been several 
 days at Miraflor before Mr. Martineau made the dis- 
 covery. The front of this grotto opened toward the 
 sea in a wide and regular arch thirty feet high, and 
 faced, on each side, by walls of rock as true and per- 
 pendicular as mortal architect could have made them. 
 Within, the sides, the floor, and the vaulted roof 
 were more like a grand old cathedral than the work 
 of Nature. In this noble archway, Mr. Holgrave 
 loved to sit and muse or read, or, more frequently 
 still, have me read to him. A large arm-chair, well 
 stuffed and cushioned, was brought there for his 
 accommodation ; and, when he was too languid for 
 reading, Mr. Martineau would take his cigar and 
 walk up and down the grass-plot before the grotto, 
 while dreamily contemplating the clouds and sun- 
 shine, as they chased each other in fantastic frolics 
 over the lower plains and valleys that unrolled be- 
 tween those mountain-thrones and the sea. Some- 
 times, while Miraflor was in serenest sunshine, we 
 would observe a sudden muster of clouds form and 
 
278 THE PEINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 cover the sea from sight. They would rise, spread, 
 and burst in a storm of rain, then roll off to the 
 northward with all the flashing pomp and thunder 
 of heaven's own artillery, and later, like an army 
 withdrawn, leave the field silent and clear and all 
 within the space of an hour. Mr. Holgrave loved to 
 witness these conflicts of Nature from this rock- 
 temple of her own rearing, and he improved not 
 as rapidly as we all wished, but steadily under 
 those influences. Madam Felix would bring her 
 work or her guitar, and sit with him here, as ever, 
 a most attentive friend and nurse in his sickness. 
 They used to dine in the cave, until Mr. Martineau 
 objected to the company of the skulls, which Madam 
 Felix who had a reverence for these remains of In- 
 dian glory would not allow to be displaced, and 
 all three adjourned to the house for their meals. 
 But we had not been long here, before our preach- 
 ing-friend arrived. Mr. Buckly was enamored of 
 the grotto, and affected to gaze on the skulls with 
 enthusiasm while he did not fail to honor Madam 
 Felix with all his vacant hours. Notwithstanding 
 that the pursuit of a quadroon wife would, in those 
 times, have been considered somewhat equivocal, 
 and might have affected his own social standing, 
 
THE GROTTO. 279 
 
 he took no sort of shame to himself for his frequent- 
 ing her house. He boldly displayed himself to all 
 the country round, preaching whenever occasion of- 
 fered ; and he even talked openly of uniting himself 
 with her by marriage. 
 
 Meanwhile we were all happy together. Mr. Hol- 
 grav was particularly obliging and considerate to 
 me. J saw that he had really a regard for me, and 
 I strove to do every thing in my power to serve him 
 to his heart's content. Madam- Felix declared that 
 the estate was his ; she had such confidence in him, 
 that I believe she would have given him her heart 
 and soul, if they could have been transferred, and 
 would have been of service to him. Mr. Martineau 
 unbent himself day by day, until even Victorine 
 owned to me, that we had been too severe on the 
 poor gentleman. 
 
 Little Aim.ee had been sent for to her boarding- 
 school somewhere on the coast, and joined us, with 
 her governess, a purely white Frenchwoman, who 
 had been imported by Madam Felix, with her last 
 invoice of finery and French wine, for the special 
 business of waiting upon this lively little quadroon. 
 If the fastidious gentry of Savannah-la-Mar were so 
 intensely shocked at our gentlemen visiting a quad- 
 
280 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA 
 
 roon of fortune, intelligence, and character, what 
 would they say to a white governess so accom- 
 plished, and recommended and paid as not many 
 of them could afford for their own daughters, for the 
 exclusive service of a little quadroon, that was no- 
 body's daughter apparently, and whose whole for- 
 tune was her share in the affectionate heart of this 
 woman of color ? It was a tough social problem, and 
 I noted it down in my journal, with the wonderful 
 equations propounded to me by the sage book- 
 keepers at Orange Grove. 
 
 Aimee, to the amazement of everybody, fell in 
 love with Mr. Martineau the first day she came 
 home, at least she declared she had ; and the second 
 day, equally to the general amazement, she made 
 war on the missionary. Mr. Holgrave said it only 
 proved that children of a certain age loved fairy 
 tales better than their catechism. But then to think 
 of the curt and crusty planter condescending to tell 
 fairy stories to a romping child ! He did that and 
 more, for, at her request, he arranged tableaux and 
 little parlor dramas of one act, in which she was a 
 wonderfully important heroine. We had a curious 
 version of Othello, in which I performed the jealous 
 Moor, and had nearly all the speech-making to my- 
 
THE GROTTO. 281 
 
 self, and in which a young niece of Othello's very 
 improperly omitted in the ordinary versions of 
 Shakespeare appears at the proper moment with 
 " the handkerchief," and turns the smothering scene 
 into a graceful tableau of reconciliation. The mis- 
 sionary was shocked at the display of these profane 
 amusements ; but Madam Felix would amuse her 
 guests, and Mr. Martineau, in his new role of Mon- 
 seur Aimable, was a capital king of the revels. 
 Beside this improved edition of Othello, in which 
 Aimee personated the Moor's young niece, which 
 we were to repeat at the house of Mr. St. John, we 
 had some Scriptural tableaux, in which I recollect 
 that Madam Felix represented Miriam and Dora 
 with such exquisite grace, that, taken in the sense 
 of an illustration of sacred history, they might not 
 be objectionable. There were these tableaux or 
 singing and recitations every evening, for they 
 amused Mr. Holgrave, without fatiguing him to 
 pay more attention to any of these things than he 
 pleased. The preacher felt it necessary, for con- 
 sistency's sake, to put in a mild protest against our 
 dances, but he did not, for all that, renounce our 
 company nor his aims on the widow's hand and 
 fortune. Mr. Martineau would send me to bring 
 
THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 in three or four brown girls belonging to the prop- 
 erty, as there was in the house a rather superior 
 barrel-organ, which he would grind away to them 
 by the hour together. I was permitted sometimes 
 to have a dance with them and some of the younger 
 black damsels, and we had occasional visitors who 
 did not disdain to dance reels and country dances 
 with our quadroon chamber-maids. I cannot take 
 upon me to say that this system of living was alto- 
 gether compatible with the professions of Mr. 
 Preacher ; nor was it strictly in accordance with 
 the outward exhibition of social proprieties in 
 Jamaica. 
 
 In the morning the gentlemen rode out ; and if 
 I remained at home, Madam Felix or the governess 
 would give me a lesson in French. Still it troubled 
 me to note that when I had attended the gentle- 
 men to dinner at the neighboring estates, the white 
 ladies, if any, were often somewhat satirical upon 
 them for their mode of life. Mr. Martineau was as 
 indifferent to their sarcasms as a brazen statue 
 would have been ; but Mr. Holgrave was fully sen- 
 sible that he was not exactly in the most popular 
 situation which he could have chosen. He gave 
 out that he had come to see about buying and 
 
THE GROTTO. 283 
 
 settling among the coffee-mountains for his health, 
 and Mr. Buckly whispered that he attended him to 
 cure his soul, and wean him from all carnal affec- 
 tions. Beside that, he meant to make a martyr of 
 himself, and set an example of Christian humility, 
 in holding at naught the prejudices of caste and 
 color. Another missionary, whom he met at the 
 Sabbath service on a neighboring estate, put the 
 question plumply, whether he entertained the idea 
 of marrying the rich French quadroon. He replied 
 that as atnan of God, the servant of Him who was 
 no respecter <ff persons, it did not become him to 
 be governed by such vain, carnal distinctions. They 
 were but snares for unwary souls. Someway the 
 missionary always found excellent reasons and the 
 best Scripture warrant for taking his own way. 
 
 I learned, through the servants and other by- 
 ways, that Mr. Buckly had obtained a very accurate 
 account of the quadroon's property, but there was a 
 trifling point he did not know. This very estate 
 had been transferred to Mr. Holgrave, in return for 
 certain investments in England. She had wanted 
 him to accept it at a very low price, half its value, 
 perhaps, and Mr. Martineau had urged him to take 
 
 the bargain, but he was firm to his old answer, " I 
 13 
 
284: THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 am too poor to accept favors, and unable to confer 
 them." His English investment was a tolerably 
 fair equivalent for the coffee-property without the 
 slaves. The transfer of this property was then in 
 the hands of the lawyers, and Mr. Martineau con- 
 trived a plan to represent the quadroon as having 
 in reality a very moderate fortune, and that entirely 
 dependent on her remaining single. 
 
 He wrote to a friend what to do and say, in case 
 Mr. Buckly gave him an opportunity to go into a 
 statement of her affairs. Then, taking a wicked ad- 
 vantage of Madam Felix being absent on a visit to 
 Mr. St. John's place, he assailed the preacher for 
 " trifling with the lady's feelings." He appealed to 
 Mr. Holgrave to say whether his attentions had not 
 been of that pointed character which no gentleman 
 much less an ordained minister of the Gospel 
 ought ever to pay any woman, unless with a view 
 to marriage. Mr. Holgrave confirmed the opinion 
 to the last letter, and added, on his own account, 
 that though it was a deh'cate subject for him to 
 touch upon, between two such friends, he would 
 venture to observe that he considered it but justice 
 in Mr. Buckly to reflect, whether, after having su- 
 perseded the honorable intentions of another gentle- 
 
THE GROTTO. 285 
 
 man of character and fortune, he ought not imme- 
 diately to secure the happiness of Madam Felix, or 
 retire from the field altogether. To be gravely re- 
 proached for not doing that which he was all but 
 frantic to accomplish, mystified the preacher to such 
 an extent, that what little he had of mother wit and 
 worldly experience went to sea at once, without 
 pilot or compass. He declared that the only reason 
 why he had not formally proposed to Madam Felix 
 months ago, was that she was so modest and back- 
 ward, and her knowledge of English so very limited, 
 that he had, out of " pure regard and prudence," 
 refrained from pressing her, but that now he would 
 be " entirely guided by the advice of their mutual 
 Mends." * 
 
 How those "mutual friends" kept their coun- 
 tenances so completely, passes my understanding. 
 I could hardly restrain myself sufficiently to wait 
 upon them with propriety. This conversation was 
 held at luncheon, when Madam being absent I 
 alone attended in the breakfast-parlor. Mr. Hoi- 
 grave said, in reply to Mr. Buckly's appeal for 
 advice, that his own sympathies were too strongly 
 enlisted (he did not specify in what way) for a fair 
 opinion, and he must be excused the responsibility 
 
286 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 of any further discussion of the subject ; and leaving 
 the other two gentlemen to come to their own con- 
 clusions, he retreated to his favorite seat in the deep 
 archway of the Temple Grotto. 
 
 The last I knew of the affair for the time, that 
 is Mr. Buddy was talking of going to Spanish 
 Town to make the necessary arrangements, sipping, 
 as he went on, a strong glass of brandy-and-water ; 
 while Mr. Martineau was writing a line or two, in 
 pencil, to the address of Madam Felix's trustee, who 
 happened also to be his own solicitor, and the friend 
 of Mr. Holgrave. Before I could get through with 
 my house duties and join Mr. Holgrave at the grot- 
 to, Mr. Martineau was there, as usual, walking up 
 and down, and smoking his cigar. 
 
 It seems Mr. Holgrave felt a little compunction, 
 but this "mutual friend" swore that it was time "to 
 extinguish the canting hypocrite ;" and if there was 
 no other way, he would throw him into the caverns 
 under the grotto, and keep him there until he turned 
 Mussulman. 
 
 " You had better sort together your Koran frag- 
 ments, Mahmadee, for I shall shut you up with Mr. 
 Preacher until you have converted him, or he you." 
 
 I only bowed a respectful acquiescence, and 
 
THE GROTTO. 287 
 
 craved permission to go down with Hercules and 
 select a convenient site for my future labors. 
 
 I began to pique myself on my correct English 
 in those days, and the pages of my journal, in which 
 these incidents are recorded, contain more long 
 words than I ever saw crowded together in one 
 company outside of a dictionary. If I were not 
 ashamed of its grandeur, I would here transcribe 
 my account of the subterranean wonders of this grot- 
 to, but I am not quite stoical enough to laugh at 
 myself in public, although I have had many a smile 
 in private at my youthful flights of composition. 
 
 But to the grotto caverns. Between what was 
 considered and called the Indian altar and the wall 
 behind it, gaped a deep, well-like fissure, by means 
 of which an active, sure-footed person could be let 
 down into another vault somewhat like the grotto, 
 but on a smaller and rougher scale. The grotto 
 itself opened from the level of the outside ground 
 into the side of the hill ; but this cavern was deeper 
 under the hill, and branched off into low, broken, 
 winding passages, through which a man could creep 
 with difficulty. These led in different directions, 
 and with an endless perplexity of branchings, to un- 
 known depths. Hercules and I had been twice 
 
288 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 down with lights, and marked, as far as we went, 
 with arrows pointing back to the entrance ; but we 
 were that day to have a grand exploration, under 
 the direction of the head man of the estate. Every 
 thing was prepared for a long stay below, but none 
 of us were prepared for Mr. Martineau's resolution 
 to join us. Extra lights were ordered, and, when 
 we had reached the lower vault, Mr. Martineau, 
 with Hercules, took one passage, while the head 
 man and I followed another. We had toiled for 
 some time through the intricacies of these narrow 
 fissures and dark chambers, when we were suddenly 
 startled by a wild, unearthly sound, that echoed and 
 re-echoed on every side of us, but whether near or 
 distant we were unable to judge. We were in a 
 small dome-shaped chamber, rough on the floor and 
 sides, with sharp ledges of rock, but the coved roof 
 was beautifully regular and richly decked with white 
 and lustrous pendants, that glittered in our upraised 
 lights, like carvings of alabaster set with diamonds. 
 Before we came to this chamber, we had seen but 
 few and dull specimens of stalactites, and we were 
 gazing at this display in a transport of admiration, 
 when we were startled I may say enveloped by 
 this frightful chaos of sounds. They died away, and 
 
THE GROTTO. 289 
 
 we were finding the composure to question each 
 other as to their meaning, when a voice, above the 
 line of our heads, exclaimed, in the welcome tones 
 of Hercules, " Hi, master ! here are the oder black 
 devils for sure." 
 
 We climbed up to the ledge on which he lay, like 
 a giant spread out on a shelf to dry, and then crept 
 along this shelf into a room of dazzling splendor. 
 Fancy an immense saloon hung with massive folds 
 of white tapestry, its lofty roof fretted with jewels, 
 furnished with tables and sofas of purest marble, 
 supported by stately columns with sculptured forms 
 reclining at their bases, all of the same rich material, 
 and all seen in the uncertain gleams but not the less 
 charming in effect of three or four quivering lights. 
 Such caverns are not rare in Jamaica. St. Ann 
 abounds in them ; but it was the first I had ever seen, 
 and I was enchanted with its magical splendors. Mr. 
 Martineau had explored other wonderful caverns, 
 but he maintained to Mr. Holgrave, that this grand 
 hall was the noblest and the most perfectly beautiful 
 he had ever seen. 
 
 To our surprise it was dark night when we re- 
 turned to the upper world. We had been seven 
 hours under ground. The head man had never 
 
290 THE PRINCE OP KASHNA. 
 
 before seen nor heard of this fine hall in the cavern, 
 and could not tell for his life what Mr. Martineau 
 meant by it when he said he went down expressly 
 to look it up, as he had " promised it to Mr. Buckly 
 and Mahmadee for a mosque.' 1 '' It is now. called, 
 however, the "Hall of Echoes," on account of the 
 singular manner in which it echoes and multiplies 
 sounds. 
 
 While we were exploring the caverns, Mr. Hoi- 
 grave had received a visit from Mr. St. John, of 
 Rose Hill, and he had promised to spend the coming 
 week with that gentleman. Mr. Martineau had pre- 
 viously engaged to devote that time to two young 
 officers, lately out from England, whom he had met 
 at one of the houses he had visited. There was a 
 bet of fifty guineas in question. In speaking of a 
 remarkable succession of rapids and cataracts on 
 the White River, which, in describing, he called 
 the Magic Cascades, Mr. Martineau asserted that 
 " in the parish of St. Ann alone there was a more 
 numereus collection of natural curiosities which 
 were at once eminently curious and attractively 
 beautiful than could be found in any part of the 
 known world within the compass of a territory 
 equal to the whole island of Jamaica." The officers, 
 
THE GROTTO. 291 
 
 who had made the tour of Europe, deemed this 
 impossible, and, like true Englishmen, clinched their 
 opinion with a bet. Mr. Martineau accepted it, 
 made a note of the point to be decided which I 
 copied in my journal and agreed to leave it to 
 their own word of honor at the end of one week's 
 excursion. While Mr. Martineau and Hercules were 
 away to bring this bet to a conclusion which I may 
 here say he won triumphantly Mr. Holgrave and I 
 were to see for ourselves whether Mr. St. John 
 lived in the style of " oriental luxury and laxity" 
 spoken of by the gentlemen at whose house the bet 
 I have mentioned was made. Unfortunately, our 
 visit had to be postponed for several days. Mr. 
 Holgrave had a relapse, and was at one time on the 
 point of not going to Rose Hill at all; but as he 
 rallied he returned to the original purpose. 
 
 Madam Felix went over there in advance, to 
 have every thing in readiness to accommodate Mr. 
 Holgrave's invalid habits, and I marvelled much 
 how it was that any quadroon, even though rich 
 and a lady bred as she certainly was could enjoy 
 such easy liberty in the house of an aristocratic 
 white planter like Mr. St. John. 
 13* 
 
292 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 ROSE HILL. 
 
 AT last Mr. Holgrave felt able to make the long 
 promised visit to Rose Hill. 
 
 Mr. Martineau, whose curiosity had been piqued 
 by the contradictory stories about the style and hab- 
 its of that elegant mansion, wished, of all earthly 
 things, to go there too; but Mr. St. John had, at 
 that period, such a prejudice against him, that he 
 would neither ask him nor receive him beyond his 
 hall. Food and lodging he denied to no man, but 
 the interior of his dwelling was reserved for his 
 peculiar friends, or for those persons whose manners 
 attracted him. He had a horror of Mr. Martin eau, 
 without, however, knowing much of his burying the 
 deputy-marshal. 
 
 . There was no other gentleman at Rose Hill when 
 Mr. Holgrave arrived, which I was not sorry to 
 learn, as it gave him a little repose. His health 
 was still very delicate, and he had never been there" 
 
EOSE HILL. 293 
 
 previously, though frequently invited. We arrived 
 about three o'clock in the afternoon, and were re- 
 ceived by Madam Felix, who shed tears at the sight 
 of his pale face, and at the signs of his debility. 
 She was accompanied to the hall by four beautiful 
 quadroons, all vieing with one another in expres- 
 sions of sympathy and good will. They led him 
 directly to his apartment, to rest a while before he 
 went into the bath, and, as I would not be needed 
 immediately, I amused myself by looking about the 
 house and grounds. 
 
 I had never seen any thing like the one or the 
 other in my life. All other places which I had seen 
 inhabited by white men were evidently bililt merely 
 to live in. Their grounds are laid out for profit 
 rum, sugar, coffee, guinea-grass, corn, pimento in 
 some or all of the exportable or eatable productions 
 of the tropics ; but Mr. St. John had built his house 
 and laid out his grounds for enjoying life. 
 
 The house was placed upon an elevated platform, 
 in the center of a garden full of flowers of all hues, 
 and fruits of every description that I ever saw in 
 Africa or Jamaica. Around the garden were the 
 woods, with long glades cut through them, in every 
 direction, and these green glades were kept mowed 
 
294: THE PBINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 as smooth and rolled as level as the floor. Beyond 
 these glades might be seen distant mountains in one 
 direction, extensive plains in another, the sea in a 
 third. Nothing could be more beautiful to my eyes, 
 and I have heard all Englishmen who knew the 
 place, declare it was a gem of beauty, a perfect 
 paradise. 
 
 The house was built in a square, two stories 
 high, with a court in the centre, and in the court a 
 fountain, where the marble statue of a woman with 
 long hair seemed melting into water, which trickled 
 all over her. The fountain was surrounded with 
 orange-trees, and the rest of the court was full of 
 flowers of the brightest colors, mixed with rose-trees 
 and geraniums. There was likewise an aviary along 
 one side of the building, with a great many birds 
 in it with which I was unacquainted. I had seen 
 parrots and macaws in the walks and about the 
 garden ; and peacocks, both white and in their nat- 
 ural colors, were now and then visible in the glades, 
 and on the trees in the woods. In these last, too, 
 were an infinity of doves of various descriptions. 
 The woods themselves were beautiful : oranges', 
 shaddocks, and all sorts of fruit-trees, were mixed 
 among the lofty palms, cedars, and other trees. All 
 
ROSE HILL. 295 
 
 the woods in Jamaica are very beautiful, but here a 
 great deal of pains had been taken to improve their 
 appearance, and make them subservient to the taste 
 and inclinations of their master. 
 
 The inside of the house was no less delightful 
 than the exterior. The hall was paved with marble, 
 and furnished with paintings of white people, espe- 
 cially women, all of them handsome and happy look- 
 ing, and mostly dressed in light, flowing robes. I 
 soon learned from Mr. Holgrave that these lovely 
 pictures were taken from the ancient mythology, 
 and I was delighted with the study which explained 
 to me the faith, as well as the history of the grand 
 old Romans, although with their millions of white 
 slaves, and slaves of all colors, it must be admitted 
 that they were terribly hard masters. But this 
 learning came to me by degrees. Mr. St. John's 
 hall I ran through more rapidly on that first day. 
 Two pictures particularly fascinated me ; Diana, 
 with her bow and quiver, and Europa I know their 
 names now riding upon a bull, as my country- 
 women do in Africa. The bull was a pretty beast, 
 covered all over with roses and hyacinths, though 
 swimming through the sea. 
 
 Beside the pictures, there were statues of mar- 
 
296 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 ble, some of black women, smooth and shining; 
 but they were not like negresses, for the sculptor 
 had given them long, black hair, flowing loose over 
 their shoulders, in two or three instances ; in others, 
 tied up fancifully in plaits round their heads. These 
 statues represented women standing in rather free 
 and easy postures, as in my utter inexperience of the 
 fine arts I then thought. One or two of them were 
 lying down, and one was crouching as if she was 
 ashamed ; but they were all very beautiful, and even 
 the black ones had features like those of the whites. 
 I noticed that not one had negro noses or lips. 
 
 In the middle of the hall was a marble basin, 
 about six feet in diameter, in which water bubbled 
 up from the bottom, and found its way out again 
 through the mouth of a fish, which seemed to be 
 swimming with its mouth open, as if to devour a 
 figure chained to a rock. There were sofas around 
 this hall, between the statues, and it was illuminated 
 by a skylight above. But to prevent the glare of 
 the sun from being too powerful, as it would of 
 course be for some hours in the day, there was a 
 linen curtain drawn across the skylight, which cast 
 rather a melancholy shade upon every thing to one 
 coming from the open air ; but in a few minutes this 
 
KOBE HILL. 297 
 
 was forgotten. There were four doors opening into 
 the hall, and two of them were set open at the time. 
 These would allow a current of air to pass through 
 from every quarter, in case of the heat becoming 
 oppressive. I entered one of the apartments into 
 which the open doors led, and saw it was a room 
 for dining or breakfasting. It looked toward the 
 sea, through two immense avenues in the woods. 
 The floor of this room, like that of the last, was of 
 stone. There were two large pictures in it : one 
 representing a ship sinking in a storm ; the other 
 was a calm, with the sun rising, and sailors in boats, 
 towing a fleet out of a harbor into the sea. There 
 was a fine sideboard with plate and glasses arranged 
 upon it, and two sofas, covered with purple, besides 
 the chairs and tables. In front of this room was a 
 piazza. 
 
 From the dining-room I glanced through a side- 
 door into a large, handsome bedroom, where the 
 musquito net was of pink muslin ; there was a bath 
 at one end, and water running into it from a lion's 
 mouth fixed in the wall. The lion's head, for there 
 was no more than that, was of brass, and above it 
 was a silver plate with four lines engraved in letters 
 which I could not read. I know the English of 
 
298 THE PKINOE OF KASHNA. 
 
 them, now, and to what they refer. Mr. Holgrave 
 translated them : " Ask of the swarthy African, son 
 of Europa, the fair and long-haired, why he pours 
 water from a lion's mouth rather than from that of 
 any other animal." 
 
 Mr. St. John himself explained to me that it was 
 copied from an old Greek palace, and was an allu- 
 sion to the rise of the Nile in the sign of Leo. This 
 room, I thought, could only belong to the master or 
 mistress of this splendid residence. I noticed two 
 looking-glasses here : one in the wall, the other in 
 a frame, both five or six feet high, and a drawing 
 of a quadroon (Jamaica), dressed in white, with a 
 garland of wild cofiee-flowers on her head. This 
 was in a gilded frame, with a glass over it. The 
 floor of the room was of hard wood, polished with 
 wax. The next room was filled with books of all 
 sizes, arranged along the walls with great neatness 
 and regularity. There were two globes, and a very 
 large telescope on a stand ; lamps and inkstands 
 upon a black table, and various articles of furniture, 
 for which I could find no name or use. There was 
 a square piano-forte in the middle of the room, and 
 a set of glass vases in a sort of frame. These were 
 of different sizes, diminishing regularly, from the 
 
KOBE HILL. 299 
 
 largest to the smallest, and were made for music. 
 There were, beside, models of houses and ships, 
 and maps of every country in the world, I believe, 
 and many, to me strange, implements and instru- 
 ments. 
 
 The furniture of this apartment was no less ele- 
 gant than that of the others, being all mahogany, 
 very strong and elegantly finished. I could have 
 lingered here an hour, but I dared not, being appre- 
 hensive it might give offense. "Sidi Mahmadee," 
 thought I, " these whites are indeed our masters." 
 I passed on still, without meeting any one, through 
 another bedroom fitted up no less elegantly than the 
 last, and entered a sort of saloon, furnished with sev- 
 eral looking-glasses and the kind of sofas called otto- 
 mans. There was a fountain also, level with the 
 floor, and there were essences and perfumes on a 
 marble table, which was opposite an immense mir- 
 ror. The walls of this saloon were painted all over 
 with scenes from other climates, of which I had 
 read ; for there were mountains of ice, and valleys, 
 and plains, white with snow, represented on them ; 
 trees without a single leaf, and men and women 
 skating or driving in sledges. There was an anti- 
 mi adjoining this, covered with a rich paper, with 
 
300 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 porcelain vases standing, some on gilded brackets, 
 which projected from the wall, some on tripods of 
 brass, and filled with flowers. In this room was 
 another large piano-forte, and a harp stood beside it. 
 A white handkerchief lay on a stool of blue silk, 
 rose-scented so strongly, that it could only belong 
 to a lady. There were here also figures and vases, 
 cut in alabaster, and upon the latter were devices 
 which I did not comprehend. The ceiling of this 
 apartment was painted with a sun in the middle, and 
 a parcel of figures signifying the stars and constella- 
 tions, as I afterward understood, men and women, 
 and the many figures of the zodiac. 
 
 A long passage, or enclosed piazza, led from this 
 second saloon or vestibule to a light, airy room in- 
 tended for servants. There was a statue in the mid- 
 dle representing a negro, bearing a globe on his 
 head. I suppose it meant that we (the negroes) are 
 doomed by God to be slaves, and to bear burdens for 
 the white men. There was a bath also here, with 
 running water, and in large letters on the wall I 
 read, " Wash, and be clean," which words made me 
 think this gentleman must be of my religion. From 
 the bath, another passage led me back to the hall 
 where we had first entered, and here I observed the 
 
KOSE HILL. 301 
 
 staircase to the upper rooms. I had never before 
 seen so elegant a staircase in my life, and as no one 
 interfered with me as, in short, I saw and heard no 
 one I took the liberty of walking up. 
 
 The steps were of mahogany, highly polished, 
 and the bannisters of ebony. A bronze lamp hung 
 down from the roof, ornamented with faces of wo- 
 men. Birds of all sorts were painted on the walls, 
 some in the water, others in the air, and many more 
 in trees and on the ground. The trees bore fruits 
 as well ; some of which I had seen, while others, I 
 suppose, belonged to different countries. The win- 
 dows which gave light upon the staircase were not 
 obscured by jalousies, but covered with cloths, 
 which had not long before been wetted. On the 
 landing-place above there was a large space, hardly 
 to be called a room, as there were outlets in three or 
 four directions. It was, however, furnished with 
 sofas covered with some kind of flowered stuff. 
 The wood-work was of ebony, and gilded here and 
 there. I ought not, properly, to have proceeded 
 farther ; indeed, my curiosity hitherto was hardly 
 excusable, considering that I was in a strange gen- 
 tleman's house, and that, in all probability, my mas- 
 ter would soon have taken his bath, and asked for 
 
 
302 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 me ; but I found all so still, so beautiful, and so en- 
 ticing, that I went on. 
 
 An open door invited me into a small bedroom, 
 which led me to a second. They were both fur- 
 nished with window-curtains of blue muslin, span- 
 gled with silver stars. The musquito-nets were of 
 the same material, and the bedsteads of yellow san- 
 ders-wood. There was a coronet of silver over the 
 first, to which the musquito net was attached, and 
 the other was crowned with a garland of flowers. 
 There were three chests of drawers in this apart- 
 ment, of cedar-wood and yellow Sanders inter- 
 mixed ; and on the top of each was a slab of beau- 
 tiful white marble. The chairs were of the same 
 wood as the bedsteads, covered with sky-blue silk, 
 and there were cushions on the floor to put the feet 
 upon. A marble table stood before a window, with 
 a china basin and water-jug upon it. On another 
 table there was a little army of boxes, bottles, nap- 
 kins, and what not, all in the finest order, and as 
 clean as if a score of slaves were employed to keep 
 them so. The walls were alternate pictures and 
 looking-glasses, and the floor was almost as bright 
 as a mirror. I did not know the meaning of the pic- 
 tures, but I remember they were full of little boys, 
 
EOSE HILL. 303 
 
 Cupids, with wings, flying about in all directions, 
 floating in -the air, like humming-birds sucking honey 
 from flowers of the sea-side jessamine. 
 
 As I turned from this hasty survey back into 
 the landing-place at the head of the stairs, I heard 
 voices below me in the bath-room, as I supposed. 
 They were sounds of mirth, of girls laughing, and I 
 could distinguish the voice of Mr. Holgrave speak- 
 ing French to Madam Felix. I listened a moment, 
 but as all was quiet, I presumed that he had only 
 just come out of the bath, and had still to dress 
 for dinner. He asked for me, but I could hear the 
 women say that they would shave him and dress 
 his hair. I hastened to him and attended him to 
 his own room. He had slept an hour and felt much 
 refreshed, but he begged to be excused from the 
 regular dinner-table, and Madam Felix replied that 
 he should be served in his own way, that Mr. St. 
 John had ordered the servants to attend to his 
 wishes in every thing, and would be much grieved 
 if Mr. Holgrave did not make himself as completely 
 at home at Rose Hill as he could be at Miraflc-r Or 
 Sa"vannah-la-Mar. I wondered how it happened that 
 this polite Mr. St. John did not appear in person to 
 receive his guest, and why Madam Felix, herself 
 
304 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 but a visitor, should be performing those acts of 
 attentive hospitality which in every other house 
 that Mr. Holgrave could be prevailed on to enter 
 and they were not many I had always seen the 
 master and all his family so forward to proffer. 
 But it was not for me to notice, even by a look, my 
 secret discontent. 
 
 Two black girls laid out a small table in the 
 music-room the one containing the harp and piano 
 and they waited upon my master and Madam 
 Felix, who sat down with him to his weak tea and 
 toast and arrow-root custard. The three servants 
 including myself had nothing to do, and the kind- 
 est could do no more for this poor invalid. He 
 rigorously forbade himself high living, but he en- 
 joyed this light supper, and when it was over he 
 requested Madam Felix to take her guitar and favor 
 him with a chanson. The two black girls cleared 
 the table. In that house all the work was arranged 
 in pairs and trios ; I never saw one girl at work 
 by herself, even in arranging the chambers; and 
 after Mr. Holgrave's supper was out of the way 
 they took me with them to share their own. 
 
 When I returned to the music-room, Madam Felix 
 was looking at the pictures of the gods and god- 
 
ROSE HILL. 305 
 
 desses in a work on mythology, which Mr. Holgrave 
 was explaining to her. "You are to go through 
 this book as your next study, Mahmadee," said Mr. 
 Holgrave, handing it to me. "You shall read me 
 to sleep with the first chapter to-night by way of 
 beginning ;" and so I did. 
 
 Before I slept myself, however, Victorine aston- 
 ished me with the news that Orange Grove was 
 actually sold, and on the point of delivery, to a rich 
 Jew merchant of Kingston, and that the present 
 owner not requiring such a large force, many of the 
 slaves were to be sold off and scattered among new 
 masters. 
 
 Even while I devoutly thanked the All-Merciful 
 Allah that my own destiny bad placed me in the 
 hands of the indulgent Mr. Holgrave, I thought, 
 with a heavy heart, of the possible fate of my kind 
 Tatee and the good-natured Brad. I touched upon 
 these anxieties to Mr. Holgrave in the morning, but 
 he only said, " Be at ease, Mahmadee ; your old 
 Houssa friends are prime hands, and good servants 
 are pretty sure to find good masters." 
 
306 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER XVH. 
 
 ME. ST. JOHN. 
 
 I HEARD a slight stir in the house, and the tink- 
 ling of a bell in the direction of the library about 
 midnight. Thereabouts was the master's own bed- 
 room, as the two black damsels who had favored 
 me with their company and a nice supper the even- 
 ing before had, among other things, explained to 
 me, and I judged, therefore, that these movements 
 announced the return of Mr. St. John. These girls 
 were twins, as they informed me, and were named 
 Belle and Bessie. They waited on the table and 
 the kitchen bringing in and taking out the dishes 
 and cleaned the windows and furniture in all the 
 lower rooms. Two other black girls did the same 
 for the upper rooms. There were the parlor maids 
 to do the nice work, dusting, arranging, and bring- 
 ing fresh flowers and fruits into the drawing and 
 dining-rooms, which Mr. St. John had done every 
 day of the year, they said. The four black girls 
 
 
MR. ST. JOUN. 307 
 
 were called the hall and chamber maids ; the others 
 that is, the parlor-maids had nothing to do with 
 the kitchen or rough house-cleaning ; but, beside 
 sewing and other fine work, they waited at the side- 
 tables in the dining-room, and had plenty to do in 
 attending to their own business. Mr. St. John 
 would not endure the least speck of dust, and any 
 thing like rude noises or disorder was carefully 
 avoided as the price of his favor. Those who neg- 
 lected these rules were sent out of the house, and 
 that Belle and Bessie regarded as the heaviest mis- 
 fortune that could befall them. I fell asleep very 
 much of their opinion respecting this charming 
 residence. I longed to see the noble master of this 
 noble mansion ; and when I heard his bell I wished 
 for the dawn to hurry on, that I might the sooner 
 hnve an opportunity to survey him in the midst of 
 all these beautiful surroundings. 
 
 I slept in a small dressing-room, with one large 
 window, facing a long avenue of roses and pome- 
 granates. It had a fanciful affair at the far end of it 
 they called the kiosk,, but it afterwards caught the 
 title of Mahmadee's Mosque. I was up, and had 
 been for some time admiring this clean, beautiful 
 
 walk, with its border of blooming roses glittering 
 14 
 
308 THE PKINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 in the dew, and hesitating about venturing to stop 
 out of the window on an exploring expedition, when 
 Mr. Holgrave awoke. His cup of cocoa and a bis- 
 cuit were brought to the door by Madam Felix's 
 maid Yictorine, just as she had done at Miraflor, as 
 soon as the bell was touched for it. If it had been 
 her sole and entire business to watch for it, the sil- 
 ver tray and its belongings could not have answered 
 the call more speedily, and in better order. It was 
 the same all the rest of the time we spent at Rose 
 Hill. Madam Felix made it her chief study to nurse 
 and console my invalid master. 
 
 After his morning cup, I read to Mr. Holgrave 
 the selections he made from the mythology, relating 
 to the pictures in the hall. The story of Europa he 
 told me might be a fable, invented to convey the 
 idea that the fair races of the North had, in the 
 most ancient days, obtained their domestic cattle 
 from Africa, and with them the most essential com- 
 forts of civilized life. Although in such delicate 
 health, these lessons, half reading, half conversation, 
 never seemed to fatigue Mr. Holgrave. He would 
 recline on his sofa for hours together, directing me 
 to take down this book or that, and read to him the 
 captions of the chapters, until I came to the subject 
 
ME. ST. JOHN. 309 
 
 he wanted, and then he would say: "Begin that 
 chapter, and read it to me. Read it in a proper 
 tone, as if you relished its meaning." When it was 
 finished, or I had reached the point he wished to ex- 
 plain, he would take up the thread, and make what 
 had seemed the dullest of themes perfectly clear and 
 interesting, by his happy comments. After our 
 morning lesson I attended him to the bathing-room, 
 where he said he should allow himself but ten min- 
 utes, during which time I might study the pictures 
 in the hall, and prepare my mind for another dose 
 of heathen mythology for the next morning. I now 
 gazed with enlightened eyes, not only on the pic- 
 tures, which had most forcibly attracted my atten- 
 tion on my first entrance into this spacious apart- 
 ment, but on their companions, Yenus in her chariot, 
 and Minerva conferring the Palladium, which were 
 now equally beautiful to me. These four pictures 
 were all of one size, framed to match, in rich gild- 
 ing, and were placed two on each of the longest 
 sides of the hall. A wide door opened between 
 each pair of pictures into the two next largest rooms 
 in the house. In each corner were statues and 
 groups, on pedestals of variegated marble. Under 
 each of those pictures was a sofa, with a kind of 
 
310 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 small moveable frame of dark wood at the end, 
 which might serve for a little stand for reading and 
 drawing, or to hold refreshments. My first impres- 
 sion had been of a confused mixture of statues, and 
 pictures, and furniture, and water, but the moment I 
 re-entered it, I saw that luxury was combined with 
 order and convenience. I have seen, in later years, 
 the halls of the rich and noble in Europe, but I 
 have never yet beheld the match, in charming effect 
 and finished taste, of this one planned and built in 
 the mountains of Jamaica. 
 
 I met a gentleman coming out of his room just 
 as I was summoned to dress Mr. Holgrave for 
 breakfast the luxurious eleven o'clock breakfast of 
 a Jamaica planter of the olden time and I knew it 
 must be Mr. St. John. I could not refrain from ex- 
 pressing to Mr. Holgrave my delight in the novelties 
 around, and he agreed that the whole establishment 
 seemed admirable. Our conversation was interrupt- 
 ed by Bessie, who came to say, from Madam Felix, 
 that I must wait at table, and bid me go into the 
 bath and wash myself. The black girls were aston- 
 ished, and could not account for this exception to 
 the rules of the house. I obeyed the order, and was 
 shewn into the bath I had previously seen, where 
 
ME. ST. JOHN. 311 
 
 
 they brought me a pair of linen trowsers, a clean 
 
 shirt, and a frock of blue stuff, with a belt of 
 red morocco, and a neat buckle to fasten it round 
 my waist. They gave me likewise soap and 
 brushes, and perfumed my frock, and left me a 
 pair of red morocco shoes with woolen soles, to 
 wait in. 
 
 1 was troubled, though pleased, at all this, for I 
 hoped I might be able to win the good opinion of 
 Mr. St. John ; and 1 yet all this washing seemed to 
 imply an affectation on their part, as if I were an un- 
 clean beast. However, as his house was full of baths 
 and fountains, I conjectured he felt the need of them 
 himself, and moreover, as a Mahometan, washing 
 was all right and proper. 
 
 After all these ablutions, and arrangings, and 
 pevfumings were duly accomplished, I went into the 
 breakfast-parlor, where the four black girls awaited 
 me. We ranged ourselves before the sideboard, 
 myself in the center, and two of the negresses on 
 either side of me. Mr. St. John quickly made his 
 appearance, and the breakfast was served. I should 
 state that he came into the room first and alone, 
 but was soon followed by Mr. Holgrave, who was 
 led in by Madam Felix. Poor gentleman ! he 
 
312 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA 
 
 scarcely seemed refreshed by his bath, and leaned 
 for support on his quadroon friend. 
 
 I had now an opportunity of observing Mr. St. 
 John more closely. He was rather tall, and about 
 thirty-five years of age, with a high forehead and 
 curly brown hair, a little gray about the temples. 
 
 9 
 
 He had a straight nose, rather large lips for a 
 white man, and blue eyes. He was dressed much 
 in the Jamaica fashion, with a white waistcoat and 
 trowsers, and a blue coat, lined with silk. He had 
 a ring on one of his fingers, and a blue ribbon, 
 with two or three seals, hung from his watch. 
 There were only two covers laid, one for each of 
 the gentlemen. Madam Felix sat upon a stool be- 
 side Mr. Holgrave, and helped him to the plain 
 broiled partridge, and any thing else he asked for. 
 I stood sentinel at the sideboard, and poured out 
 the cofiee and wine, ctr other liquors, when de- 
 manded and the girls handed them on silver 
 waiters. There was nothing remarkable in the 
 breakfast, except that all the dishes, of which there 
 were a good many, were very small, and were 
 served one at a time. It consisted of the ordinary 
 productions of the island : fish and poultry, kid or 
 lamb, eggs and omelet, with such vegetables as are 
 
MR. ST. JOHN. 313 
 
 to be seen at every gentleman's table in Jamaica. 
 A pot of incense was set on fire while they were 
 eating, and a musical machine played of itself some 
 very sweet tunes during the repast. Mr. St. John 
 smiled at me when he first came in, and Madam 
 Felix would have won my heart, if she had not 
 possessed it before, by a glance replete with good 
 humor and kindly encouragement. The black girls 
 went out, in turn, for the various dishes, and changed 
 the plates for the gentlemen. 
 
 The center of the table was occupied by a large 
 stand, representing a cluster of myrtle shrubs, whose 
 twisted stalks supported China baskets filled with 
 the finest and freshest fruits of the season. These 
 were more for ornament than use, for they were not 
 touched at all, but the same kinds of fruit were 
 ready on a side-table to offer round. Yases filled 
 with flowers, chiefly roses and jessamine, stood on 
 each side of this beautiful center ornament ; and, 
 taken together with the silver bread-baskets, the 
 butter and salt-holders, and other such shining mat- 
 ters, the table was abundantly and beautifully set 
 out, without putting upon it the dishes with food. 
 
 When they were first seated at the table, Mr. St. 
 John remarked, as if in continuation of a previous 
 
314: THE PKINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 conversation, that he hoped the affair which had 
 called him out so unexpectedly at the moment when 
 he would have been so much more agreeably em- 
 ployed in receiving Mr. Holgrave, would not disturb 
 the guest of Rose Hill while he was an inmate. 
 
 "I should only think of it so far as it caused 
 annoyance .to you and others," replied Mr. Holgrave. 
 " I have known him for some time ; he was a pas- 
 senger in the same ship when I came from England 
 last May, and if he is not altogether insane, he is 
 as near it as I ever saw any man out of a mad- 
 house." 
 
 " I suspected as much myself," said Mr. St. John. 
 "And now that you have confirmed me in this 
 opinion, I shall be prepared to act accordingly." 
 
 The conversation turned off at that point, but it 
 run in my head all day. 
 
 " Who could this crazy him be, that both gentle- 
 men seemed to agree might become very trouble- 
 some. Could trouble enter this enchanted hall ?" 
 
 Presently Mr. Martineau's name was brought 
 forward, and it was plain that Mr. St. John had 
 heard shocking stories about his wild acts of cruelty 
 to man and beast, and he seemed much surprised 
 when Mr. Holgrave seriously assured him the 
 
MR. ST. JOHN. 315 
 
 planter was one of the most " considerate and con- 
 sistently humane masters he had ever known. Some- 
 what given to rough practical jokes, and too ready, 
 perhaps, with a sharp, sarcastic tongue, for the world 
 in general, but with a warm and faithful heart for his 
 friends." 
 
 " If he is your friend, my dear sir, I am quite 
 ready to believe that public report has been over 
 severe on Mr. Martineau," said Mr. St. John, 
 politely. 
 
 " You may depend upon my word, it is in this 
 case, Mr. St. John. Public report is rarely acccu- 
 rate. You know the ancients represented Madam 
 Rumor with many wings and feet, and monstrous 
 ears, but with only one pair of half-shut eyes," an- 
 swered Mr. Holgrave. 
 
 "I trust we shall have the pleasure of a visit 
 from your friend while you are here," observed Mr. 
 St. John, but not until after he had heard an account 
 of the bet with the cavalry officers respecting the 
 natural marvels of St. Ann. 
 
 " I would not like to be one in the chase among 
 woods and hills for the cascades, and in the dark 
 labyrinths under the ground, to explore caverns 
 
 to which Hercules and his master will lead them. 
 14* 
 
316 THE PRINCE OF KABHNA. 
 
 These explorations are not my element," said Mr. 
 Holgrave, as he closed. 
 
 " You may be surprised to hear that I have a 
 passion for them. I fancy Madam Felix will never 
 forget one she made last year, in which she and I, 
 and six of our servants, remained under ground 
 twenty hours," replied Mr. St. John. 
 
 " Twenty hours ?" exclaimed Mr. Holgrave. 
 "Yes, twenty, and when we reached sunshine 
 again, we had not only entered upon another day 
 but on another domain." 
 
 " How the people were frightened when we 
 rushed upon them, like so many returned Indian 
 spirits !" said Madam Felix, laughing gaily at the 
 recollection. 
 
 " This is all new to me," said Mr. Holgrave. 
 
 It was new to me, also. Madam Felix had 
 never mentioned it in my hearing, nor, for that 
 matter, had she often mentioned Mr. St. John him- 
 self. 
 
 " It is all quite true, however. The cavern has 
 one entrance in a ravine near the limits of my estate, 
 another outlet in an Indian temple or grotto, half a 
 mile distant, but most of the connecting links are ex- 
 tremely narrow and intricate." 
 
MR. ST. JOHJS. 317 
 
 " "We had plenty of lights, and wine and biscuits 
 with us, and we enjoyed our refreshments in mag- 
 nificent saloons saloons composed of nothing but 
 precious stones. It was not at all a bad affair. On 
 the contrary, it was far more amusing than tiresome. 
 Still, I had enough of caverns," observed the fair 
 quadroon. 
 
 u Should your friend Martineau favor us with a 
 visit of some days as I hope you will persuade him 
 to do, Mr. Holgrave I shall propose a visit to our 
 cavern," said Mr. St. John, returning to the planter, 
 in a manner that proved his strong prejudices had 
 been materially softened by Mr. Holgrave's candid 
 and friendly explanations. 
 
 Mr. Buckly was then discussed, and, in his case, 
 Miss Public Report had been as falsely partial in 
 painting his imaginary virtues as she had been 
 lavish of her darkest colors in shading the portrait 
 of Mr. Martineau. Mr. St. John had never seen him, 
 he said, but he knew the lady at Kingston to whom 
 he was paying his addresses. 
 
 "Ah, the missionary has then a susceptible 
 heart ?" said Madam Felix, with an arch smile. 
 " Pray describe the fair captivator. I have a curi- 
 osity to learn by what charms a spirit so wholly 
 
318 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 given up to God was brought down to this wicked 
 world of ours." 
 
 " She is a rich widow, not handsome, but amiable 
 I am told, and devoted to the missionary. She is, 
 beside, a convert of his, for she was a Jewess until 
 lately," said Mr. St. John. 
 
 " A Jewess !" exclaimed Madam Felix, in sur- 
 prise. 
 
 " Yes, a Jewess. At least she is the reputed 
 daughter of a Jew, and certainly the widow of a 
 well-known Israelite." 
 
 " I cannot trace Jewish features in her brother 
 McGregor," said Mr. Holgrave, carelessly, "though 
 our friend Davis, who had him employed at Orange 
 Grove, insisted that his hair has to be kept particu- 
 larly short, to keep its kinking tendencies out of 
 sight. But McGregor has a very fair complexion." 
 
 " So had his mother ; but there was more of the 
 chalk mixture than of the white rose in it. When I 
 first came to the Island," continued Mr. St. John, 
 " I was sadly puzzled to reconcile her unusually fair 
 skin with the undeniable wooliness of the octoroon 
 lodging-housekeeper's head." Surprise upon sur- 
 prise was this to me. 
 
 This arrogant mechanic, who never looked at or 
 
MK. ST. JOHN. 319 
 
 spoke to me without casting an insult on the color 
 of my skin which he who gave it knew was so far 
 from being my own choice or fault this man, whom 
 I had often heard say that the law should prohibit 
 the education of negroes, had the taint of the de- 
 spised race in his own veins, and my master and Mr. 
 Holgrave's friend, the doctor, had known it all the 
 time. I now understood why Miss Lucy had alluded 
 to "his passing for white," and why the family at 
 the Great House had always kept him at arm's 
 length. 
 
 Again the conversation wandered from this the 
 point nearest my heart to the extensive merits of 
 Mr. Buckly ; to his zeal in teaching hymns and good 
 morals to the blacks, and especially to his prudence 
 and industry in restraining them to their duties 
 that is, their duties to their masters, which is the 
 sum total of slave morality and of his uncommon 
 success and usefulness in general. It then gleamed 
 upon me, for the first time, that the parson had sold 
 his missionary efforts and influence to the slave- 
 owners not exactly betrayed the slaves for a price 
 but had sold or hired himself out to do for wages 
 what I had done for love. I believed it then I 
 know it now / and if there are those in Jamaica, or 
 
320 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 elsewhere, who will take offence at this or other jot- 
 tings of those days, I can only say, What is written 
 is written. 
 
 But then I was a slave in waiting on my masters 
 at Rose Hill, presumed to have ears, limbs, and 
 speech, only to hear and obey ; and though hunger- 
 ing for a larger supply, I was still thankful for these 
 crumbs of information. 
 
 It was to be a day of surprising, but always im- 
 perfect intelligence. When Mr. Holgrave retired to 
 his room, I managed by a roundabout path to hint 
 at the reserve of Madam Felix in speaking of Mr. 
 St. John, and yet making such long and intimate 
 visits at his house, and even going into cave excur- 
 sions with him. 
 
 " The poor woman is afraid of being thought to 
 boast of her relationship with Mr. St. John, and 
 yet she is too much attached to him to refuse the 
 kindness he really entertains for her," said Mr. Hol- 
 grave, settling himself on the pillow for his regular 
 noontide slumber. 
 
 "Relationship to Mr. St. John?" I repeated, 
 with a surprise amounting to dismay, for I recalled 
 some sneering inuendoes over the bottle in the 
 house, where St. John and his establishment had 
 
MR. ST. JOHN. 321 
 
 been so keenly criticised. " Boasting of her rela- 
 tionship with Mr. St. John," I repeated, the second 
 time, almost unconsciously. 
 
 " Yes, she is his sister. His father, when a wid- 
 ower, went to Port-au-Prince, and made his fortune. 
 The mother of Claire that is, Madam Felix was a 
 young, handsome, intelligent, and independent quad- 
 roon. She gave herself and fortune to the Mr. St. 
 John of those days, without precisely insisting on a 
 wedding-ring. She died while Claire was a child, 
 and he formed other ties ; but every penny of her 
 own fortune, with a neat addition from his own, was 
 firmly settled on Claire. This St. John, of Rose 
 Hill, has become her trustee by the death of the 
 former St. John's solicitor, and, much as he dislikes 
 business, he is, I believe, strictly attentive to her 
 interests." 
 
 " I had always supposed that you, sir, was her 
 trustee." 
 
 " So I am that is, Mr. Martineau and I, jointly 
 for her property on this island, but the principal part 
 of her fortune is in England, in charge of Mr. St. 
 John's solicitor," said Mr. Holgrave, resettling him- 
 self to his pillows, which he had disturbed in talking 
 to me. 
 
322 THE PRINCE OF K AS UN A. 
 
 " Tlieu the Missionary Maroon, as Mr. Martineau 
 calls him, will, in fact, capture no property nothing 
 but the lady's own person." I was repeating the 
 planter's own words to Mr. Holgrave as I heard 
 them fall from his lips in the Temple Grotto, after 
 that interesting luncheon, in which he had urged 
 the preacher to wind up the chase. 
 
 There was no answer, and I stepped softly out 
 of the room. Mr. St. John had also retired to his 
 room to his siesta, and I knew that Madam Felix 
 and Yictorine were always invisible for a couple of 
 hours at this time of day. There was no call for 
 my services, therefore, and I went in search of the 
 waiter-girls and something to eat, for I could not be 
 spared from Mr. Holgrave until he had betaken him- 
 self to his noontide repose. 
 
 Bella and Bessie had provided for me, and we 
 had a long chat about the house and their duties 
 in it. 
 
 It appears that the most promising girls are 
 selected from the children of the field negroes, and 
 trained with great care for the general service of the 
 house. First in the kitchen and laundry, as inferior 
 assistants, and after a certain probation, to test their 
 conduct and fitness for the house, they are brought 
 
ME. ST. JOHN. 323 
 
 in, two at a .time, to serve and learn under two older 
 ones, who have already been instructed. As soon 
 as they are promoted to the house-service they may, 
 if they choose, begin learning to read. There was a 
 regular schoolroom and a black schoolmaster (a 
 better teacher than the brown genius who taught 
 my young ideas how to shoot), whose evening work 
 was to teach the privileged servants to read and 
 write. They learned, or not, as they chose ; and 
 after they had learned, they read what they pleased 
 the Bible and sermons, or novels and poetry. A 
 price was set on them, and they might earn their 
 own freedom, if they could, and they were promised, 
 after four years' service, that they might go and 
 seek other service, if they liked, so they paid twenty 
 pounds a year. They cleaned the house, and kept 
 every thing, as I have described it. Their master 
 never flogged any body. 
 
 "Indeed?" said I. 
 
 "Nobody about the house, and very seldom 
 allowed any punishment upon his estate." 
 
 They, in turn, asked me about myself. In what 
 part of Africa I was born, when brought over, and 
 whether my master was kind, and the like. They 
 said Victorine had told them my father was a king, 
 
324: THE PEINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 and that I was to have my freedom some day, and 
 be made a preacher. I gravely told them the last 
 was impossible, as I was a Mahometan, and would 
 never give up my own faith to become a Christian. 
 Much did I know then of the difference ! But I 
 have seen very pious zealots who were almost as 
 ignorant of the divinest part of their religion as 
 I was at that time. 
 
 These girls did not afflict their mind with points 
 of faith, good or bad. Their ideas run more on love 
 and matrimony. 
 
 Had I a wife?" 
 
 " No, I was not seventeen years old, and had no 
 need of a wife yet ;" upon which they all began to 
 laugh, and said I was a silly fool, a stupid Congo, 
 and I know not what beside. They Ind me look at 
 them, and say, if I dared, that they any one of 
 them were not fit for me. They insisted that I 
 should signify at once which I preferred of them, 
 and what I would do to merit their good graces. 
 I suppose four servant girls, in any other country, 
 who had caught one raw boy among them, would 
 have made game of him, as they did of me. 
 
 They were taken at twelve or thirteen, according 
 to their appearance, into the house, and it was only 
 
ME. ST. JOHN. 325 
 
 on condition of their living like vestals for the time 
 of their servitude that they were entitled to the 
 advantages I have enumerated. If they were guilty 
 of the least dishonesty or impropriety, expulsion 
 from the house followed, of course. They were free 
 to do as they pleased, but by remaining single, and 
 conforming to certain conditions, they obtained cer- 
 tain privileges. In any case, they could but return 
 to the field from whence they came. 
 
 The hall clock striking one broke up our confab. 
 They had their tables to arrange, and I started for 
 an hour's survey of the premises. 
 
326 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 THE FAIR STRANGER. 
 
 THE house had subsided into the perfect stillness 
 of a tropical siesta. Even the parlor-maids had dis- 
 appeared, and I seemed to be the only being awake 
 in that spacious mansion. The hall-doors were open 
 for the circulation of air, but the jalousies were 
 turned to exclude the sun, and a soft, fragrant 
 dreaminess pervaded the whole place. I alone was 
 restless. It was too warm and sunny for the rounds 
 of the park, so I read a page or too in the Mythol- 
 ogy, and strayed through the music-room, library, 
 and drawing-room, and then back to the hall, scan- 
 ning, admiring, and wondering at this flood of riches 
 in which St. John disported, like a happy bather in 
 a crystal and brimming river. I came out again at 
 the foot of the wide and polished staircase. I looked 
 up, and recollecting that Madam Felix had said no 
 one of the family ever used the upper rooms, which 
 were always kept in perfect readiness for chosen vis- 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 327 
 
 itors, it occurred to me that a discreet tour of inspec- 
 tion in that exclusive region would be interesting. 
 I went up, half hesitating, for I was conscious that 
 it was a bold freedom, if not an inexcusable imperti- 
 nence, to penetrate in this manner into the most pri- 
 vate chambers of a strange house, even though they 
 were unoccupied. But still I went on. The land- 
 ing-place, I now observed, opened on the left into a 
 gallery overlooking the fountain in the hall. There 
 were pillars, with curtains between them, which could 
 be let down, but only the space between the two 
 farthest pillars was, at the moment, closed in this 
 way ; the others were drawn up nearly to the ceil- 
 ing in regular festoons. On the right were the 
 rooms I had looked into the day before, but the 
 outside door, then open, was now closed. Turning 
 from that, and walking along the gallery, I came to 
 a half-open door at the end of it, where the curtain 
 on one side was opposite the recess of a large win- 
 dow, with a curtain corresponding to that between 
 the pillars, and thus formed a sort of vestibule of its 
 own for the door in front of me. As I put my 
 hand to the door to push it wider, my attention was 
 arrested by the fragrant odor of burning incense. 
 It was not exactly like that burned in the breakfast. 
 
328 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 parlor ; it was more powerful. My first impression 
 was that_ the maids were burning pimento to per- 
 fume the house, as their master was so addicted to 
 perfuming every thing and everybody, but a mo- 
 ment's observation corrected that opinion. This 
 was more delicate, though equally penetrating. I 
 entered the room and discovered, on a marble table, 
 a blue vapor gently curling from something which I 
 had never seen before, and thought must be a for- 
 eign preparation. It consisted of several sticks, set 
 upright in a silver crucible, with holes in the cover, 
 through which they protruded. This was the most 
 beautiful apartment I had yet seen. It was hung 
 with rose-colored silk, and all the ornaments were of 
 cut glass ; the handles of the doors, the points of the 
 bedsteads and sofas ; the toilet equipage, jugs and 
 basins for washing ; vases for flowers ; rosettes for 
 the long, flowing window-curtains, which were of 
 thin figured muslin. The room fairly sparkled with 
 crystals, although the light was subdued. The floor 
 was inlaid as may be seen in a few of the best Ja- 
 maica houses with the richest island woods of dif- 
 ferent colors. But the pictures along the walls 
 quickly attracted my attention. One side of the 
 room was almost entirely taken up by a painting of 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 329 
 
 the sea, with figures of mermaids, or some such be- 
 ings, swimming round a chariot drawn by horses 
 with fishes' tails. There was a lady in the chariot, 
 and a man beside it, half in the water, half above 
 the waves. She was white, but he was brown, and 
 there was another brown man, with one eye in the 
 middle of his forehead, throwing stones at them 
 from a mountain. The ceiling represented a dance 
 of Cupids, like those I have before mentioned. 
 They were dancing in a ring, and in the centre of 
 the ceiling was a lady, a goddess, kissing another 
 Cupid. There was another picture of a black, stern 
 man, with a lovely white woman, in a chariot drawn 
 by black horses. The lady was very averse, it 
 seemed, to be carried off, and not without reason, I 
 think, for the chariot was going down under ground 
 through the mouth of a cavern. The negro had a 
 fork in his hand, such .as the sailors put into the 
 hands of him whom they dress up for Neptune, 
 when they cross the line. Of course, there was a 
 meaning to all this, but I did not then understand it. 
 It was all beautiful, nevertheless ; especially the chil- 
 dren. I never saw any living thing like them, for 
 grace and loveliness. 
 
 The jalousies of this room were not closed, as 
 
330 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 the windows looked to the east, and the sea-breeze 
 was still blowing fresh. I had been so occupied 
 with looking at the floor, the pictures, and the ceil- 
 ing, that I had not noticed the bed ; nor should I, 
 perhaps, have thought of doing so at present, but for 
 a sound, like a gentle sigh, which startled me, it was 
 so unexpected in those unused chambers. I turned 
 toward the bed, and was bewildered with surprise 
 to see a beautiful young lady lying upon it fast 
 asleep. She was evidently a lady of pure white 
 race. She had a very clear complexion, and her 
 glossy hair was light, almost yellow in color. It 
 was bound with a blue sash, so that it might not 
 fall over her face. She was very handsome, more 
 beautiful even than the Cupids, and had the sweet- 
 est air of repose. I meant to quit the room the in- 
 stant I beheld her, and had taken a step or two on 
 tiptoe for the purpose, when a murmur, as if people 
 were bathing and talking in the room below, ar- 
 rested my attention again, and chained me, for a 
 moment, to the spot. My thoughts were occupied 
 with the noise, but my eyes were fixed on the 
 beauty, whose cheeks were flushed with sleeping, 
 and the color of her lips appeared to me as red as 
 coral. Her eyebrows were dark brown, and her 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 331 
 
 eyelashes seemed black, as they lay upon her white 
 skin. My head turned, I was dizzy with a troop of 
 sudden emotions. 
 
 " Oh, Allah ! Mahomet ! is this one of thy 
 houris ?" 
 
 I would I could have cast my skin, and appeared 
 before her eyes, when she should open them, as a 
 handsome cavalier of her own color. I prayed, fool 
 that I was, that such a marvel might occur to me. 
 I invoked the Spirit and his Prophet for I know not 
 what. I kneeled, and bowed my head down to the 
 floor. Some of her garments lay beside her, within 
 side the musquito net through which I gazed on 
 her ; at least, a scarf or shawl of black lace lay there. 
 She had rings, too, on the fourth finger of her left 
 hand, one a gold hoop, a wedding-ring, and the 
 other a black mourning-ring. 
 
 It was an absurd, momentary infatuation, but I 
 could not help kneeling to her, or for her ; but I did 
 not move any nearer the bed, and it was but for an 
 instant. Yet, while thus fixed, like the statue of an 
 admiring idiot, in the middle of the room, the lady 
 suddenly opened her eyes. She started in surprise, 
 and sat upright in her bed. I really believe I could 
 
 not have been more alarmed, if our Azrael, the angel 
 16 
 
332 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 of death, had summoned me away from this world 
 to the next ; or, if a jealous tyrant, detecting me in 
 the chamber of this beauty, had drawn his sword to 
 transfix me. I scarcely knew what I did I mur- 
 mured something about, "Mistress, forgive me;" 
 and, clasping my hands together in a supplicating 
 posture, I hid my face with them. 
 
 She looked at me a while in perplexity, as I 
 saw through my fingers, and her features became 
 clouded, as I thought, with anger. She was not 
 undressed, having only taken off her black lace 
 shawl and scarf, and I could see that her person 
 was no less perfect than her face. Notwithstanding 
 I had been for half an hour contemplating statues 
 and pictures, this young houri seemed more lovely 
 than all the works of art. She was, however, more 
 surprised than angry, as it seemed, from the tone in 
 which she asked me whom I wanted. 
 
 " Nobody, mistress," I replied. 
 
 " What brought you here ?" 
 
 " Me no know, t mistress ; me walk about the 
 house to see the pictures and the figures," I stam- 
 mered, in slave lingo. 
 
 " Can't you talk any thing but negro," she 
 replied, " and why are you on your knees ? Did 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 333 
 
 your master tell you to come here and kneel to 
 me?" 
 
 "I knelt, mistress," said I, stammering. "I 
 knelt " I did not know what to say; I was 
 ashamed to even attempt to explain myself. I did 
 not know but that I might be ordered to be flogged 
 for being found here, and I was sure of being 
 laughed at, if not flogged, for telling what had sent 
 me down on my knees; but the lady was inquisitive, 
 and would be satisfied. She saw that I was in some 
 blunder, and began to pity me. She smiled, and 
 repeated her question; and when she smiled, her 
 white teeth, which looked so even and so white, 
 and the kind expression which enlivened her face, 
 upset my understanding completely. I said some 
 nonsense, which was not all untruth, about believing 
 she was a goddess, and prayed then I broke down. 
 
 "Prayed for what?" 
 
 I looked, I suppose, as I felt, like the greatest 
 fool upon the earth. She laughed outright. 
 
 " You did not come to 'tief, beau ?" 
 
 " No, mistress never, never ; I would die first, 
 my lady." 
 
 The suspicion stung me to my heart, though it 
 was quite natural. 
 
334 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 " So you can speak English," she replied. " You 
 are an African." She knew this by ray face and my 
 marks. "Go through that door," pointing to one 
 covered with silk, " and call for Angela." 
 
 I opened the door, which let me into a small 
 chamber, about twelve 'feet square, which was paint- 
 ed all over, to represent a bower of roses. There 
 was a lounge in it, and upon this Angela, notwith- 
 standing all the conversation I had had with her 
 mistress, was fast asleep. 
 
 At the first glance the girl's beauty appeared 
 scarce inferior to that of her mistress ; but she was 
 a beauty of a different description, and not the fair- 
 est of quadroons. I had not time, however, to make 
 many remarks. I called to Angela her mistress 
 also called ; but Angela slept like a negro. I was 
 obliged to lay my hand on her to wake her. She 
 started at my touch, and almost turned white at the 
 eight of me. She was so astonished that she could 
 not find a word to say, until I moved again toward 
 the larger apartment. Then she called out to me, 
 and, springing off the lounge, caught hold of me by 
 the arm. 
 
 "You are a saucy fellow," said she. "Where 
 are you going ? That is my mistress's room. How 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 335 
 
 did you come here?" looking suspiciously at the 
 window of her own. 
 
 " Not by the window, Miss Angela," I answered. 
 " Your mistress wants you," I added. 
 
 The girl stared at me, and said she had dreamed 
 about me, as, at the summons of the lady, she finally 
 permitted me to re-enter the other chamber. But I 
 was no sooner in the room than they both began to 
 question me about my intrusion, and join in a laugh 
 at me. The waiting-maid disowned me as her vis- 
 itor, notwithstanding what she had said of her 
 dream, and the lady was cruel enough to enjoy my 
 confusion. I would have hastily retired, but the 
 lady prevented me. She had left the couch while I 
 went in to call her maid, and Angela arranged her 
 beautiful curls while they were maliciously torment- 
 ing me. I sometimes affected the negro jargon with 
 strange gentlefolks ; for in those days many of the 
 whites, especially those of inferior education, regard- 
 ed the use of correct language by a negro as some- 
 thing very like impertinence; and in my first in- 
 stinct of self-abasement I began my excuses in it, 
 but the lady's demand, whether I could speak noth- 
 ing but negro, put me upon my best English. She 
 was evidently at a loss what to make of me 
 
336 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 the more so as I became more distinct in my an- 
 swers. I had already explained that I was the ser- 
 vant of Mr. Holgrave, then visiting at the house, and 
 that I had strayed into that room under the belief 
 that the upper story was altogether unoccupied, but 
 they affected not to believe me. 
 
 " What is your name ?" 
 
 " Mahmadee." 
 
 " That is a Mahometan name," said the lady. 
 
 "It is, mistress; and I am a Mahometan in 
 faith." 
 
 " What ! a Turk ! a horrid cannibal Turk !" ex- 
 claimed Angela. " The mistress must let me cut off 
 his head." 
 
 " You should know better than to intrude in the 
 female apartments, Mr. Moslem," said the lady, with 
 pretended severity. "We must call on Mr. St. 
 John to impale you." 
 
 " Perhaps he came to rob and kill us," said An- 
 gela. "I must search you, Mr. Mahmadee." 
 
 It was in vain I talked of Mr. Holgrave. She 
 would, and did search me, much as I protested my 
 innocence; while her mistress arranged her hair, 
 and tied a black sash round it, instead of the blue 
 one, in which she had been sleeping. She sighed 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 337 
 
 two or three times while she was doing this, and 1 
 thought she had a sad, anxious look. Angela found 
 nothing on my person to make me appear still more 
 ridiculous for that was all the business of her 
 search. So she only pulled my hair and slapped 
 my face, for looking in her mistress's chamber, and 
 then she turned me out of the room, and shut the 
 door upon me. Notwithstanding her raillery and 
 roguery, I turned from the door with a deep sigh, 
 and felt half disposed to exclaim against the injus- 
 tice of Heaven for making me a negro and a slave. 
 What with the pictures, the perfumes, and the fine 
 lady, I was drunk, intoxicated, and withal so melan- 
 choly, I could have sat down and cried for an 
 hour. 
 
 I had no sooner reached the landing-place, than 
 I was accosted by Mr. St. John himself, who came 
 up-stairs, and seeing me in confusion, asked me what 
 was the matter. I made a bow, and begged his par- 
 don ; said, Mr. Holgrave being asleep, I had walked 
 about the house out of curiosity, looking at the pic- 
 tures and other pretty things, and I hoped the mas- 
 ter was not angry. 
 
 "Angry, beau ?" repeated he. " Oh no. Are you 
 pleased with what you saw ? We should not want 
 
338 THE PEINOE OF KABHNA. 
 
 you in the house, only that your master wishes it. 
 Have you been to the bath ?" 
 
 I answered all these questions as became me, and 
 he showed me another staircase, by which I descend- 
 ed to the offices below a suite of rooms, all nicely 
 arranged, in the last of which were all the four black 
 girls, dressed in white frocks, with sprigs of myrtle 
 and orange twigs twisted together, and made fast 
 as chaplets in their hair. They had been seated, 
 but rose at my approach, and asked me where I had 
 been. They were surprised at the account I gave 
 of myself, and said they had wondered why and 
 where I had hid myself, for they were very anxious 
 to see me. 
 
 " Anxious to see me ! why ?" said I. 
 
 "To laugh with, for there were no men in the 
 house." 
 
 " ISTo men in the house !" 
 
 "None but your master, Mr. St. John, and his 
 guests. The grooms and stablemen never come 
 into this house, except when they are ordered in ; 
 but Mr. Holgrave has petitioned for you." 
 
 " And are there no waiting-men ?" I asked. 
 
 " We are the waiting-men we have no others. 
 The men go home at night ; we sleep in the house 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 339 
 
 and live in the house, and we shall try to make you 
 happy while you stay with us." 
 
 "And who is that pretty lady the white 
 lady?" I had forgotten myself. The words had no 
 sooner escaped my lips than I recollected I had 
 done better not to have mentioned a word of the 
 matter. They stared at me, and asked me, in tones 
 of surprise, where I had seen her, as I might have 
 expected they would. What could I answer? I 
 was confused and abashed, and they won from me 
 some slight account of my imprudence before I ob- 
 tained any satisfaction from them. They were much 
 interested with even my limited revelation. They 
 only knew that the lady and her waiting-maid had 
 come to the house the day before, and only an hour 
 or two in advance of Mr. Holgrave. They had an 
 idea that the visit was altogether unexpected by 
 their master, though he had received her with great 
 respect. The lady had desired to be served with 
 her supper and breakfast in her own room, and was, 
 of course, obeyed. They also said that Mr. St. John 
 had mounted his horse and rode away in a great 
 nurry, directly after he had received the lady, not 
 even taking a servant with him, and had returned 
 
 very late at night. They had scarcely seen the lady, 
 16* 
 
340 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 but she would be down to dinner, they thought ; for 
 the parlor-maid, as well as themselves, were ordered 
 to be in " company dress," which these damsels cer- 
 tainly were. "They also knew the strange lady 
 was to be addressed as Mistress Marriot," and there 
 their knowledge ended. 
 
 I then inquired about the four quadroon girls. 
 
 " Oh, they are pretty much free women. Have 
 their own table, and feel plenty above such right 
 black servants as we or you, I can tell you that for 
 your comfort, Mr. Mahmadee," said Miss Bella, with 
 a shade of asperity. 
 
 " They do nothing but wait on the table and 
 fuss about. Oh, to be sure, they are our master's 
 wives," chimed in Miss Bessie. The other two girls 
 only laughed. 
 
 " Mr. St. John's wives ! Four wives !" I ex- 
 claimed, in astonishment. 
 
 The girls laughed merrily at my simplicity, and 
 and soon after went out together to attend to their 
 dinner arrangements. 
 
 When left to my meditations, I Mahometan and 
 negro though I am was astounded at such daring 
 immorality. It never occurred to me that the black 
 damsels were slightly tinged with malice, or might 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 341 
 
 be playing on rny credulity. I accepted the facts 
 as they stated them, and they were hard to digest. 
 
 " What! four beautiful young girls! quadroons, 
 almost as fair as the white lady!" Nothing could 
 exceed my bewilderment. " Four wives !" repeated 
 I ; " four wives ! Is he a Musselman ? How can a 
 Christian have four wives ? And a beautiful houri, 
 too, with golden hair and blue eyes all for St. 
 John! He cannot be a Christian. He is a Turk, 
 and it is enough to make me renounce my faith. 
 It is disgusting, abominable ! Gracious heaven ! is 
 this the privilege of a white skin ? and I, a slave, 
 robbed even of my poor Rachel, my one pet lamb !" 
 But I must own I had overcome my disappointment 
 respecting Rachel, and the beauty of this Mistress 
 Harriot had driven the last trace of her out of my 
 heart, as if by magic. 
 
 I waited with impatience for the hour which 
 would call me to the service of the drawing-room, 
 that I might see her in company and hear her con- 
 verse with the white gentleman. Dinner came on, 
 and was served in much the same order as the 
 breakfast. I was ranged with .two of the four black 
 girls at the sideboard ; the other two brought in the 
 soup and the dishes that followed it. Mr. St. John 
 
342 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 led in Mrs. Marriot, and Mr. Holgrave followed, 
 having, as it appeared, been introduced to her before 
 they entered the room. The music-box rung out its 
 melody, the vapor of the incense, mingled with the 
 perfume of flowers, floating in from the garden 
 through the now open jalousies. The music-box 
 went out with the soup tureen, but it was almost 
 instantly replaced by the sound of a guitar, and the 
 better music of soft female voices. It was two of 
 the quadroon waiting-girls, stationed in the next 
 apartment. They had been taught to sing and play 
 a portion of the dinner-hour, even when Mr. St. 
 John dined alone. It was one of his peculiar luxu- 
 ries. There was very little conversation during our 
 dinner. The music occupied the attention of Mr. 
 Holgrave, who was passionately fond of it, and Mrs. 
 Marriot talked only about the house, the statues, the 
 pictures, and the flowers in the garden. Her con- 
 versation was addressed almost entirely to Mr. St. 
 John, except that once or twice she looked toward 
 me, and asked some questions about Africa. She 
 inquired, too, if I could sing or dance in my country 
 fashion, and if I knew any thing of music. 
 
 Mr. Holgrave replied, " That I was, for my oppor- 
 tunities, no contemptible performer on the guitar, 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 343 
 
 but that my passion was poetry and the drama. 
 If Mahmadee had not neglected to bring his dress 
 with him, he should give you Robin Hood in charac- 
 ter, but he has his white tunic for Othello, and he 
 will, if you like, declaim the part of the jealous 
 Moor for you this evening." 
 
 Mrs. Marriot declared she would be delighted to 
 hear it. And, as soon as the quadroon girls came in 
 to serve desert, as is their duty and custom, I retired 
 to put on the dress, and with it, quite an absurd 
 share of the tumultuous emotions and sentiments 
 belonging to the part. When I returned to the 
 ante-room, I heard the sweet voice of Mrs. Marriot 
 singing in a foreign language. She accompanied 
 herself on a guitar; it was nothing to me that I 
 understood not the words ; the voice and the music 
 were the sweetest I had ever heard. When she had 
 done, the quadroon beauties performed a kind of 
 flower-dance, while the music-box was set again in 
 motion. As I stood by the door, I could see all 
 their motions, and I perceived, of course, that they 
 saw me. Mr. St. John likewise saw me, but made 
 no remark. Mrs. Marriot seemed pleased with him. 
 They were engaged together in conversation, and 
 she smiled at almost every thing he said. Indeed, 
 
344: THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 he had a very engaging manner, and I made no 
 doubt but that the lady would soon be, if she were 
 not already, deeply in love with him. 
 
 But I had not much time for many reflections 
 before the music ceased, and the dance ended. The 
 black girls returned to the dining-room with fresh 
 napkins and crystal basins, having each a few leaves 
 of citron floating on the water within them. They 
 placed them on the table, while one of the quadroons 
 poured out, from a long-necked bottle, to the lady 
 and the two gentlemen, each a large glass of some 
 sparkling wine. The lady only tasted hers, and set 
 it down again, but seeing me following the black 
 girls, she beckoned to me, and made me a present 
 of the rest of it. 
 
 " Drink, Mahmadee," said she, u the Prophet will 
 forgive you." 
 
 I took the glass in my right hand, placed the 
 other on my bosom, and made my obeisance to her, 
 and then to Mr. St. John, and, finally, to Mr. Hoi- 
 grave. Had it been fire, I should have swallowed 
 it aye, if the Prophet himself had stood before 
 me ; yet, I secretly prayed to him to forgive me. It 
 was delicious wine, and doubly intoxicating to me ; 
 but, while I wondered at this condescension, she had 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 34:5 
 
 washed her hands, and the gentlemen rose to attend 
 her to the saloon. The black girls led the way, 
 then Mrs. Marriot, between the gentlemen. The 
 quadroons followed, and I brought up^the rear, car- 
 rying in my hands the silver incense-burner. 
 
 In this order we marched into the saloon, which 
 was cool and fresh with the fountain; not by the 
 route which I had taken before, but by an ante-room 
 I had not yet seen. It was made, as I understood 
 afterward, to represent the inside of a tomb. The 
 roof was arched, and supported by a row of pillars 
 on either side, the capitals of which were black mar- 
 ble, upon shafts as white as alabaster. There were 
 no windows or openings except the two doors, oppo- 
 site each other, through which we marched like a 
 funeral procession. This solemn-looking place so 
 different from the light cheerfulness of the rest of 
 the house was dimly lighted by a single lamp, in 
 the form of an hour-glass, suspended from the center 
 of the dome. The light burned in the upper half of 
 the hour-glass, and I thought I could descry, in the 
 sand that partly filled the lower division, a little 
 white image, like a shrouded figure, kneeling on a 
 coffin. Yet I took in all the chief features of the 
 place as we passed through it, in almost a single 
 
346 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 glance. There were niches in the walls between the 
 pillars, and in one of them an urn ; on the other side 
 there was a recumbent statue, representing a woman 
 asleep or dead I could not determine which ; it 
 was of white marble, and the person seemed young, 
 and even beautiful. There was also a figure of an 
 old man with a scythe, at one end of this vault-like 
 place, and a more ghastly figure of a skeleton, with 
 a javelin in his right hand, at the other. I did not 
 like this latter gentleman, nor did the white lady ; 
 she put her handkerchief to her face, and held down 
 her head, but Mr. Holgrave stopped to look around 
 him. 
 
 u This vault seems strong enough to stand an 
 earthquake," he said. 
 
 " It is the strongest part of the fabric," replied 
 his host. " The walls are four feet thick, of mason- 
 work." 
 
 The lady rather hurried him on ; and he, remark- 
 ing her dislike to the tomb, obeyed the motion, and 
 led her immediately away. I heard him reason 
 with her as they entered the saloon, and say there 
 was nothing that should alarm us in death our 
 youth soon passes away, our pleasures are fleeting, 
 our means of enjoyment must cease, and death is 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 347 
 
 inevitable. Who but must think of this in this 
 island, too, where human life is so precarious ? 
 
 " I have tried, Mrs. Marriot, to prepare my mind 
 for all things ; I look to the tomb as a quiet abode 
 for the body. If I have a soul, it looks farther than 
 this vault, and I pass through it daily, without ap- 
 prehension." 
 
 Madam Felix now entered to see the lamps 
 lighted, and fresh preparations made for dancing. 
 Madam Felix went to the great piano-forte in the 
 next room, and Yictorine and I and the quadroons 
 danced a sort of minuet. Mr. St. John and Mrs. 
 Marriot sang, at the same time, some words which 
 I did not comprehend. The quadroons sang again, 
 after they had been seated, a hunting duet and 
 chorus in English ; it was something about the sun 
 rising over the dewy woods, bu^ I have no recollec- 
 tion of it. 
 
 After a while Bessie and Bella (for it was their 
 week of duty) brought in porcelain cups, filled with 
 tea and coifee, and the company all partook of them. 
 
 There was plenty of conversation in the midst of 
 all this dancing. Madam Felix remained by Mr. 
 Holgrave, who reclined upon an ottoman. They 
 commented upon the singers, the dancers, and talked 
 
348 THE PRINCE OP KASHNA. 
 
 i 
 
 of the white lady and her misfortunes. I could not 
 understand the whole story, but they both spoke of 
 her with respect and sympathy. 
 
 It appeared that her father was a planter of Ja- 
 maica, but that, while spending two or three years 
 in England, his daughter became engaged to a young 
 naval officer. When the planter returned to the 
 island, her promised husband followed soon after, 
 being either lieutenant or captain, I could not tell 
 which, of a brig-of-war; but in the passage out he 
 had a battle with a French ship, and received a 
 wound in his head, which very much unsettled his 
 reason. She married him, however, at the entreaty 
 of her friends, although she entertained no particular 
 love for him, and only kept her engagement from a 
 sense of duty. 
 
 The young couple had spent but a week together 
 on shore, when he was compelled to sail. He died 
 of a fever on board his ship, and was buried at sea. 
 He was of a good family, and had bequeathed to 
 her a sufficient income, with a small estate he had 
 purchased in the parish of St. Mary, adjoining that 
 of her father. 
 
 Mr. St. John and the lady joined them, and the 
 subject was freely continued. The lady spoke seri- 
 
THE FAIR STRANGER. 349 
 
 ously of all this, but not sorrowfully ; and I should 
 have inferred that, notwithstanding her having 
 plighted her faith to the sailor-officer, she had not 
 doated on him when living, nor too deeply regretted 
 him when dead. Mr. St. John said she had done 
 her duty hitherto, and was now, at any rate, her 
 own mistress. She replied to this, that she must 
 still live to please the world, and not forget that her 
 father was living, and had fixed his heart on a new 
 choice for her, though she was a widow but of eight 
 months, and by no means ready to follow her 
 father's caprices in blind obedience. 
 
 During the latter part of the evening I heard 
 Mr. Holgrave say to Madam Felix who attended 
 him constantly that, next to Mr. Martineau, Mr. 
 St. John was the worst understood man in Jamaica. 
 So far from being a mere selfish sensualist, he was a 
 man of heart and mind, and almost the only wealthy 
 and educated gentleman that he knew of in the 
 island who enjoyed himself, or valued properly the 
 means of enjoyment which the country afforded. 
 His house, his pictures, his grounds, and every 
 thing about them, would do honor to the taste of 
 of any man of any times. 
 
 Here Mrs. Harriot called for Othello, and I 
 
350 THE FKINOE O 
 
 stepped before her, and, after bending the knee and 
 head until my lips touched the outflowing hern of 
 her garment, I rose like one inspired, and went 
 through my part. My soul was in it, and I was not 
 surprised when they all united to praise the force 
 and nature I had thrown into my voice and gestures 
 throughout the whole performance. 
 
 At ten the whole family prepared to separate. 
 Victorine found a chance to propose a walk, after 
 her mistress was in bed and Mr. Holgrave had dis- 
 missed me for the night. The day had been one 
 round of excitement, and I wished above all things 
 to return to myself, as it were, in a night of rest and 
 solitude, but I could not meet kindness with cold- 
 ness ; so I went to seek her, as she had directed me, 
 in the garden-walks, screened by tall shrubs and 
 flowers. It was a fine, bright moonlight, and we 
 sauntered from the garden into one of the glades of 
 the park, and seated ourselves in a bower beside the 
 stream, which supplied the baths and fountains in 
 Mr. St. John's house. 
 
THE NIGHT-EIDER. 351 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE NIGH T-EIDB R. 
 
 VICTOEINE had a touch of the diplomat in her 
 roguish little head, but she scorned to waste her fine 
 arts on me. She came at once to the pith of the 
 matter. 
 
 " Mahmadee, you know Mr. Buckly has gone on 
 a fool's errand to Spanish Town. He wants to find 
 out what my mistress is worth, and to bring back a 
 marriage-license." 
 
 " Do you call that foolish work, Victorine ?" 
 
 " There, there, don't talk like a fool yourself. 
 Pray don't, Mahmadee, or I shall have to box your 
 ears. You know all this is a trick of Mr. Marti- 
 neau's." 
 
 " What has Mr. Martineau to do with Mr. Buck- 
 ly's marrying your mistress ?" I asked, for I was in- 
 clined to play the innocent, and learn by whom and 
 to what extent Miss Victorine had been trusted. 
 She saved me the trouble. 
 
352 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 "My mistress never thought of marrying him, 
 and never will, but she wouldn't consent to give him 
 pain. Mr. Martineau means to drive him away alto- 
 gether, but it must be done in such a manner as not 
 to compromise Madam. Whatever trick may be put 
 upon the missionary, we must take care to keep the 
 plan out of her knowledge, and, above all, never 
 allow her to know our share in it." 
 
 " But, Miss Yictorine, I thought you were in the 
 preacher's interest, and not at all in favor of Mr. 
 Martineau." 
 
 " The preacher is such a mean creature, he is a 
 dreadful miser," said Yictorine; "yet I would not 
 help to play pranks upon him, did we not see that it 
 is my mistress's fortune, and not my mistress herself, 
 that he is so warm to marry. So we must be ready 
 for whatever offers, when he shows himself again. I 
 wanted to tell you all this, and to bespeak your help 
 if it is needed." 
 
 " And what," said I, " does Mr. Martineau give 
 you for your assistance and silence ?" 
 
 " He gives me nothing," replied the girl, laugh- 
 ing. "He flatters me, and tells me I am hand- 
 some." 
 
 " Negroes," said I, interrupting her, " do nothing 
 
THE NIGHT-RIDER. 353 
 
 for white men without being paid for it. , What do 
 you expect for your pains ?" 
 
 " Indeed, I expect nothing," she persisted. " Mr. 
 Martineau may give me a new dress or a pair of ear- 
 rings, if the missionary is driven fairly off the road, 
 but I have no promise of any thing." 
 
 I asked the girl what recompense I was to have 
 for my assistance, and she had the assurance to tell 
 me that I should be overpaid with her thanks. 
 
 "No," said I, "that would not do. Victorine 
 must repay me with her help and good word." 
 
 I stopped here, for fear of betraying myself, my 
 mind still harping upon Mrs. Mar riot ; and, just at 
 this moment, while I was still at a loss to finish my 
 speech, a horseman came galloping down the glade 
 in which we sat. We saw by the moonlight that 
 it was a large man, muffled up in a cloak, and 
 mounted upon a white horse, which snorted as he 
 approached the water, and started as he passed the 
 bower. The rider, however, was no way discon- 
 certed; he continued his course till he came into 
 the garden, and he then rode gently forward at a 
 foot's pace. 
 
 We had left the bower as soon as he had passed 
 us, expecting that he would return by the same road 
 
354 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 again, and we had fled through the thicket toward 
 the very path to the garden which he had now 
 chosen. My white tunic, which I had not put off, 
 betrayed me. He halted as he saw me, and would 
 have accosted me, but the horse refused to proceed, 
 alarmed at my presence, or troubled at the perfumes 
 about my dress. The strange rider muttered some- 
 thing in a croaking voice, about man or devil, and 
 reined back his animal to a stand still for a minute, 
 then muffled himself up afresh, and galloped back to- 
 ward the glade which contained the bower. We 
 returned again to look on him, and watched him gal- 
 lop down the glade, as far as we could see. 
 
 " A lover," thought I, stung anew with an insane 
 jealousy I thought aloud, for Victorine took up 
 my words, imagining them directed to herself. 
 
 " A lover, indeed ? No lover of mine ; he may 
 be come to see some of these pretty girls here, 
 which is not unlikely. Such a beauty as our white 
 lady does not want admirers. There should be a 
 watchman here, but I suppose he is gone down to 
 the works at the next estate, where they have been 
 dancing as gaily as the quadroons in Massa St. 
 John's saloon." 
 
 I heard the goombay now ; I listened to it, and, 
 
THE NIGHT -EIDER. 355 
 
 as I could not get rid of Victorine, who did not seem 
 disposed to quit me, I proposed that we should walk 
 down and see the merriment below. We followed 
 the avenue taken by the muffled gentleman, and, in 
 about half an hour, reached the end of the glade 
 from whence we descended by a very abrupt path 
 to a row of negro houses. It was a scene of fes- 
 tivities no less precious to the performers than those 
 which I had left, and quite as rational, though not 
 altogether, perhaps, as refined. The nights in Ja- 
 maica are more beautiful than the days in England. 
 I state this for the benefit of those who do not know 
 the climate. It will account for the negroes dancing 
 and singing, sometimes almost all night long. Their 
 music, upon this occasion, sounded very barbarous 
 to my ears, after the delicate strains I had listened 
 to all the evening. The music and songs of Rose 
 Hill had so bewildered my imagination, that the 
 drumming of the goombay inspired me with horror 
 rather* than delight. But the case was different with 
 Victorine ; she must needs dance, and wanted me 
 to stand up with her. One of the head people, see- 
 ing we were strangers, and that I was rather fanci- 
 fully dressed, paid his compliments to us, and bade 
 
 us welcome. They had a fiddler among them, and 
 16 
 
356 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 were performing Scotch reels ; but the violin 
 squeaked, and the fiddler made the most abomin- 
 able grimaces. I could not think of dancing, so I 
 sat down on a bench beside an old man, with a head 
 as white as flour, and left the lively quadroon, who 
 I thought disgraced herself thereby, to dance away 
 with the head-driver and a stout Creole girl, who 
 flung about her calicos like the sails of a wind-mill. 
 
 The old man made room for me on th* bench 
 very courteously, and, seeing my peculiarity of cos- 
 tume, and no doubt smelling the odors which had 
 been sprinkled on my linen, asked me, very civilly, 
 if I did not belong to Mr. St. John's "own self," that 
 is to say, his valet or body-servant, as we say in Ja- 
 maica. I stated the truth, on which he began to 
 speak in a very favorable manner of that gentleman ; 
 said he was very clever, a conjuror, and a great ma- 
 gician, that he could read the stars, and had fore- 
 told the abolition of the slave-trade. I inquired if it 
 was true that he had four wives (the old man 
 stared) and I also asked, if that was not against 
 the Christian religion. He knew nothing about 
 these particulars, observing only, that in these mat- 
 ters the grand buckras did as they liked, he believed, 
 as I must have seen since I had been in the island. 
 
THE NIGHT-RIDER. 357 
 
 He said that no one knew much about Mr. St. John's 
 household. He had people from Kingston and Span- 
 ish Town, and people had come to him from St. Do- 
 mingo. He had done much for his negroes. They 
 were well fed, happy, and contented ; and there 
 were so many of them, that their work was very 
 light. Their numbers increased every year, and it 
 was a considerable expense, he was sure, to furnish 
 them with so many things from England. The old 
 man thought Massa St. John might make all that 
 come right, if he would take in more cane-field, and 
 make, as he ought to do, double the sugar he now 
 did; but nothing, said the old man, could induce 
 Mr. St. John to plant an extra acre of canes. He 
 said he would rather have negroes than hogsheads ; 
 he had enough. "He has three or four estates," 
 added the old man. As to his wives, and the man- 
 agement of his house, scarcely anybody knew for 
 certain how he conducted himself. Servants from 
 other estates were very seldom there, and his own 
 did not tell much about the matter, for it seemed 
 they were not admitted into his secrets. He had 
 never heard of any children, and, as to the four 
 wives, he could not say ; he had never heard about 
 them one way or the other. 
 
358 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 Here a woman, who had sat down by us, in a 
 violent heat with dancing, said that Mr. St. John 
 was a Shadow Catcher that is, a sort of obeah- 
 man. She declared, that everybody knew that his 
 house was full of buckra women, and nigger girls, 
 all turned into rock-a-tone (rockstone, i. e. marble), 
 by Obiah and magic ; that he had got some shadows 
 of people, whom he had caught, stuck to the walls 
 on cloth and osndbriggs. She also assured her 
 hearers, that all his fountains were to prevent the 
 spirits he employed from getting the mastery over 
 him, and that he could charm anybody by throwing 
 some of the water in his face, and saying, " Wel- 
 come." Nobody who had been in that water was 
 ever able to tell any thing about him. 
 
 "Didn't he put you in a bath?" said this fat 
 mumma to me, " and after that, what do you know 
 about him? He bewitches everybody; the very 
 niggers fall in love with the women there, and that 
 is the reason he won't let any niggers come into the 
 house ; nor any people, any white men, but what are 
 sober and religious (?) and particular. He hates 
 fools, and especially old fools, such as old Massa 
 
 L , and Jack F , and (she named one or two 
 
 more) who are always fancying themselves young 
 
THE NIGHT-RIDER. 359 
 
 as ever, and making love when they should be at 
 their prayers, and talking of getting married, when 
 they are not fit for any thing but the John-crows." 
 Here she recollected herself. "I tell you, massa 
 nigger (and I wish to state, once for all, that in 
 this and many other instances, I use the language 
 that most clearly expresses the meaning, without 
 much regarding the exact words of the speakers) 
 " I tell you that you dare not, and you know that 
 your tongue cannot speak of what you see at Mr. St. 
 John's. You know you dare not ; he would turn 
 you into a rock-a-tone, and 'tan you (make you 
 stand) upon one leg there in his hall, for a thou- 
 sand years, or catch your shadow on the wall as 
 you passed, and fasten it there in an image, while 
 his spirits took your soul into hell-fire." 
 
 " Hell-fire ! why, what has Mr. St. John to do 
 with that place ?" said I. 
 
 The woman turned up the whites of her eyes, 
 elevating her eyebrows and forehead at the same 
 time. 
 
 " I have heard that said of him by them who can 
 preach out of the Bible ; but if you keep his secrets, 
 he can do you no harm. His house is full of all 
 kinds of pleasure, but he is a shadow-catcher, a sor- 
 
360 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA 
 
 cerer. His people are all happy and love him, but 
 he deals with spirits ; he is wise and clever, for 
 true, but he is a debbil (devil), and no Christian." 
 
 So saying, plump Rosalind got up and offered me 
 a glass of negro beer, which had been handed to 
 her ; but I could not touch it. The recollection of 
 Mrs. Harriot's glass of wine made me think this a 
 cup of abominations, and I declined it, though not 
 without offending her, and she sprinkled my face 
 with some of it, as she said, to unbe witch me. 
 
 There was some sort of excuse for what the 
 mumina had detailed respecting Mr. St. John, how- 
 ever absurd had been her story, and I concluded 
 that some one had been preaching to her and others 
 about this gentleman ; probably a negro, from the 
 ideas she entertained of the statues and pictures. 
 
 Rosalind was no sooner gone than the old man 
 with the white head took up her argument, and 
 urged deliberately the fact of shadow-catching, and 
 told me of an obeah-man, who had been hanged 
 three or four years before, for having charmed at 
 least a dozen negroes to death. He used a box 
 made of yacca wood, in the form of a coffin, which 
 he carried in his pocket ; and when, for any purpose 
 of revenge, or gain, or cruelty, or curiosity, he had 
 
THE NIGHT-RIDES. 361 
 
 a mind to entrap some negro's shadow, he contrived 
 to get his object between himself and the sun. He 
 then slipped the box from under his frock, and 
 when the shadow fell upon it, snapped it like a rat- 
 trap, saying, at the same time, "Me- hab you deady, 
 now your flesh to the worms your soul to wait on 
 me." His victim, was sure to die ; and so afraid, at 
 last, were the negroes of him, that no one dared 
 approach him, except against the sun, and many en- 
 tered into a compromise with him, and paid so much 
 to be unmolested. Others paid him still more to 
 catch any one against whom they had a grudge. 
 He was hanged for this, and asserted his power even 
 at the gallows, refusing all communion with a parson 
 who would have baptized him. This old man with 
 the white head, on finding I was an African, insisted 
 that this sorcery came from my country, but I de- 
 nied it ; at least I had never heard of it there. I 
 told him, beside, that I was brought up a true be- 
 liever, not in Him of Nazareth, but in Mahomet, the 
 only prophet of God. He shrunk from me at this 
 confession, but he returned again, and held his hand 
 to me. 
 
 " I have known many such," said he ; " but they 
 did not remain Mahometans long. They nearly all 
 
362 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 turned out good Christians, or good for nothing, 
 at last. Yon will turn Christian, I hope." 
 
 I might have answered him that I had already 
 volunteered to do so, if that could have won me 
 Rachel, and been refused, but I was not in the 
 humor for such a frank confession of folly. I was 
 rather in the humor to listen than to talk, and was 
 just about to inquire about the gentleman whom we 
 had seen on the white horse, when the same appa- 
 rition dashed by, muffled up as before, in a long 
 black cloak. There was an immediate alarm among 
 the negroes, most of whom ran into the houses 
 directly, or into the bushes. The old man got up in 
 such a hurry to save himself that he stumbled and 
 fell down, and before he could recover himself, the 
 figure had rode away. His face was uncovered, and 
 by the light of the moon, which shone full upon it, 
 I saw a pale, stern, stony countenance, that chilled 
 me. He had a black cap upon his head, and an im- 
 mensity of cloak wrapped around him, all black. 
 His horse was quite white, with a long mane and 
 tail, and carried him at a canter over the ground 
 where the crowd had been dancing. The tramp of 
 his horse's feet in passing made a severe impression 
 on my gray-headed neighbor. He groaned deeply as 
 
THE N^IGHT-BIDER. 363 
 
 it went by, and was convulsed as if he had spasms, 
 until the sound had died away. It was not until 
 the figure was totally out of sight that he ventured 
 to get up, or that his comrades peeped out of their 
 homes, like rats peeping out of their holes. The 
 horseman stared at me again, as he did near the 
 garden-gate, but he did not speak, nor did I shrink 
 from him. 
 
 In a few minutes the people all re-assembled, and 
 began to talk about the ghost. The grayhead re- 
 sumed his seat, and all the voices made such a med- 
 ley of noises that it was impossible to hear any one 
 distinctly, or to comprehend what was the general 
 feeling about this midnight cavalier. One said it 
 was the nightmare another, that it was old Mc- 
 Murdoch's ghost, who was strangled in bed by a 
 mulatto girl ; a third, that it was Captain Martin, 
 who shot a soldier-officer in the maroon-war, after 
 the officer had once saved Martin's life. Others said 
 it was old Massa Gowdie's maroon overseer, who 
 murdered his master. There were fifty opinions : it 
 was three-fingered Jack ; he was white, he was 
 black, he was gray with fiery eyes, with no eyes, 
 with saucer eyes with blue flames smoking out of 
 
 his teeth. But what had become of him ? Had he 
 16* 
 
364: THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 gone into the sea, toward which he had ridden, and 
 would not he come back again ? My old friend 
 with the white head said it was Sir Henry Morgan, 
 the buccaneer. He had looked him steadily in the 
 face, and he was sure of him ! I did not think it- 
 necessary to contradict the old man, but I asked 
 him and them, why it must be a ghost at all. 
 " Could it not be a man riding about for his amuse- 
 ment, or on business ?" 
 
 There was Yictorine with a crowd around her, 
 giving an account of our first rencontre with him, 
 and of his riding into Mr. St. John's garden. But 
 even she had come to the conclusion that it was no 
 living man or horse. This settled the opinion that 
 it was a spirit, indeed. Then it was Helim, or Heli- 
 ma, the obeah-man, the shadow-catcher, of whom I 
 had just heard. It seemed he had been seen the 
 night before, by one or two negroes only, and that 
 he had ridden down to the sea, as they said, and 
 leaped horse and man into the water. 
 
 " Then he must be the buccaneer," said the gray- 
 head. 
 
 " Do you remember the year de year of our 
 Lord Hannah Dorraity, 'bout tirty, forty year ago, 
 Lord Rodney fight wid the French king's fleet, and 
 
THE NIGHT-RIDER. 365 
 
 take him so ? You may 'bleeve me, massa nigger, 
 when me tell you he take 'em all, like so many craw- 
 fish 'toxicate wi' lime. Berry well, 'bout dat year in 
 de fall, dere cum a hurricane, mash every ting in dis 
 here island of Jamaica, 'poil all de crop. Buckra no 
 make no sugar- dat year, and nigger man 'tarve ; him 
 no hab plantain, no cocoa ; nutting at all for nyam, 
 no mo (only) fish and duck and teal, dat come wi' de 
 norts off de salt wate*r every day at sundown. 
 
 " ISTow dere was a 'Panish ship full of dollar and 
 doubloon, coming from America, and de men all tire 
 in de gale, all sick and wet, and no lie down, no 
 sleep for two, tree day and night, and de ship run 
 right upon de rocks between Runaway Bay and de 
 Salt Ponds. Massa Kilmore lib den on a plantation 
 by de sea-side, and him walk out at sundown to 
 shoot de duck and teal, as 'em come to feed 'bout 
 de Salt Ponds. Massa Kilmore hear de 'Paniards 
 fire him guns; he see de big ship bilge, and de 
 mast go overboard ; he run down to de sea, when 
 de men came ashore in tree boat, all fill wi' chests 
 of money. He take de men home to him great 
 house, and say nutting to nobody, and no one eber 
 see dese 'Paniards agin, nebba, nebba. 'Fore dat, 
 Massa Kilmore a poor man, in debt to him mer- 
 
366 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 chant, and beiy much afraid of de marshal-man. 
 Well, he grow rich in a hurry now, and you may 
 h'leeve me, massa nigger, nobody nebba see de 
 'Paniard sailor no mo. Massa Kilmore tell de other 
 buckra how dem all go off again in dem boat ; but 
 nobody nebba see 'em go, nor hear 'em, nor 'peak to 
 'em ; an' so, ater some time, buckra begin to 
 whisper about de 'Paniard ship, an' nigger (him 
 always hab too much mout) 'he 'gin to talk out, 
 and say somebody see Massa Kilmore at moon- 
 light in de Salt Pond bury him cask unner de 
 sand. So Massa Kilmore, de buccaneer, keep all 
 de dollar for himself one, an' nobody trouble him. 
 No so hisself, for now he 'gin to be afear wi'out 
 reason ; 'foretime he no hab no fear but for de 
 debbity marshal. Him house shut up always, him 
 nebba see nobody, nor 'peak when he meet 'qm, but 
 him walk about in a night time, an' him groan an' 
 talk to hisself 'bout deady, an' ghost, an' funerals. 
 Sometime him ride dat gray mare, an' come gallop, 
 gallop to pieces all night lang, into de sea, ober de 
 racks, an' among de canes, and den he sit from cock- 
 crow till dawn, on him mare, an' fix him yeye 'pon 
 de rack where him see de 'Panish ship go down. 
 At lass, him lose him head, an go raving, ramping 
 
THE NIGHT-RIDEK. 367 
 
 mad, an' put up a gallows where de grabe dig, an' 
 call him uigger to hang him up fa murder de 'Pan- 
 iard. So him hab a 'trait waiscoat, an' die, an 5 long, 
 long arter, him ghost walk, walk, ebery night. 
 Nobody lib in a great house, too much noise da; 
 no rest; eben do rat run out, so frighten wi' de 
 noise, an' de debbil dat lash him soul ebery night." 
 
 Here the old man ceased, and his hearers re- 
 mained half petrified with horror and wonder. " No 
 doubt it was the ghost which they had seen," and 
 every eye was turned anxiously round for another 
 glimpse of this mysterious personage. I was, in 
 some measure, infected myself with the general 
 apprehension, and Victorine was afraid to return 
 again to Mr. St. John's, though the night was so 
 brilliant, and she resolved to await the daylight. 
 
 The negroes, after a time, resumed their dancing, 
 though not with genuine hilarity, although a good 
 allowance of rum and water was handed about on 
 all sides. I sat upon the grass beside Victorine, 
 who had had enough of exercise, and seemed con- 
 tented now with the company of her fellow-servant. 
 As we leaned our tired heads against the trunk of a 
 fallen cocoa-nut-tree, for rest, sleep overtook us both. 
 Side by side we slumbered, in spite of the fiddle and 
 
368 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 the goombay, until the old head man roused us. 
 The eastern sky had begun to brighten, and the 
 moon looked cold and pale. We got up and took 
 leave of Massa Whitehead. The driver, too, Miss 
 Yictorine's partner, saluted her at parting, and the 
 negroes kindly bade us farewell. 
 
 We had a toilsome march up the broken ground 
 till we reached the end of the glade upon the table- 
 land, which conducted us to the house. The birds 
 were already on the wing in the avenue, the pea- 
 cocks screamed, the parrots- chattered, and the 
 whole feathered tribe were in full stir. It was a 
 Sunday morning, so there was no shell-blow, and 
 no negroes in the grounds to note our return ; but 
 on our arrival in the garden I found all the doors 
 and windows closed and fastened. We tried in 
 vain, for some time, to get into the house, and 
 began to gaze at each other in some confusion, when 
 a window opened above us, and Mrs. Marriot's look 
 of contemptuous surprise met my hasty, upward 
 glance. We were admitted and reproved, like the 
 culprits we felt ourselves. Victorine had more diffi- 
 culty than I experienced in explaining the night's 
 adventures. Mr. Holgrave believed and pardoned 
 me, but no one else in the house had any charity for 
 
THE NIGHT-RIDER. 369 
 
 either of us. The consequence of all this was, that I 
 had to explain, protest, defend, and even resent for 
 Victorine, until the truth was finally vindicated ; 
 and by that time she and everybody else set me 
 down as her exclusive property, which, certainly, 
 was no part of my plan. 
 
 Yet that affair brought to me some unexpected 
 good. At the dance I noticed a young girl, about 
 the age of Aimee, who sat cowering against the 
 wall of one of the negro houses, too ill to share in 
 the amusements going on around her. I felt her 
 pulse, looked at her tongue, and asked a few ques- 
 tions. She had the measles, and so had a child that 
 was fretting unheeded at her side. In my zealous 
 love of the study of medicine I had learned the uses 
 of many simple herbs, beside what Dr. Marsh in his 
 kindness had taught me, and I prescribed with con- 
 fidence for these sudden patients. It proved to be 
 a success, and from that time I was often called upon 
 by the negroes about us, under the imposing title of 
 Doctor Mahmadee. 
 
370 THE PEINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 MAD FROLICS. 
 
 IN my journal of the memorable month I am 
 about to review, I closed the last note of the occur- 
 rences with these words : " We all caught craziness 
 from each other." I suppose as children take mea- 
 sles, by coming in contact with the fever and conta- 
 gious humors of those already infected. For this 
 chapter, then, I shall follow pretty closely the notes 
 as they were then written. Were they not before 
 me, I should be inclined to distrust their accuracy, 
 there is about them such an air of extravagance and 
 exaggeration. I can only say they are really true. 
 
 July 1st. Two young gentlemen arrived to- 
 day from Kingston. They are strangers in the 
 island, and have brought out a letter for Mr. St. 
 John from friends in England. They are what the 
 
 servants call " Johnny Newcomes." 
 
 
 
 July 2d. These Newcomes think our "Ja- 
 maica manners excessively odd." Stella and Lina, 
 
MAD FROLICS. 371 
 
 the quadroon parlor-maids, say, "The manners of 
 these 'Newcome' buckras are 'more excessively 
 odder.'" They asked these girls, when they came 
 to their rooms with flowers and fresh napkins, 
 whether it was not also their duty to wait upon 
 visitors to the baths. Stella, who is a great rogue, 
 answered with a courtesy, " Certainly, sir," and they 
 all went down into the shower-bath room together. 
 Stella cast off the cords, instead of showing the 
 "Newcomes" how to manage them, and" ran away. 
 The water came down in a rush, and there was a 
 terrible splashing and calling out ; but when the girls 
 were brought to an account, they demurely excused 
 their conduct by saying, that they went to show the 
 gentlemen where the baths were situated as is their 
 duty, there being no men-waiters, except those be- 
 longing to visitors but that just as they laid hold 
 of the " pulls," the gentlemen began to take off their 
 coats, which so startled them both that they gave 
 the "pulls" a jerk and left the place. Mr. .St. John 
 chose to accept the excuse. These four quadroon 
 parlor-maids have a spice of the black demon in 
 them. One of them, named Hyacinth, is the most 
 beautiful creature next to Mrs. Marriot I ever 
 beheld. I thought them all dazzling beauties the 
 
372 THE PKINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 day they came into the hall with wreaths of flowers 
 on their heads, and silk sashes round their pretty 
 white dresses, but now I find, on noticing them 
 more closely, that they are only good-looking not 
 so handsome, in fact, as Victorine only that they 
 are fairer in complexion. Hyacinth is only an octo- 
 roon but one-eighth African, she says and is be- 
 ing educated for a music-teacher. She sings well, 
 and plays sweetly on the guitar. 
 
 July 1th. The "Johnny Newcomes" have been 
 established in the Garden House. This is a pretty 
 building at the corner of the garden. It is built 
 against the side of a steep hill, and in the lower 
 part the gardener lives with his family, with his side 
 faceing the vegetable garden. The upper story has 
 its own front-door, and looks toward the House. It 
 has three neat rooms for single gentlemen, and is 
 used when the House overflows with visitors or, 
 perhaps, when single "Newcomes" cannot suit their 
 own behavior to " the excessively odd habits of Ja- 
 maica." 
 
 July llth. Last evening was very gay. The 
 gentlemen wanted a play acted by negro children. 
 A burlesque they called it, in which there was not 
 much talking, but plenty of ridiculous acting, and 
 
MAD FROLICS. 373 
 
 some not bad dancing. Madam Felix has been 
 teaching them all the week, and the maids have 
 dressed them in very showy costumes. All the 
 actors were girls of ten or twelve years, but the 
 four tallest were dressed to represent hunchbacked 
 gentlemen of some foreign country. Three more 
 represented young ladies all of them were dressed 
 in the brightest colors red, blue, and orange, with 
 plenty of spangles and gold lace. 
 
 The play was called " The Four My-Lords." In 
 the first act there was a hunchback lord asleep in his 
 castle. He was awaked by a knocking, and swore a 
 little, and said that he had sent away his porter be- 
 cause he was a drunken traitor ; then he opened the 
 castle-door, and in came three hunchbacks, like him- 
 self in size and shape, dancing and singing, with 
 guitars. They saluted the lord of the castle now 
 and then, by hunching up their shoulders as they 
 drew toward him, and hailing him, " Brother, my 
 lord," at which he was very indignant, and, in his 
 rage, he flies round in a Congo hornpipe. Suddenly 
 his three nieces, young ladies of fortune, came into 
 a gallery, and looked down into the hall, where their 
 uncle was stamping and scolding. He called them 
 down, and gave them a glass of wine, and then 
 
374 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 wished them good-by. He shut the door upon them, 
 and said he never hoped to see them again, and yet, 
 in five minutes, he went out to look after them, and 
 see whither they were gone. 
 
 As soon as he was gone himself, the three young 
 ladies came back, having made signals to the " my 
 lords," and let them in again, for they had been 
 hidden in the bushes about the castle. Then they 
 all fell to singing and dancing ; and, last of all, they 
 prepare for a feast, the nieces bringing in a cold 
 turkey and other things, and lay a cloth. In the 
 midst of these arrangements, the lord of the castle 
 returns, and knocks for admittance ; for, though he 
 has the key, they have barricaded the door. Of 
 course there was considerable scuffling to hide 
 away the table and the good things, and the ladies, 
 not knowing what to do with the hunchbacks, hid 
 them also in three barrels, which my lord happened 
 to have in his hall. Then they let him in, and 
 he began to scold and skip about, till they all ran 
 up stairs. 
 
 It seems the old gentleman had listened at the 
 door, for he suspects some roguery ; and, hearing a 
 sneeze in one of the barrels, he takes it up and flings 
 it out of the window into a river outside his castle- 
 
MAD FROLICS. 375 
 
 walls. He serves the other two barrels in the same 
 way, and so the young hunchbacks are disposed of. 
 But they have their waiting-men outside the castle, 
 and these, seeing the barrels pitched into the river, 
 jump in and pull them ashore, as it appears after- 
 ward. 
 
 In the second act comes a trumpeter, and de- 
 mands the three young ladies in marriage for 
 three barons, to whom he declares the king has 
 promised their hands and fortunes. As the hunch- 
 back lord dare not refuse to produce them, they 
 came down and made a courtesy to the trumpeter. 
 The baron of the castle is obliged to say the other 
 barons will be welcome. The trumpeter gives him 
 their credentials, and ends by telling him that the 
 young noblemen are in his nieces' chambers. Then 
 the ladies shriek, and the baron storms, and the 
 trumpeter goes on to state that they had come dis- 
 guised as singing-men and dancers, and that they 
 had been seen to enter the castle. The ladies whis- 
 per, and agree to tell their uncle how they had be- 
 stowed the young hunchbacks, saying, at the same 
 time, that although they could be amused with see- 
 ing such fellows dance, they would never hear of 
 such a thing as marrying them. The three little 
 
376 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 ones shake their woolly heads, and scream, " What ! 
 three young beauties like us wed hunchbacks ? Xo, 
 no, no." The uncle vowed his lovely nieces were 
 young and rich enough to expect young men with- 
 out humps. However, the trumpeter flies into a 
 passion because his three "my lords" are not pro- 
 duced, and goes away calling the uncle a murderer, 
 and the young women coquettes, and threatening to 
 inform King George. 
 
 In the third act, the uncle comes in, saying, that 
 a nobleman like him must protect his dignity and his 
 interest, and, therefore, he must go and fish up his 
 lost barrels. The trumpeter interrupts him by re- 
 turning with the three " my lords," but who are no 
 longer humpbacked. He knows their faces, and 
 asks with interest after their humps. They tell him 
 how they lost tliese by being thrown out of the win- 
 dow into the river, and the baron, who is in love 
 with all the three nieces, and wishes to marry them 
 all, that he may have their fortunes (for it seems the 
 castle is theirs), is persuaded to try the same remedy 
 for his hump, and is flung out of the window, and I 
 suppose drowned, for he appears no more. Then 
 the three young lords marry the young ladies, and 
 the cold turkey is brought in again, and they make 
 
MAD FROLICS. 377 
 
 a feast, and dance and sing, and praise each other's 
 beauty immoderately, all the while twisting their 
 African features into the drollest contortions. The 
 young imps could not have helped that if they had 
 wanted to ; but the whole wit of the play is in this 
 high talk of love and lordships by little, woolly- 
 headed negroes. 
 
 The music was very sweet, and what made the 
 rest of it seem more ridiculous was, that the white 
 gentle-folks were the musicians, while the six little 
 negroes (the three my lords and their young ladies) 
 were dancing and making love at the close of the 
 third act. 
 
 Jidy \Zth. The gentlemen go down to the sea 
 for a bath every morning, and Mr. Holgrave is now 
 so much better, that he is able to go with them to 
 the beach. They ride down to the sea on horseback, 
 and after bathing comes breakfast ; then they ad- 
 journ to the library, where, amid books and pic- 
 tures, a great portion of the morning is consumed. 
 Mr. St. John is a painter, and so is one of the new- 
 comers. The other is very curious in flowers, and 
 walks about with a great tin box, in which he brings 
 home loads of weeds, which he and Mr. St. John 
 register in a great book. Hyacinth and Stella, two 
 
378 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 of the quadroons, are collecting and pressing ferns 
 for them. 
 
 July \*ltli. We have an addition of five to our 
 family. Two more gentlemen have arrived from 
 Spanish Town, one a Mr. Lewis, a short, stout man, 
 who is always at the piano-forte making songs ; the 
 other a lawyer, going somewhere to plead at quar- 
 ter-sessions. The lawyer has brought his three 
 daughters to pass a week here with Mrs. Marriot. 
 These young ladies are so pretty they are called the 
 " Three Graces." Neither of them can compare with 
 Mrs. Marriot. The "Three Graces" have just re- 
 turned from England, where they were sent to be 
 educated. They are related to Mr. St. John, and 
 were school-fellows with Mrs. Marriot, so there is 
 to be no end of feasting and gaiety. 
 
 July 24th. There was a grand dinner-party day 
 before yesterday. Six more gentlemen were added 
 to the company, and they were waited upon exclu- 
 sively by the girls, my business being only at the 
 side-board. It was the duty of the black girls to 
 bring the dishes from the servants' room to the din- 
 ing-room door; so I heard all their conversation, 
 both at dinner and after. They talked a little freely 
 after dinner, and toasted the healths of all the girls 
 
MAD FROLICS. 379 
 
 in succession. Mr. Lewis left early to go and enjoy 
 the piano, where he played and sang. Mr. St. John 
 joined him, while his guests drank his madeira and 
 claret like fishes. As for the " Graces," they never 
 tasted any thing but water ; all the luxuries were 
 wasted upon them. Coffee was served in the saloon 
 by the four quadroons, dressed in their white frocks, 
 with blue sashes and borders of the same color 
 around the neck, short sleeves and hems, all to cor- 
 respond. This is the uniform of the parlor-maids 
 for service in the saloon, only that, as Hyacinth is 
 required for the guitar, Victorine wears the dress 
 also, to make up the four waiters at the wine, dessert, 
 and coffee. Madam Felix watches over every thing 
 without seeming to interfere. The ladies all treat 
 her with perfect politeness, almost as if she were 
 white like themselves. It may be because they 
 know she is Mr. St. John's sister, and almost as 
 rich as he is himself. 
 
 After they had taken coffee, they all danced coun- 
 try-dances, except Mrs. Marriot and Mr. St. John, 
 who sat on a sofa almost the whole evening, engaged 
 in conversation, every sound of which cut Sidi Mah- 
 madee to the heart. I must except, also, Mr. Hoi- 
 grave, who sat near them, and called occasionally 
 17 
 
380 THE PRINCE QF KASHNA. 
 
 one of the girls to fan him. The intervals in the 
 dancing were filled up with songs, duets, trios, and 
 choruses in English, and, I believe, in Italian. I 
 handed, meanwhile, all sorts of liquid refreshments 
 soda-water, lemonade, champagne, and liqueurs. 
 The negro children were brought in again, and sang 
 some of their songs in the play. The " Graces " in- 
 dulged the company with a figure-dance, which they 
 had learned in England. I thought some of the gen- 
 tlemen began to be a little excited with the cham- 
 pagne. They laughed and talked louder, and were 
 a little disposed to romp with the young ladies, 
 when, who should arrive at the house-door, but Mr. 
 Buckly. One of the black girls came, and told me 
 that a buckra man wished to see me. I found it 
 was the missionary, and ran back to the saloon to 
 tell Mr. St. John who it was I told Madam Felix 
 also, who was thunderstruck, and called him an in- 
 fatuated donkey. 
 
 The missionary had given me to understand that 
 his visit was principally to Madam Felix, and I said 
 as much to her and to Mr. Holgrave also, who was 
 somewhat annoyed ; but Mr. St. John desired that 
 he might be admitted, and sent all the negro chil- 
 dren who had been dancing to receive and usher 
 
MAD FROLICS. 381 
 
 him into the saloon. I went with them, and deliv- 
 ered Mr. St. John's invitation, while a stableman 
 took the parson's horse. He was surprised at the 
 courtesy of the children, and somewhat abashed at 
 the sight of the Graces, who received him in the 
 saloon. He was hot and tired with riding, and 
 damp with dusty perspiration. I doubt if such a 
 man, in such a pickle, had eyer made his appearance 
 in that saloon before. Mr. St. John rose to receive 
 him, as did Mrs. Marriot. The rest of the company 
 were forming to dance. There were flowers, music, 
 motion, perfumes, lamps, and wax candles blazing, 
 and such an air of revelry, luxury, and pleasure, 
 occupied the room and reigned around, that Mr. 
 Buckly looked and seemed to feel like a ghost and 
 a most earth-soiled ghost at that in the happy cir- 
 cle. He was confused beyond expression, turning 
 his eyes right and left, encountering smiles from 
 every face, and courtesies, as well as smiles, from the 
 ladies. He was quite bewildered. One made room 
 for him on a sofa, another gave him a perfumed 
 handkerchief to wipe the perspiration from his face, 
 a third offered him a fan sparkling with diamonds, 
 and Hyacinth brought him sangaree and wine. 
 Mr. St. John assured him he was welcome, the gen- 
 
382 THE PRINCE or KASHXA. 
 
 tleman all bowed to him, and Mrs. Harriot allowed 
 him to shake hands with her. Madam Felix, only, 
 took no notice of him ; she could not imagine what 
 affair had brought him to this abode of worldly pur- 
 suit and pleasures. He sat in silence, engaged for 
 some time in cooling himself, and ruminating, no 
 doubt, upon his reception. Hyacinth waited upon 
 him with a fresh handkerchief, to dry the abundant 
 moisture which oozed from his pores, after the 
 draught of sangaree which he had taken. She also 
 hastened to bring him a fan, and smiled so kindly 
 and good-humoredly on him, that a more sensible 
 person could not have been indifferent to her atten- 
 tions or her charms. He was a little out of coun- 
 tenance when his eyes met those of Madam Felix, as 
 she retired with the white ladies. They seeing, per- 
 haps, that the gentlemen were becoming a little too 
 vivacious, arose, and withdrew in a body. Mr. Hoi- 
 grave excused himself, also, on the plea of his deli- 
 cate health, and after attending the ladies, with Mr. 
 St. John and Mr. Lewis, to the foot of the stairs, he 
 went to his room, while the other two gentlemen 
 returned to the saloon. I followed Mr. Holgrave to 
 his apartment to see if he wished any thing, but he 
 directed me to go back and wait upon the gentle- 
 
MAD FROLICS. 383 
 
 men, who, lie said, were in for a frolic. I found one 
 of the Johnny Newcomes had already taken my 
 place at the sideboard, and was opening and pour- 
 ing out champagne as if he had never done any 
 thing else in his life and I think he had done a 
 good deal in that way, first and last. His com- 
 panion was directing or trying to direct the four 
 quadroons in some variations in a figure, which he 
 wished to improve into a German waltz, and he 
 ended by seizing Hyacinth, and flying round the 
 room with her. Lewis dashed off the music, and 
 the other ISTewcome the gentleman who thought 
 Jamaica manners " so excessively odd" caught Yic- 
 torine by the waist, and sailed round as if in chase 
 of .the first couple. I who had drank no wine, and 
 had never before seen waltzing thought the world 
 was coming to an end, when I saw two English gen- 
 tlemen sail off" with a pair of quadroons, in that 
 style, in Mr. St. John's drawing-room, and in Mr. 
 St. John's presence. Mr. Buddy stared, and drank 
 a large goblet of wine ; then stared again, and took 
 another brimmer, and by that time his own eyes 
 were dancing waltzes. 
 
 When he first sat down, and was relishing the 
 sangaree, he might have considered that this com- 
 
384 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 pany was not precisely suited to his profession, or 
 to hiu character as a man of God. He might think, 
 too, that Madam.' Felix was rather ashamed of him, 
 under these circumstances, or ashamed of being seen 
 by himself in a society apparently devoted to pleas- 
 ure. Hyacinth came to him when the waltz was 
 over, and gave him no time for reflection. She asked 
 him question upon question, in a manner so arch 
 and so amiable, that she had half intoxicated him 
 with administering to his vanity and his thirst, be- 
 fore he was aware that such a thing was possible. 
 Meanwhile the dancing continued, with plenty of 
 music, and some singing. 
 
 In one of the intervals, Mr. Buckly told Hyacinth 
 that dancing was invented by the Evil One to de- 
 ceive mankind, and, by inflaming the fancy, to lead 
 young men and women into sin, to the certain and 
 utter destruction of their immortal souls. 
 
 Hyacinth fixed her large black eyes on him, and 
 they seemed filled with tears. It was his turn to 
 comfort her. He blushed, bid her be of good cheer, 
 and said he would not preach at present ; but this 
 was not enough, the girl still wept, and every eye 
 was quickly turned on her. She appeared to sob, 
 and every one came to comfort her. Mr. Lewis, 
 
MAD FROLICS. 385 
 
 among others, seated himself by her, and whispered 
 something in her ear. She put her handkerchief to 
 her eyes again, so as to cover her face as well, and 
 there was a movement which might be a suppressed 
 sobbing, but then I thought again that it might be a 
 stifled laugh, as Mr. Lewis walked slowly away, 
 leaving the preacher, for a minute, quite dismayed 
 at the effect of the few words he had uttered, and 
 out of countenance at the manners of the gentlemen. 
 But this confusion was of short duration. 
 
 The gentlemen having declared they would 
 "make a night of it," corresponding orders had 
 been sent to the kitchen, and now the signal came 
 for supper. All the company marched into the 
 dining-room (not through the tomb), and Hyacinth, 
 with dry eyes, again devoted her attentions to Mr. 
 Buckly. He was hungry, and ate heartily, the wait- 
 ing-girls supplying him with cold chicken and ham, 
 and tempting him. with sweetmeats and confection- 
 ery. I poured out hock, which they handed to him. 
 He was as thirsty as he was hungry, and devoured 
 as much as four of the other gentlemen. They 
 plied him with wine, and invited him to drink, until 
 I could perceive that his eyes were apparently en- 
 larged, and his speech was not altogether so fluent 
 
386 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 as heretofore; but, though less fluent, it was more 
 free. He stuttered pretty speeches to waiting-girls, 
 talked to Hyacinth of her black eyes, and her sweet 
 breath, told her her teeth were pearls, and her lip 
 the bow of Cupid. He heard the other gentlemen 
 talking nonsense, and he followed their fashions to 
 the end, and a bow-shot beyond it. Mr. Lewis sang 
 drinking-choruses and tipsy love-ditties, and cried 
 bravo, over and over, at the end of his own songs. 
 
 Before the company returned to the saloon Mr. 
 Buckly was drunk, and totally off his guard. He 
 laughed, and even saug, and finally danced about 
 the room with Hyacinth. He professed himself her 
 adorer, said she was an angel of beauty and sim- 
 plicity ; that he could worship her, and lay his life 
 and fortune, if he had one, at her feet. The whole 
 party was convulsed with laughter. The quadroons 
 joined freely in the mirth, for the ordinary decorums 
 of rank and condition had been turned out of doors 
 two hours before that. The very black girls in the 
 ante-rooms tittered audibly at the vagaries of the 
 besotted parson. 
 
 He attempted a reel with Hyacinth and Victo- 
 rine, for they both kept dancing around him, and 
 they would step out and in the figure so quick and 
 
MAD FROLICS. 387 
 
 dexterously, that a man less far gone than Mr. 
 Buckly might be as puzzled as he was, when he was 
 uncertain whether he saw double, or " Hy-hy-cin-the 
 had added herself into two." 
 
 Once or twice I attempted to pass off on him 
 water in place of champagne, and even seized an 
 unobserved moment to pray him to retire, but he 
 replied with texts of Scripture, and even loudly 
 denounced the only person that felt for him, as the 
 evil spirit. " Get thee behind me, Satan," said he ; 
 " I shall dance, like holy David, before the ark, or, 
 like Jephthah's daughter, before that judge of Israel. 
 The daughter of Saul despiseth me not. Noah 
 drank of the fruit of the vine, and Solomon, in all 
 his glory, had seven hundred wives." He made 
 other Scriptural allusions, which I forbear to men- 
 tion, and drank and talked till he became nearly un- 
 intelligible. In this state he was carried to a bed on 
 the ground floor, in the room adjoining the dining- 
 apartment, where the lion's mouth was fixed in the 
 wall. I undressed and put him in bed, and left a 
 lamp burning on a table in the middle of the room. 
 Then I lay down on a mat- in the now deserted 
 dining-room, that I might be near him in ^dse of 
 
 need, and soon dropped asleep. 
 IT* 
 
388 THE PBINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 AN A L ABM. 
 
 IT was not much past midnight when the 
 preacher was put to rest, as I hoped ; and I proba- 
 bly had not slept an hour when I was aroused by 
 the plashing of water and the noisy muttering Mr. 
 Buckly was making in his room. I did not move 
 at first, being unwilling to disturb him or myself, 
 for I was very sleepy, and hoped he would get into 
 bed again; but I lay awake and listened to his 
 soliloquies, which ran on like one of his sermons. 
 He made speeches to the mirrors, and to his own 
 image reflected in them, calling it a bewitched 
 brute, an evil monster, and a drunken beast. Then 
 he addressed the picture of " Jamaica," crowned 
 with coffee-flowers, whom he took to be Hyacinth, 
 and extolled her beauty. Then he broke out and 
 abused her. u A Dalilah," said he, " for whom Sam- 
 son was shorn of his strength, of his hair, of his 
 wits ! JSTo Dalilah had half these charms. What 
 have I done and said to Dame Felix P" 
 
AN ALAKM. 389 
 
 He groaned, staggered about a little, and began 
 to preach again. When he is sober he declares he 
 was born for a preacher called from his early 
 youth to bear the Word to the uttermost parts of 
 the earth and it seems that even when he has drank 
 his reason out of doors he keeps up sermonizing, 
 though on strange texts. 
 
 " She's an enticing devil a lovely limb of 
 Satan. Why are women angels, but to make us 
 devils ? That portrait has been placed here to undo 
 me. Satan has graven the original on my heart. 
 But what is this ?" He had the lamp in his hand, 
 and moved toward the bath again. " This head of 
 bronze, with the heathen characters about it, and 
 this vile scrawl of Greek or Hebrew ; but the water 
 is deliciously cool." 
 
 He seemed to be talking to his sober self. He 
 talked nonsense, but I could hear that his speech 
 was less thick, and that his words marched off in 
 some order, whereas when he went into the room 
 they all tumbled out together in senseless confusion. 
 I had now taken post just without the communi- 
 cating door, and opposite the large window opening 
 into the garden. He was balancing himself pretty 
 well on his feet. His back toward me, and bowing, 
 
390 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 as it were, to the lion's head, which he had set run- 
 ning, and so splashed himself that the water was 
 dripping from him to the floor. Another groan. 
 
 " What an ungodly sinner this St. John must 
 be ! Satan will surely get the debauched, unbeliev- 
 ing wretch. Revelling in ungodly wealth and lux- 
 uries : baths, wine, women, statues, pictures ! He 
 has the flowery path to heaven to hell, I mean 
 aye, to hell. There will be no calling for cham- 
 pagne there, no dancing." 
 
 Here he walked again toward the portrait, but, 
 in his progress, he stumbled over something or 
 other, and dropped his lamp. I heard the glass 
 shade smash, and I heard him also exclaim against 
 his own awkwardness. 
 
 " Ominous," said he ; " my light is quenched, my 
 sole light flickers, expires before this Magdalen with 
 the wreath ah!" 
 
 He heaved a terribly long sigh, which ended, 
 however, in a hiccup ; and, being afraid of the 
 broken glass, as I supposed, he walked toward the 
 window. The glass of the window was open, as I 
 had left it, but the jalousies were shut, and he 
 fumbled at these for some minutes before he got 
 them apart. 
 
AN ALARM. 391 
 
 " What a night is here !" continued he ; " more 
 lovely than the finest day! Would I had never 
 seen that Hyacinth. How cool, how refreshing is 
 the air!" 
 
 As he went out of the window, I slipped into 
 the room and stopped off the running water, and 
 then followed him to watch his next proceedings. 
 He was standing about three yards off, talking 
 away. "Another statue. Who gives all these 
 things to the ungodly reprobate? Who, but the 
 father of lies ? Who else has statues like these ? 
 That black horseman is like life. The tail of the 
 horse almost waves. Ah, my poor eyes ! How my 
 head aches ! I don't like statues. The man is black, 
 the steed is white. My God, it must be Death on 
 the pale horse! It is awful to make such statues. 
 An abomination before the Lord." 
 
 I shuddered at these words, for I knew there 
 was no such statue in the garden. Before he was 
 through I, too, had discovered the object of fear. 
 At the far end of the walk sat the same black horse- 
 man, the " Night-mare " who had so alarmed the 
 people at the negro dance. It stood so motionless 
 and ghostlike that I would scarce have had the 
 courage to approach it. But Mr. Buckly, with the 
 
892 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 reckless and restless state of nerves of a wine-soaked 
 man, walked toward it as he speechified. It was 
 about fifty yards from the house, the head of the 
 horse fronting us, and the head of the man turned 
 upward toward Mrs. Harriot's windows. They 
 were both motionless, and their effect might well 
 impose upon Mr. Buddy, who . had seen statues, 
 black and white, about the house. I did not like 
 to follow directly behind him, lest he should be 
 alarmed, so I ran out by the hall, and the great 
 entrance, which, like that of most Jamaica houses, 
 was wide open. I got into the garden, and, by the 
 shelter of a hedge of hibiscus, was within ten yards 
 of the night-rider, just as Mr. Buckly had arrived 
 opposite to it from his window. He walked pretty 
 straight toward the figure, muttering all the way 
 something about a libertine destroyed ; but as he 
 came closer to it, he apostrophised the rider as 
 Death. "Death," said he, "on the pale-colored 
 horse ! Do you come for my cup-bearer, my Hebe ?" 
 He spoke in a deep, sepulchral, bass tone, which 
 made me feel almost uncomfortable. The words 
 appeared to be dragged from the bottomless pit. 
 " Or have you come for the lost, undone, ungodly 
 St. John ?" 
 
AN ALARM. 393 
 
 Here the white horse snorted. 
 
 " My God !" exclaimed the preacher, " it's alive. 
 What art thou, in the name of ?" He recoiled 
 as if he had trod on a yellow snake, and it had 
 hissed at him. He stood so fixed in his place 
 that I could have almost fancied him turned statue 
 himself. " In the name of the living God, who art 
 thou, and what is thy business ? Answer me, in 
 the name of Him who died for the sins of all believ- 
 ers. Art thou a man, a spirit, or a demon ? What ! 
 no answer ? Am I then forsaken of heaven, and for 
 this one sin ?" 
 
 The ghost kept a most provoking silence, fixing 
 only his eyes, which were not empty sockets, on Mr. 
 Buckly's face. It was all so still, not a breath stir- 
 ring, that truly the preacher might begin again to 
 think he had been deceived. He held his hand 
 toward the horse, while he made a retrograde move- 
 ment in the direction of the house. 
 
 But here the scene changed. The night-rider 
 raised his hand and spoke vehemently, while the 
 preacher was checked into a statue. 
 
 " Miserable, heartless seducer, how dare you 
 appeal to heaven ? I have come to demand if you 
 
394 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 mean to marry my daughter ? Wretch, you shall 
 marry my daughter." 
 
 "Your daughter!" stammered the parson. "Who 
 is she ?" 
 
 The figure fixed his eyes in fury on the preacher. 
 I could see them, by the moonlight, swell from their 
 sockets. 
 
 " My daughter !" it continued, " coward and se- 
 ducer that you are, did I not hear you talking of 
 her? Swear to marry my daughter. Swear it." 
 
 " Your daughter ! your daughter !" again ex- 
 claimed the preacher, in a hurry. " Can it be 
 Madam ? I have offended her forever." 
 
 " Yes, you have offended her and me. Swear." 
 
 " Who is she ? Is it Hyacinth ?" 
 
 " Villain, do you mock me ?" cried the figure, in 
 a rage, and suddenly presenting a frightfully long 
 horse-pistol. Mr. Buckly flounced down upon his 
 face, calling out for mercy. 
 
 " I'll swear," said he ; " I'll swear to marry the 
 devil, so you spare my life. Oh Lord ! oh Lord ! 
 I took you for a statue this is some trick this is 
 Mr. Martineau's work. I'll marry her, nevertheless." 
 
 " Arise, then ; I will follow you to the house," 
 rejoined the figure. 
 
AN ALARM. 395 
 
 I had been very much afraid that the night- 
 rider might shoot the preacher; and, stealing back 
 again by the hibiscus hedge, I called to Mr. Buckly 
 from the corner of the house, as well to encourage 
 him,, as to let the stranger know there was some 
 relief at hand for the poor parson. Mr. Buckly got 
 up, on hearing my voice, and ran toward me, but 
 the cavalier pursued him, and chased us round the 
 house into the court-yard. He was upon our flanks 
 as we passed the gate, brandishing still the pistol, 
 and we could not prevent his following us into the 
 hall itself. What a clatter he made. I thought 
 the steps might have stopped him, but the horse 
 sprang up these, as if possessed of supernatural 
 power, and entered the hall. 
 
 On reaching the top, the rider, grasping hold of 
 Mr. Buckly, hurled him or dragged him, uninten- 
 tionally, perhaps to the ground. The lamp was 
 burning in the hall, and the light was sufficient to 
 exhibit our ghostly visitor to perfection, and it is 
 not likely we should long want spectators to wonder 
 at, if not to enjoy the scene. The Johnny New- 
 comes came first, drawn from their rooms by the 
 clatter on the stone steps, and staring as if they had 
 lost their wits ; and Mr. Lewis followed, in no less 
 
396 THE PRINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 amazement. I believe they thought it was an insur- 
 rection of the negroes, for one of them appealed to 
 me: "Dear Mahmadee, spare our lives." Mr. St. 
 John came last. He entered the hall with a sword 
 in his hand, and having a cloak wrapped round him 
 over his night-clothes. He seemed very little dis- 
 concerted, though he was somewhat astonished at 
 the figure, whose horse was more alarmed than even 
 Mr. Buckly. 
 
 " You have mistaken me," said this last, begin- 
 ning, but half sober as he was, to comprehend for 
 whom the ghost intended his visit. " I am a stran- 
 ger here. This is Mr. St. John." 
 
 The figure stared at Mr. St. John, and again pre- 
 sented his pistol, but as quickly replaced it in a 
 holster, saying: "This, then, is the seducer, the 
 epicure, the selfish traitor, which that drunken fool 
 was trying to personate." 
 
 " Not at all," said the preacher. " I took you 
 for a statue." 
 
 " Peace, idiot !" rejoined the figure. 
 
 rt You, sir," to Mr. St. John, " must account with 
 me. An injured, wretched father demands repara- 
 tion for the ruin of his daughter. What can ex- 
 
AN A L A E M . 39T 
 
 ceed your baseness ? Reprobate, where is my 
 daughter ?" 
 
 " Name her," said Mr. St. John, with surprising 
 calmness. 
 
 " What," rejoined he, " has he so many victims 
 here that I must name my child ere I recover her 
 from the herd with which she is confounded ? Mon- 
 ster, give me back my daughter before her soul is 
 sealed to everlasting perdition." 
 
 " Need there be any question about losing souls 
 here?" said Mr. St. John, still preserving a cold, 
 steady manner, and keeping his eyes fixed on the 
 stranger, who thus abused him like one in frenzy, 
 and whose looks were even wilder than his words. 
 " Call your daughter by name/' continued Mr. St. 
 John. " Call her, sir, and if she be here she will 
 obey your call." 
 
 " Look at me," replied the figure ; " I am a white 
 man ; my wife was also a white lady." 
 
 " Egad," said Mr. Lewis, aside, " he is as ugly as 
 the devil. He can't be Mrs. Harriot's father, and 
 whom else can he be after ?" 
 
 "You are many," continued the wild man. 
 " You are in your own castle ; I demand my daugh- 
 ter give her to me. I could have laid you dead at 
 
398 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 my feet, but I only want to have back my child in 
 safety. All ! I hear her voice." 
 
 He wheeled his horse toward the three gentle- 
 men-visitors, who were all huddled together, in some 
 alarm and more amazement. They receded before 
 him, as he showed signs of riding them down. I 
 was thankful that Mr. Holgrave was not there to be 
 agitated and annoyed. 
 
 " Stand off, inquiring fools ! let me have room for 
 my sorrows, and no witness." 
 
 He waved to the gentlemen to leave him alone, a 
 summons which was seconded with effect by Mr. St. 
 John. Some of the girls had joined the throng, and, , 
 as the ghostly gentleman had intimated, he really 
 had heard her voice. Mrs. Marriot made her ap- 
 pearance at the foot of the stairs, followed by An- 
 
 " Mrs. Marriot," said Mr. St. John, closing the 
 door upon the other guests, " is this your father ?" 
 
 She was dressed in a white wrapper, and her hair 
 was tied up with the blue ribbons, as I had seen her 
 in her sleep. She answered "yes" to Mr. St. John's 
 question, and approached the horseman timidly, but 
 without any air of guilt. 
 
 The father fixed his eyes upon her as she drew 
 
AN ALARM. 399 
 
 near. " Would that you had been in your grave," 
 said he, "so that I had never known this hour, 
 degenerate, abandoned girl." 
 
 " You are unjust, father," replied the daughter, 
 weeping ; " quit your horse a moment, and hear me, 
 for Heaven's sake ! Why should you come at this 
 dead hour to alarm the house and its inhabitants, 
 rather than ask for me at noon-day ? It is you who 
 will destroy my character, and furnish matter of 
 scandal and ridicule to the whole island." 
 
 I thought the ghost looked somewhat ashamed, 
 and, taking courage myself, I offered to hold his 
 horse, but he put me back a moment. 
 
 " Mary," continued he, " are you so debased as 
 to minister to this monster's pleasures ? You must 
 instantly come with me. Better be dead, and in 
 your tomb, than here." 
 
 "If there is any violence intended/' said the 
 lady, suspecting from his manner, perhaps, that he 
 thought of putting her to death, " I am fixed here. 
 It is true I am your daughter, but I disclaim your 
 right to keep me in constant terror and unhap- 
 piness." 
 
 " Ah ! miserable girl, you wish to remain here 
 and live in sinful delight," said the stranger. 
 
400 THE PRINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 " There you are deceived," rejoined the daugh- 
 ter, spiritedly, " abused beyond measure ; but if 
 you talk of reason, get off your horse, and let the 
 household be quieted. Mr. St. John, beg of him to 
 listen to me." 
 
 Mr. St. John, at this request, bade me assist the 
 gentleman to dismount, and said, though I thought 
 rather coolly, that if the gentleman would honor 
 him with his attention, he would engage to impress 
 him with different views. I again took hold of the 
 horse's bridle, and the gentleman's off stirrup. His 
 daughter came up to him, took his hand and kissed 
 it, and, partly by entreaty, partly by a little force, 
 prevailed on him to dismount. Mrs. Marriot held 
 out her arms to him as he touched the floor, and 
 burst into tears. How beautiful she looked ! Her 
 father took her in his arms, and hung upon her 
 neck. It was an affecting sight; I could scarce 
 avoid shedding tears myself. 
 
 I led away the horse, but was much troubled to 
 get him down the steps, which he had mounted so 
 easily ; having succeeded, and shut him in the sta- 
 ble, I returned to the house. There was no one in 
 the hall, except one or two of the quadroons, who 
 were anxious to learn what they could from me 
 
AN ALARM. 401 
 
 about the mattei'. The gentlemen had all retired 
 again to their rooms. Mrs. Marriot led her father 
 into the dining-apartment, where Mr. St. John was 
 making a speech to him. To be sure, how Mr. St. 
 John did preach, and how meekly the man took it ! 
 
 " I tell you, sir," said he, " that you neither 
 prove your authority nor your discretion by such 
 insane conduct. You watched your daughter's win- 
 dow with a telescope, you say, to see what might 
 take place in her room. Very well, sir, you have 
 seen nothing. You reproach me with base offenses 
 against her? What are your own? You made 
 your daughter marry a madman ; but now she is a 
 widow, and surely her own mistress. You have all 
 your life, sir, been a slave to your pride, to your cu- 
 pidity. You would sacrifice your innocent daughter 
 to your evil spirit. Were she guilty of all with 
 which you wrongfully reproach her and me, she 
 would still be spotless by your side. You have 
 threatened and tormented her out of her own house. 
 Had I not interrupted her, as she was passing here, 
 in her flight, she would, by this time, have been in 
 some foreign land ; she would have taken the first 
 ship that would carry her away. You came near 
 driving a helpless lamb among strangers, perhaps 
 
402 THE PEINCE OF KASHKA. 
 
 into a herd of wolves. I have received her like an 
 honored sister. At my urgent invitation, three 
 young ladies of good family have joined her here. 
 They are those in this island whom your ill-used 
 daughter loves best, and they have come expressly 
 to spend a few weeks with her at Rose Hill. This 
 is all my crime, sir, and, by heaven ! I will persist in 
 it. Mrs. Marriot shall not go back to your sole 
 company, to be made the victim of your cruel ca- 
 prices, while there is one gentleman left alive in Ja- 
 maica. I tell you, sir, that we know you to be a 
 madman" and, as Mr. St. John said this in a key 
 more loud and stern, the man quaked, " and, if you 
 attempt to molest your daughter again, we will put 
 you in a strait waistcoat, and chain you to the floor." 
 
 The stranger seemed actually to be scared, not 
 only into good behavior, but into good sense. He 
 rather argued for his daughter's return than de- 
 manded it. He implied pretty plainly, though, that 
 he considered Mr. St. John a dangerous companion. 
 
 " You mistake the whole case, sir," was Mr. 
 St. John's reply. " I respect innocence, and I will 
 defend it. You, sir, have probably caused more 
 tears and planted more thorns, than I have ever 
 done, or than I would be willing to take on my 
 
AN ALARM. 403 
 
 conscience. You came here to disturb my house, 
 perhaps to asssail my life. You Tf^re liberal in 
 your insults. "Jou publicly defamed your daughter, 
 and violently denounced me. You reproached me 
 before my friends, my guests, my servants. I hope I 
 bore it with sufficient temper. I shall now leave 
 you to your daughter. If you are inclined to repose 
 yourself, she will show you an apartment, and if 
 you have any farther arguments to urge, to-morrow 
 morning I shall be at your disposal." 
 
 So saying, he rose, and walked out of the 
 room. How Mr. Ghost looked I cannot guess. He 
 never spoke until Mr. St. John had taken his leave, 
 and what he said then, L know not exactly, for I 
 heard Mr. St. John calling for me, and ran to meet 
 him. He was scarcely at all agitated, and I fancied 
 there was even a smile upon his face. He gave me 
 the sword, and a small pistol, and bid me wait with- 
 in hearing, in case Mrs. Marriot's father should be 
 unreasonable. I was to fire the pistol as a signal 
 that is, if he should appear disposed to offer violence 
 to his daughter, and to protect her with the sword at 
 all hazards, until farther assistance arrived. 
 
 Mr. St. John was scarcely gone before Mr. 
 
 Buckly returned into the hall, wishing to pass 
 18 
 
404 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 through to his room, which was within the dining- 
 room. He was still stupid, his red eyes staring 
 wide open, his gait very unsteady, a$d his mind full 
 of horrible fancies. He came toward me moaning. 
 
 "Dead," said he, "dying, nearly killed, shot. 
 How my head beats, beats ; all for my sins, Mah- 
 madee. I have committed a thousand follies, but all 
 this was predestined. I verily believed that mad- 
 man a statue on horseback. Had I not been con- 
 fused with all this music and dancing, and my spirit 
 beside itself with the sight of all these follies, I had 
 not been so mistaken. I would have known him for 
 a horse-grenadier, or some such thing, and shunned 
 him arnen ! Now let us go to bed again." 
 
 " Master parson," said I, " you called me a brazen 
 idiot for not bringing you more wine." 
 
 "Alas! it was in my potations; but thou art a 
 heathen, nevertheless, a follower of that accursed 
 imposter, Mahomet. My soul yearns to save your 
 preciaus soul from endless perdition,. Mahmadee. I 
 tell you, my dearly beloved brother, that hell yawns 
 for you. Upon my soul it yawns for you." (Here 
 he yawned himself.) "What are you laughing at, 
 you poor blinded heathen ? Oh, ray head, my poor 
 head ! I am undone, sick, very sick !" 
 
AN ALARM. 405 
 
 He felt his pulse, and began to sing a psalm. I 
 thought I had never seen so complete a fool. He 
 was afraid to pass through the dining-room when I 
 told him that the horse-ghost was there ; so I took 
 him round by the saloon into the library, and put 
 him on a sofa. 
 
 When I returned to the hall, I found the girls 
 going into the dining-room with some sheets for Mr. 
 Ghost. He was walking backward and forward, in 
 a little perturbation ; but he was civil now, and even 
 condescended to take a draught of sangaree ; he was 
 very taciturn, however, and looked very sullen. He 
 would not go to bed when he heard that Mr. Buckly 
 had been sleeping there, but wrapped himself up in 
 his dark blue cloak, and lay on one of the sofas for 
 an hour or two, but he slept very little. I heard 
 him roll and toss about, and breathe very deep, sigh- 
 ing repeatedly. 
 
 He arose at the first break of daylight, and de- 
 camped. I brought his horse at his request, and 
 saw him off. He took the road down the avenue, 
 where I had first encountered him, and, as before, 
 he hurried along the glade at a good gallop, never 
 once casting a look behind him. There were other 
 eyes that looked on him beside mine, for the whole 
 
4:06 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 house having been alarmed, scarce an individual had 
 composed himself thoroughly to rest again. The 
 jalousies were all open, and several heads peeped 
 out at him in the early light. Among others, Yicto- 
 riue looked out from her window, and muttered a 
 parting blessing : " You want to carry off the little 
 lady did you ? You don't wait for the sun, for fear 
 Mr. St. John catch your shadow, and stand you in 
 the garden." 
 
 When I turned back to the house, I was sur- 
 prised to find Mr. St. John and my master up, and 
 only waiting for their horses to go to the beach for 
 an early sea-bath. I was ordered to take my mule 
 and attend them. They were discussing the " mad 
 frolics," as they called them, of the parson and the 
 maniac. They both spoke of Mrs. Marriot with ex- 
 treme pity and respect, and were in every way 
 severe on her father. They imputed his madness 
 to habitual intemperance. 
 
 Among other things, Mr. St. John said : " I love 
 to hear music and see happy faces, but it does not 
 follow that I would destroy them at once and for- 
 ever. If I have some very beautiful flowers in my 
 garden, I should scarcely pluck them up by the 
 roots to enhance their hue and fragrance." 
 
AN ALAKM. 407 
 
 Something Mr. Holgrave said of me (for I caught 
 my name) amused Mr. St. John prodigiously. He 
 half turned his horse toward me and said, still laugh- 
 ing, " So the servants have made me a present of 
 four wives ? Well, I am not of your faith, Mah- 
 madee, and I promise you that is, Mr. Holgrave 
 and I have agreed that you may have for a wife 
 any one of them you can win after their time is 
 out, mind you, though. While they are in service, 
 I cannot have too many fools on hand at once." 
 
 I had long before that arrived at the conviction 
 that the black girls were quizzing me, and had flat- 
 tered myself that the gentlemen would never hear 
 of it. I perceived Victorine's busy tongue in it, 
 and was as much provoked with her as I was 
 ashamed of myself, but I had just then no leisure 
 to think of reprisals, for we were now at the edge 
 of the surf. 
 
 The gentlemen bathed just as the sun rose, and 
 I rode outside of them to keep away the sharks, 
 while they swam. I was so sleepy all the time, that 
 I believe I actually did fall asleep, for I tumbled off 
 the mule into the sea, and wetted my clothes, so 
 that I was obliged to take them off, and spread them 
 on the sand to dry. I was quite happy when we 
 
408 THE PEIXCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 got back again to the Great House, for I lay down 
 on my bed and slept undisturbed till two o'clock in 
 the afternoon. 
 
 Madam Felix sent for me to her room before 
 dinner, and questioned me very closely about Mr. 
 Martineau instigating Mr. Buckly to go to Spanish 
 Town to get a marriage license. "That is Miss 
 Victorine, again," thought I to myself. For my own 
 part, I professed the purest ignorance of every thing 
 and everybody's business. The slave must make a 
 rule of it, unless he has a taste for being the scape- 
 grace of everybody's sins. I knew she would be 
 sure to apply to Mr. Holgrave at last, and felt that 
 Mr. Martineau was tolerably safe in his friendly 
 hands to win a pardon. 
 
 She had already accepted his mediation for the 
 parson, all of whose "little follies" of the night be- 
 fore bad been smoothed over, and himself graciously 
 dismissed. He was already gone when I arose from 
 my pallet. Mrs. Harriot had not appeared at break- 
 fast, but the usual circle met at dinner, and the 
 evening passed off in music and conversation, as 
 bright and calm as if nobody in the world ever 
 drank to excess, or was ever so wild as to disturb 
 any one else with their mad frolics. 
 
PARLOR DRAMAS. 409 
 
 CHAPTER XXH. 
 
 PARLOR DRAMAS. 
 
 MR. MARTIN, the father of the Three Graces, 
 was at the time absent on his professional" engage- 
 ments having a great lawsuit on hand at Spanish 
 Town but was to return for his daughters in about 
 two weeks, and our " Johnny Newcomes " Mr. 
 Haldiman and Mr. Hopeton were to be of their 
 party home. Mrs. Marriot, on whose account, chief- 
 ly, this visit had been made, had decided to leave at 
 the same time for Plessis Fount, her own place in 
 St. Mary's. Her maid Angela described it as a dull, 
 secluded place, with rather limited house accommo- 
 dations for company, though, not too small for the 
 proper convenience of its mistress and her crazy 
 father. That gentleman, not content with living 
 upon his daughter's means, was so dreadfully ill- 
 tempered and unreasonable, that Mrs. Marriot scarce- 
 ly dared invite a friend to pass a day with her, so 
 sure was she that her father would manage to insult 
 
410 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 him out of the house. Mr. Holgrave strongly ad- 
 vised her to take up her residence in Kingston and 
 I believe that Mr. St. John privately added his in- 
 fluence to the suggestion but I gathered from her 
 replies, that her fortune would hardly justify such 
 an establishment as her father would force her to 
 maintain; and worse than that, his "eccentricities", 
 would be more painfully conspicuous, if not more 
 violent, in the social stir of the city than in the quiet 
 of a country house. Poor lady ! young, beautiful, 
 independent, innocent, and beloved, she was the vic- 
 tim of more anxious and unhappy hours than any 
 slave-girl in the house. Mr. St. John, to*, looked 
 somewhat restless and unhappy when I noticed him 
 pacing the oleander-walk, which leads from the 
 piazza back of his own room to the stables. It was 
 planted so as to insure to the "master a direct, shaded, 
 and private way to his horses, and all that pertained 
 to them, unseen by the guests and servants. The 
 saddle-room door was the only part of that range 
 of buildings that gave a glimpse into this walk, and 
 if I had not had occasion to be in that room a few 
 minutes, one morning, I should never have dreamed 
 that any thing could so ruffle the placid lord of Rose 
 Hill. But there was no mistaking the downcast eye, 
 
PARLOR DRAMAS. 411 
 
 the set teeth, and the contracted brow, as he walked 
 up and down that graveled aisle. In the house he 
 was always the same polite, smiling, attentive gen- 
 tleman, and, as before, never long absent from the 
 side of Mrs. Harriot. 
 
 There %ere four gentlemen to four ladies, and 
 just enough to dance a quadrille to Hyacinth's mu- 
 sic, as they occasionally did ; for Mr. Holgrave was 
 now able to go through one figure without fatigue. 
 After that we have dances for four or six, with mu- 
 sic, singing, and conversation, until our parlor-dramas 
 became the absorbing theme. If the visit of Mrs. 
 Marriot's father whom the negroes were not far 
 wrong in calling the "Nightmare" had thrown a 
 secret chill on the pleasures of Rose Hill, there was 
 no outward show of change. Mr. Buckly had made 
 a lodgment with the manager of a neighboring es- 
 tate a genial, hospitable Scotchman, who, without 
 being exactly a religious man himself, respected the 
 cloth ; and, believing the missionary a safer pastor 
 for the slaves than some others he knew, he made 
 him welcome at his own house and table, and gave 
 his evangelical labors the amplest encouragement. 
 
 In that day, the liberal hospitality, which Jamaica 
 
 still practices, was carried to excess ; but a man like 
 18* 
 
412 THE PEINCE OF K AS UNA. 
 
 Mr. Buckly would not have been welcome at Mr. St. 
 John's breakfast* table, under ordinary circumstances. 
 It was his supposed services-in disconcerting the late 
 negro conspiracies, that gilded over his natural 
 coarseness so far as to secure his polite toleration at 
 Rose Hill. He had sense enough not to come too 
 often, nor stay too long. As the drunken antics of 
 Mrs. Harriot's half-crazy father were tenderly han- 
 dled as "eccentricities," so Mr. Buckly's ridiculous 
 conduct was only spoken of as "the parson's little 
 slip," and, I think, was never even alluded to in his 
 presence. This toleration put him at ease, and he 
 even strove to set up again the airs and pretensions 
 of a saintly missionary. 
 
 The painter and the botanist amused themselves 
 and the young ladies by drawing him out. The 
 latter was something of an astronomer, and gave 
 the young ladies some lectures on the subject. 
 The painter set them at sketching some of the ad- 
 joining scenery. Mr. St. John was clever at all 
 these things, and for the short time they remained, 
 Rose Hill was apparently turned, every morning, 
 into an academy of arts and sciences. 
 
 The preacher came about every other morning, 
 and joined the circle in the library, as if he too was 
 
PARLOR DRAMAS. 413 
 
 a learned gentleman and a lady-killer. Indeed, so 
 little notice had been taken of Mr. Buddy's mishap, 
 and he had apparently so little recollection of the 
 absurdities which he had committed, that he ven- 
 tured again upon the mystical part of his profession, 
 and held forth whenever he could squeeze in a word 
 upon faith, hope, and grace. He talked of the 
 prophecies, and a beast* upon seven hills, and the 
 bottomless pit, and mixed up, very promiscuously, 
 Bonaparte, Armageddon, and the restoration of the 
 Jews. Mr. St. John showed a disposition to smile, 
 and sometimes argued with him a little ; but he 
 never thwarted him, nor denied him a free course 
 to run over by himself. Neither Mr. Holgrave nor 
 Mr. St. John ever made a butt of him, as the painter 
 and botanist continually did ; but they now and then 
 put him some sly questions about Scripture history 
 and the patriarchal customs that puzzled him badly. 
 Yet in the midst of all this sanctified talk, Mr. 
 Buckly had his mind still fixed on possessing 
 Hyacinth. I say, without fear of being contra- 
 dicted, that he begged and prayed of me, oflered 
 me bribes, and promised to take care of my soul, 
 if I would prevail upon that girl to listen to him. 
 He had courted Madam Felix, who was also a really 
 
414 THE PRINCE o F K A s H N A . 
 
 beautiful creature, more for her money than for her 
 person ; but when he knew she had assigned her 
 property, he gave her up and became downright 
 foolishly in love with Hyacinth. His passion was 
 as absurd as my own worship of Mrs. Marriot. I 
 know he even offered to marry her, for he was not 
 rich enough to buy her, nor to make her any pecu- 
 niary settlement, and that'he condescended to en- 
 treat for her of Mr. St. John, to whom she referred 
 him. He referred him back to the girl. 
 
 " She would obey her master," she told him one 
 morning, when, without regarding my presence, he 
 offered to marry her if she desired it. She did not 
 desire it, however. She did not love him, and pre- 
 ferred freedom without him. Mr. St. John had now 
 but a limited claim on her. Hyacinth, and her sis- 
 ter Zephyr, having served their four years with faith- 
 fulness and propriety, would, in the course of a 
 month or two, be free to hire their own time at the 
 wages of common servants. As fine seamstresses, 
 marchands, or ladies' maids, they could earn double 
 the money, and, after paying the wages to their 
 master, enough would remain for them to gradually 
 pay for their freedom. Several of Mr. St. John's 
 slaves had done, or were doing, this, and it was an 
 
PARLOR DRAMAS. 415 
 
 object of ambition with numbers of his best people 
 to be put in the list. 
 
 There was one curious exception to this, which 
 I will now mention, for that exceptional individual 
 was afterward somewhat mixed up in my own des- 
 tiny. It was a shrewd old black fellow, named An- 
 drew, who acted as doctor's man, and was so much 
 of a practitioner himself among the free blacks 
 around, that he had acquired over a thousand pounds 
 of his own ; yet he would never use his money to 
 buy himself. He hired his own time of his master, 
 Mr. St. John, at twenty pounds a year, and then 
 hired himself out again for forty, as a sort of deputy- 
 doctor to the regular physician of Rose Hill and 
 Laurel Pen, Mr. St. John's two estates. Dr. O'Don- 
 nell, the regular physician, was enabled by means of 
 this assistant to take the medical charge of two ad- 
 ditional estates. The negroes had immense respect 
 for the black doctor's abilities, and he really had re- 
 markable success in curing the numerous cases in- 
 trusted to him. He was a keen, smooth-tongued 
 fellow, and Mr. St. John, after giving this sketch of 
 his character and condition to the ladies, sent for 
 him to the library, under pretence of inquiring how 
 his vaccine patients were progressing. The intro- 
 
4:16 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 duction of the saving process of vaccination was not 
 then so general in Jamaica as might be wished, but 
 it was carefully attended to on the four estates un- 
 der the charge of Dr. O'Donnell, and the whole of 
 that part of his business was now left to Andrew. 
 When the vaccine questions were asked and an- 
 swered, Mr. St. John told him that, as he was now 
 worth upward of one thousand pounds, it was time 
 to decide upon how much of it he would give for his 
 freedom. 
 
 " I doesn't want my freedom, master. I'm bet- 
 ter off as I am, with a good master such as I have 
 got," the black doctor replied, with an insinuating 
 bow to Mr. St. John. " What I wants is to settle 
 myself, if you please to consent to it, sir." 
 
 " Settle yourself, beau ? In what way ?" 
 
 " I wants to get married, and have my wife on a 
 place of our own." 
 
 " Want a wife, Andrew ?" exclaimed his master. 
 "Why, Dr. O'Donnell informs me, that you have two 
 wives now, and, what makes bad worse, that some- 
 times you beat them. Look out that the busha 
 (overseer) don't have you up and flogged for your 
 cruelty and immorality." 
 
 " Yes, master, it am a fact that I had to c'rect 
 
PARLOR DRAMAS. 417 
 
 Lucy for going to dances on the sly and getting 
 drunk; but there's Sally whips me or, tries to and 
 all that is a disgrace to the place, master, so I wants 
 to get married in church, and settle down 'specta- 
 bly," said Andrew, in the coolest and most business- 
 like of tones. 
 
 " Have you made choice of a bride yet ?" asked 
 Mr. St. John. 
 
 " Yes, master, but but," and, for the first time, 
 Andrew showed some embarrassment. 
 
 " Well, who is it ? Some one belonging to me ?" 
 said his master, who appeared to enjoy his embar- 
 rassment. " If it is so, speak out, beau. You know 
 I leave hearts free on my estates." 
 
 " If you please, master," and he broke down 
 again ; then, rallying as well as he could, he begged 
 to be excused for that day. 
 
 He was excused, and so he left without inform- 
 ing the company of the sable beauty who was to 
 supersede both the reigning wives. 
 
 While the party in the library were amusing 
 themselves with the black doctor, who was so partial 
 to bondage that he wanted to add the fetters of mat- 
 rimony to the yoke of slavery, Mr. Buckly was in 
 the parlor urging Hyacinth to join him in soliciting 
 
418 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 her master's consent to their marriage, and with it 
 some arrangement for her immediate freedom; but 
 the quadroon had other views. She wished to get 
 to Kingston, and, by teaching music, and singing for 
 pay at parties in private houses, she hoped to earn 
 money for her freedom and enjoy life in her own 
 way at the same time. Zephyr could assist her, and 
 take in fine embroidery, at which she was an adept, 
 and not even the rare and envied distinction of hav- 
 ing a white preacher in lawful wedlock, tempted her 
 to resign her plan. She was, -however, a coquette to 
 the heart's core, and contrived to encourage the in- 
 fatuated man to persevere in his addresses, and to 
 write to her any number of silly love-letters. She 
 could read and write, but, under pretence of being 
 unable to decipher them, she brought them to me 
 " to make out what the missionary meant to say," as 
 she would demurely remark. Those letters had con- 
 siderable private circulation. But these interesting 
 proceedings between the preacher and quadroon ex- 
 tended beyond the limits of Mrs. Harriot's stay at 
 Rose Hill, and I return to that. 
 
 I have spoken of our parlor-drama of Othello, 
 which, from a single declamation by me at Savan- 
 nah-la-Mar and Orange Grove, had been gradually 
 
PAKLOR DBA MAS. 419 
 
 modified into a play of three acts, in which, besides 
 the Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, Cassio, and lago, 
 in common use, there was an additional character 
 introduced. This was done partly to find place for 
 Aimee, Madam Felix's little ward, and also to give 
 more variety and effect to the closing tableau, and 
 partly to help the change which ends the play in a 
 reconciliation, instead of the murder of Desdemona. 
 The story of Othello haunted me. I could never 
 forget that a black man had been recognized as a 
 brave and honored soldier, and that he had won by 
 his gallant deeds the love of the fair and gentle Des- 
 demona. What dangers would I not have braved, 
 what sufferings endured, to be praised by the living 
 Desdemona whom I served every day at table, were 
 it but in the same calm and sweet measure in which 
 she so often praised white men of note ! It was a 
 blind and frantic worship. I knew it then nearly as 
 well as I know it now, but it was a pure, ennobling 
 blaze, that lifted me upward, far, far upward in my 
 soul, and in all my views. It burnt out of me many 
 debasing tendencies, which, but for her high influ- 
 ence, might have kept me in low and miry paths for- 
 ever. I was eager to repeat our version of Othello in 
 her presence, and, when it was in preparation, I was 
 
420 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 on the alert to stimulate Hyacinth and Zephyr, the 
 Desdemona and Emilia of the play, into a warm ap- 
 preciation of their parts. 
 
 I had written out the whole drama as it had been 
 modified and arranged by Mr. Martineau, with dupli- 
 ca<e parts for the others to study. At Miraflor the 
 governess had condescended to take Desdemona, for 
 there was but little to be said by the other actors, 
 and Victorine did the little tbat was required of 
 lago ; but here we had a force sufficient to bring it 
 out to the full extent of Mr. Martineau's arrange- 
 ment. Victorine kept her own part, and Laura, the 
 tallest of the quadroons, accepted and learned the 
 part of Cassio, while to Hyacinth was assigned that 
 of Desdemona. Madam Felix went over to Miraflor 
 and brought back Aimee to take her part, and Satur- 
 day evening was appointed for the performance. Mr. 
 Martineau was expected by then, and Dr. O'Donnell 
 and his wife, with three or four other gentlemen and 
 ladies from the neighboring estates, were invited to 
 be present at the play and the supper which was to 
 follow it. 
 
 Leaving Othello at this point, I go back to I 
 know not exactly what date, but certainly as far 
 back as the first recitation at Miraflor. In making 
 
PARLOR DRAMAS. 421 
 
 the suppressions and adaptations necessary to reduce 
 Othello to the limited capabilities of our performers, 
 I had more than once ventured to suggest short and 
 simple phrases in substitution of those long and 
 eloquent sentences, which our performers would find 
 it difficult to master, and Mr. Martineau generally ac- 
 cepted them. From that I had gone a step farther, 
 and prepared a kind of ballet, borrowed from Robin 
 Hood. A number of short and easy songs, and little 
 bits of dialogue, were strung into a kind of festive 
 plot, which I called " The Maroon's Bride," and 
 which I and the brown girls at Miraflor had sang 
 and danced through for the entertainment of Mr. 
 Holgrave and some gentlemen visitors. 
 
 In getting up the burlesque of the "Four My 
 Lords," I had assisted in pruning it down somewhat, 
 and I was now called upon to operate on Othello, 
 because, as Mr. Holgrave and Madam Felix asserted, 
 I had such a decided turn for dramatic arrangements. 
 I produced the prepared manuscript of Othello, and 
 even Mr. St. John complimented me strongly on my 
 clear 'and handsome writing. Mrs. Marriot took it 
 in her hand, and read several pages without speak- 
 ing. My heart swelled to painfulness, as I watched 
 her earnest, attentive look, and saw her white 
 
422 THE PEINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 hand turn over leaf after leaf, without raising her 
 eyes. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said she, handing back the manu- 
 script to my master, and addressing him and Mr. St. 
 John together, " gentlemen, the young man of sev- 
 enteen who can write like that, ought not to remain 
 a slave. Let us see if we cannot find something 
 better for him to do than groom our horses and wait 
 behind our chairs." I could have died in grateful 
 joy at her feet. 
 
 "Your wishes shall be our law," said Mr. St. 
 John, with a bow, offering his arm to lead her to 
 dinner, and Mr. Holgrave said something to the 
 same effect. 
 
 From that hour I never was a slave. The mind 
 cast off its shackled habits, and, though many days 
 of servitude were still before me, all my thoughts, 
 desires, and resolutions, were fixed, not merely upon 
 ceasing to be a slave, but on rising morally and men- 
 tally to the rank of a freeman. 
 
 Mrs. Marriot and the young ladies now resolved 
 to have the "Maroon's Bride" acted immediately, 
 and assigned the part of bride to Zephyr, and of the 
 bride's mistress to Hyacinth. The plot is simply 
 this. The Maroon-chief loves a slave-girl, and finally 
 
PAKLOR DRAMAS. 423 
 
 wins her for his bride, in recompense for the daring 
 services he has rendered to the betrothed of the lady, 
 her mistress. This is recited partly in song, partly 
 in dialogue. The dancing and the choruses are the 
 celebration of the bride's emancipation. The best 
 songs were by Mr. Martineau ; the others, and all the 
 dialogue, were mine. They would never have been 
 produced at Rose Hill if Mrs. Marriot had not re- 
 called what Madam Felix had said about the " Ma- 
 roon's Bride," and asked to see it. The painter, Mr. 
 Haldiman, called on me to read it aloud, and when 
 it was cjione, asked if that was all I had ever written. 
 It was a searching question ; for from the night the 
 night of the first day I ever saw her on which I 
 had recited Othello, I had been writing out on paper 
 snatches of the extravagant dream-drama which was 
 seething in my heart and brain. I hesitated at the 
 question. It was pressed home, and I finally con- 
 fessed that I had attempted something like a little 
 drama for the Miraflor company, but it was scarcely 
 finished. Mr. Haldiman desired me to bring it over 
 to his room, and I did so immediately. No one, 
 not even Mr. Holgrave, had an idea of its exist- 
 ence, although it was written in his own dressing- 
 room, and often in his own presence. If he saw 
 
424 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 me writing, he supposed I was busy with my 
 journal. 
 
 This wild production of an excited spirit was 
 called " The Black Prince." The admiral of a Span- 
 ish war-galley intercepts a pilgrim ship, on the coast 
 of Morocco, and presents to the lady of his love a 
 young prince whom she causes to be educated as 
 a Christian. Her favorite attendant falls in love 
 with him (I dared not, even in a play, imitate the 
 soaring ambition of Othello) but his heart is fixed 
 on a fellow- captive, the fair daughter of a Moor of 
 rank, who is held a strict prisoner by King Ferdi- 
 nand. The Black Prince vows to effect the release 
 of her father, in recompense for the gentle Zulema's 
 preference for himself. He communicates with the 
 prisoner by a song, chanted in their own Arabic, 
 under his prison walls, and again with Zulema, 
 whose jealous mistress has imprisoned her, under 
 an unfounded suspicion that her lord, the admiral, 
 has cast an eye of favor upon her. The captive 
 Moor effects his escape through the exertions of the 
 Black Prince, and sends to ransom both his daughter 
 and her deliverer, and unites them in marriage. 
 
 Mr. Haldiman pruned and corrected my little 
 drama, but he also praised it, and particularly that 
 
PAELOK DKAMAS. 425 
 
 part of it in which I poured out the fiercest impa- 
 tience of bondage. He praised also the fervid pic- 
 tures of love, and the sorrowful sympathy for the 
 captive Zulema, expressed in the simple chants of 
 the Black Prince. It was agreed that it should be 
 represented as directly after we had gone through 
 with Othello as the parts could be learned, and that, 
 until after the verdict of Mr. St. John and his other 
 guests had been obtained on it, the extent of my 
 share in its production should not be dwelt upon in 
 public. 
 
 The " Maroon's Bride" was the first of the series, 
 and no one beyond the usual circle was present, ex- 
 cept the estate overseer and doctor. The little ne- 
 gro dancers made up much of the show, but what 
 Hyacinth and Zephyr had to do was done with 
 grace and spirit. Hyacinth electrified them with 
 her power of acting. We were all elated with our 
 success. Dr. O'Donnell said " The Maroon's Bride " 
 would be a standing resource whenever a large com- 
 pany happened to assemble at either of the neighbor- 
 ing estates, and Mr. St. John assured him, that so far 
 as he was himself concerned, he would like to see a 
 collection of similar ballets arranged for the im- 
 provement and amusement of all his slaves. 
 
426 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 I had so much to do in getting up these things 
 that I was excused from all other duties, except the 
 one labor of love attending to Mr. Holgrave ; but 
 even that had become a mere trifle, for never since 
 I had known him had his health been, so steadily on 
 the gain. 
 
 "The Maroon's Bride" was given on Thursday, 
 and the next day but one Saturday we had Othel- 
 lo, and it too was a success. Othello, after winning 
 his bride, was treated to a dance of negro children, 
 a feature which the ordinary editions of Shakspeare 
 do not contain more's the pity any more than 
 they do the niece of Othello. I can only say, those 
 lamentable deficiencies do not exist in the Rose Hill 
 copy. 
 
 The supper followed so closely upon the play 
 that I had no time to change, and took my place at 
 the sideboard in the costume of the jealous Moor. 
 Desdemona had barely time to subside from the 
 high estate of a patrician's daughter into the white 
 and blue of Mr. St. John's table-waiters, where she 
 was required to hand plates and serve cake and 
 coffee; but no one regarded these slight changes 
 of character. 
 
 Mr. Martineau had been specially invited, but 
 
PARLOR DRAMAS. 427 
 
 he did not come, and Mr. Buckly, who was not 
 invited, did come, and was, if possible, more in love 
 than ever on seeing Hyacinth in Desdemona. He 
 wrote her a letter about the sinfulness of such per- 
 formances, and his desire to save her from evil, as 
 he would a lamb from slaughter. But the beautiful 
 quadroon was too deeply enlisted in this pleasant 
 sinfulness to turn from it at the warning of such a 
 shepherd. 
 
 On the succeeding Thursday we had " The Black 
 Prince " before nearly the same audience that heard 
 Othello. I had almost nothing to do, compared to 
 the Othello ; but the love-scenes, and the singing, 
 and the wailing chant of the captive, were freely 
 applauded. Zephyr, when she avows her love with 
 tears of regret that the fate which had brought their 
 hearts together had, at the same time, bound them 
 in an iron slavery fettered apart her voice faltered 
 and real tears rose to her eyes. She was applauded, 
 and so was Hyacinth, but not so much ; for though 
 the latter was the best actress, her sister had by 
 far the most effective part. 
 
 At the close, Mr. Haldiman informed the party 
 that the Black Prince was himself the author of the 
 
 little drama just performed. Some very kind and 
 19 
 
428 THE PEINCE or KASHNA. 
 
 encouraging remarks were made by the gentleman ; 
 but the one sweet and touching compliment of Mrs. 
 Harriot was worth them all. That made me rich 
 indeed. 
 
 " You have surpassed our best expectations, 
 Mahmadee," she paused to say, as Mr. St. John was 
 conducting her to the supper-room. " You will do 
 credit to your friends and freedom." 
 
 Yes, lovely and honored lady, I will strive, while 
 life lasts, to justify your generous prediction. 
 
 Mr. Martin arrived the day previous to the per- 
 formance of " The Black Prince," and he was so 
 much pleased with it that he seriously advised Mr. 
 St. John to let the whole party go down to Kingston 
 and give it and our Rose Hill edition of Othello 
 alternately, for fifteen or twenty nights. Hyacinth 
 and Zephyr would have been delighted with the 
 arrangement, but Mr. St. John would not hear of it. 
 Madam Felix had been over to Miraflor and back 
 several times, while we were occupied with our par- 
 lor-dramas ; and now that the last was said and 
 done, she began to be pressing for Mr. Holgrave to 
 name a time on which he would meet Mr. Marti- 
 neau at her own house, for she wished to have both 
 these together. 
 
PAKLOR DRAMAS. 429 
 
 Mr. St. John hated to part with Mr. Holgrave, 
 and made them agree to bring Mr. Martineau to 
 Rose Hill for a. week, and then promised to escort 
 both the gentlemen safely to Miraflor and pass a 
 day or two there himself. 
 
 The dreaded morning arrived in which Mrs. 
 Marriot and the Three Graces took their departure. 
 I did not know until the evening before that I was 
 to attend the sweet lady to her home at Plessis 
 Fount. She had left her own place with a des- 
 perate resolution to fly the country, in order to 
 escape the persecutions of her half-mad father, and 
 only had with her, besides Angela, a stupid old Con- 
 go, in charge of the sumpter mule. She had stopped 
 for an hour's rest for herself and animals at Dr. 
 O'Donnell's, and he had managed, with the aid of 
 Madam Felix, to persuade her to accept the safe 
 refuge of Rose Hill for a few days. 
 
 The gallant master of Rose Hill had promptly 
 sent messengers to Spanish Town, and in reply to 
 his appeal, Mr. Martin had brought his daughters to 
 bear her company until some measures could be 
 taken to protect her from her father's violence. 
 
 No earthly measures were necessary for her 
 further protection, for when we reached Plessis 
 
430 THE PRINCE or KASHICA. 
 
 Fount the old man was dying. We met the mes- 
 senger, who had been dispatched to inform his 
 daughter, scarce two miles from the house. It was 
 a painful, trying time, but the gentle lady bore it 
 like an angel. I remained, at her orders, until it 
 was over, and then hastened back to Rose Hill 
 with the startling intelligence that Mrs. Marriot 
 was indeed alone in the world. 
 
 The first person I saw belonging to the estate 
 was the black doctor, Andrew. He was on a visit 
 to a patient at the farther side of the estate, and it 
 was but a chance ; but Dr. Andrew considered it a 
 special providence. The wife he wanted was no 
 other than Mrs. Marriot's ward, Angela, to whom 
 he had promised her liberty and a wedding-ring for 
 accepting him. He wanted me to obtain Mr. Hoi- 
 grave's mediation, and offered me five pounds to- 
 ward my own freedom if it could be brought about. 
 
GREAT CHANGES. 431 
 
 CHAPTER XXni. 
 
 GREAT CHANGES. 
 
 As I rode up to the side-gate, on my return to 
 Rose Hill, a very well-dressed black man opened it 
 to me, with a salutation in Arabic. 
 
 " Welcome, son of my king," he said, with a low 
 inclination. " In the name of the prophet, a hun- 
 dred times welcome to my eyes." 
 
 "There is but one God, and Mahomet is his 
 prophet," I replied, in surprise, throwing myself 
 from my horse and returning his salute, after the 
 fashion of my faith and country. 
 
 "Go to your master now," said the stranger, 
 "and when your work is over for the evening we 
 can meet there," pointing to the kiosk or summer- 
 house, at the end of the pomegranate walk. 
 
 I hastily promised, and turned to the Great 
 House to find, and report to, Mr. Holgrave. He 
 went with my tidings to Mr. St. John, and they 
 remained together in the library till a late hour. 
 
432 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 I was told to get my supper and come to Mr. Hoi- 
 grave in the morning. The evening was left' at my 
 disposal, and it may be believed that I devoted it to 
 the stranger who had met me at the gate. 
 
 On leaving Mr. Holgrave I was met by Stella 
 and Hyacinth, who, besides doing me the grace of 
 inviting me to take supper with them, gave me, in 
 exchange for my news from Plessis Fount, a world 
 of grateful intelligence. Mr. Martineau had bought 
 for Mr. St. John six of the slaves lately sold at 
 Orange Grove, and his man Hercules was hourly 
 expected with them at Rose Hill. This was known 
 through Victorine, who had heard her mistress read 
 a letter to Mr. Holgrave, stating that the cooper, 
 Dickie Smith, and his wife Kitty my dear, kind 
 Tatee and the stableman, Bradwell, with his wife, 
 a Houssa girl, had, with two other prime hands, 
 been bought in one lot, at an excellent bargain. 
 The girls said that it was the first time since their 
 recollection their master had bought more servants, 
 and that in only one instance had they ever known 
 him to sell a slave, and that was in a case of gross 
 misconduct. 
 
 "And who is this stranger I saw at the gate? 
 It is the first time I have ever been addressed in 
 
GREAT CHANGES. 433 
 
 Arabic since I landed on the island, but I had no 
 time to speak with him then." 
 
 " Oh, he is a Mahometan, like yourself, Mahma- 
 dee, and a famous scholar, too. It is a wonder you 
 never heard of him, for he keeps his master's books 
 and buys and sells mahogany and other fine woods." 
 
 " Then he, too, is a slave ?" 
 
 c< Yes, indeed, but he is not to be a slave always, 
 any more than yourself. He is from your own coun- 
 try, he says, and was taken away from Kashna the 
 night your father, King Abdallah, was killed." 
 
 " Then he may know my dear Hadji Ali !" I ex- 
 claimed, starting up from the table. 
 
 " To be sure he did. His own father was a 
 priest in the same mosque in Kashna." 
 
 I waited for no more, but flew to the kiosk to 
 meet and embrace my almost brother. There a sin- 
 gular scene awaited me. It was just sunset, and a 
 faint glow fell on the white dress and earnest face of 
 Aime'e, as she bent over a book from which she was 
 reading. The book lay on the little table of the 
 kiosk, and the child stood by it reading in rather 
 low, but clear and serious tones an account of the 
 conversion of St. Paul. She did not stop on my ap- 
 proach, nor did the strange negro, who sat on the 
 
434: THE PEINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 ground behind her, raise his head till she had fin- 
 ished the chapter. Then she closed the book and 
 warmly welcomed me back, for she had ever been 
 sweet and kindly to me. 
 
 " Did Mr. Holgrave tell you, Dr. Mahmadee, that 
 you were to be my tutor, when we go back to dear 
 old Miraflor ?" she asked, with a pleasant smile. 
 
 "Your tutor, Miss Aimee?" I said, in surprise. 
 "It is not possible that Madam Felix could select 
 me for such an honor. What would Mr. Holgrave 
 say?" 
 
 " I seleeted you myself, and Mr. Holgrave says I 
 am quite right," said the charming girl, with all her 
 natural vivacity. "My lady governess went off 
 without an hour's warning. She found out that it 
 was a dreadful disgrace for a white lady to teach a 
 colored girl, and at the same time she found another 
 white lady, who desired her services. So she went, 
 and my poor godmother said she did not know what 
 to do for a teacher for wild little me, and I promised 
 to be a pattern girl, and learn my lessons better than 
 ever, if you would assist me. That's all about it ." 
 
 "And Madam Felix?" I asked, in breathless 
 anxiety, for it seemed to open to my vision an en- 
 chanted kingdom of delights. 
 
GREAT CHANGES. 435 
 
 <c Oh," she said, " it might answer for the time, if 
 Mr. Holgrave approved, and Mr. Holgrave did ap- 
 prove. So, if you please, Doctor Mahmadee is 
 now my tutor." And leaving me to recover from 
 my happy astonishment, she tripped off to the 
 house. 
 
 " It is a wonderful little lady. A chosen one of 
 the Prophet," said the stranger, looking after her 
 admiringly. 
 
 This recalled me to him and his history. The 
 occasion of his visit to Rose Hill just then was the 
 purchase of some fine timber of Mr. St. John, and 
 then, for the first time, he had learned of my exist- 
 ence. The other servants had told him of me, of my 
 faith, of my country, and even of the report that 
 some day I was to have my freedom. The same 
 hope had been held out to Ali by his master, and 
 on that he had built a steadfast plan of returning to 
 his own country, a missionary of civilization. It 
 was a singular meeting. We were, perhaps, the 
 only two educated Mahometan slaves in the island, 
 who had retained the faith and the sacred language 
 of the Koran, and who had also won the good- will, 
 and to a certain degree the learning of their mas- 
 ters. Ali entreated me by the Caaba of Mecca never 
 
436 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 to depart from the precepts of the Prophet, and 
 promised, when he returned to Kashna, to bear wit- 
 ness to my faithfulness among our countrymen. 
 
 " Let us go back together, Sidi Mahmadee," he 
 urged, in his enthusiasm. " Let us go back together 
 to Kashna, and fill the places of our fathers." 
 
 A new thought, a new ambition flashed into my 
 soul. It sent a hot thrill of faith and hope to the in- 
 most depths of my being. We, who had scarcely 
 two hours before met for the first time, clasped 
 hands on the pledge that we would mutually hold 
 fast to our religion and to this aim of returning to 
 our land. Slaves both of us, and with the certainty 
 of years of servitude before us ! Ali had the promise 
 of freedom in nine years, and perhaps earlier, if his 
 master prospered in certain undertakings. And here 
 I may state that he did prosper splendidly, and 
 very much through Ali's untiring zeal and capacity 
 in selecting fine woods and bringing them to market ; 
 but it did not gain the faithful slave his liberty much 
 the sooner. For my own part, I avowed my deter- 
 mination never to leave Mr. Holgrave while he lived, 
 for his frail health needed such care as only a con- 
 stant and devoted attendant could supply. Yet we 
 neither of us had the slightest misgivings as to our 
 
GKEAT CHANGES. 437 
 
 final return to Kashna. So sanguine is youth and 
 inexperience ! 
 
 It was late when we separated for the night, but 
 to my alarm for it boded no good to his health I 
 found Mr. Holgrave had not yet retired, and was 
 more disposed to talk than to sleep. He asked me 
 various questions about Ali, with whom he had 
 already had some conversation, and drew from me 
 much of our mutual, though far-off plan for return- 
 ing to our own country, as teachers of civilization. 
 
 " What do you propose to do in Kashna in case 
 you succeed in getting back there ?" asked Mr. Hol- 
 grave, turning on the sofa so as to look me in the 
 eye. " Do you accept Aimee's missionary plan ?" 
 
 " Miss Aimee can hardly expect to make a good 
 missionary out of a Mahometan," I replied, some- 
 what in the dark as to Mr. Holgrave's own views 
 for me. 
 
 "Aimee is, on the contrary, perfectly convinced 
 that you and Ali are wonderfully adapted to the vo- 
 cation predestined to it, in fact. She has rather 
 mixed ideas on religious subjects, it is true, but she 
 is deeply in earnest for a child of her age and her 
 gay, impulsive temperament." 
 
 "I have thought of studying medicine, sir," I 
 
438 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 ventured to say, in the hope it might bring out a 
 word of approval, which, with Mr. Holgrave, would 
 certainly lead to aid and direction. 
 
 " I have thought of that, too, and so has Mr. 
 Martineau. He writes me that Dr. Marsh will send 
 you some books and anatomical drawings that will 
 aid you greatly." 
 
 " God bless Mr. Martineau !" burst involuntarily 
 from my lips. 
 
 " Aimee has taken Ali in hand quite seriously," 
 said Mr. Holgrave, a few minutes afterward, as he 
 was preparing for bed. " She repeats to him the 
 Arabic verses she has learned of you, and in return 
 makes him recite the creed and Lord's prayer in 
 English, just as she did by you a year ago. She 
 begged me to select a chapter of the Testament to 
 read to him this evening." 
 
 I could only observe, that "I* had understood 
 from Mr. Buckly, that Catholics, like Madam Felix 
 and Miss Aimee, did not read the Testament in that 
 way." 
 
 "Neither do they, as a rule, learn verses from 
 the Koran, and recite the Mahometan confession of 
 faith ; but, as I said before, Aimee's religious ideas 
 are of a rather mixed order. But she sincerely do- 
 
GREAT CHANGES. 430 
 
 sires to do right." He paused and added, "You 
 will find her a bright and docile pupil, Mahmadee." 
 
 So it was really and truly settled that I was to 
 become the teacher of this interesting child, who, on 
 her part, had resolved to have me a missionary. I 
 was kept awake half the night planning what Ali 
 and I would do when we should return to Kashna ; 
 he to preside in the mosque, and I to shine as a 
 great physician. 
 
 The next night and the next after that Ali 
 and I had long consultations in the kiosk on our fu- 
 ture plans, and on both nights did Aimee come at- 
 tended by Victorine, to read to us a chapter or two 
 from the Scriptures, and make us repeat a prayer 
 and the Apostles' creed. Madam Felix did not op- 
 pose her since Mr. Holgrave seemed to approve of 
 the child's self-imposed task. 
 
 What seems more singular to me in looking over 
 the record of those days, is the sincere and uncon- 
 scious faith we both bestowed on every word of 
 those Christian teachings. The Mahometans ac- 
 knowledge Jesus, the son of Mary, as a divinely-in- 
 spired prophet, but we leaned less on that dim, unde- 
 fined point of faith than on the pure and simple sin- 
 cerity of the innocent young creature, who, to our 
 
440 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 half-developed minds, seemed inspired to lead us 
 aright. It was to that we yielded such implicit con- 
 fidence. Years after, when . we had in very fact 
 touched the soil of Africa, with hearts and faces 
 turned to Kashna, Ali still believing himself a 
 strict Mahometan constantly taught to others the 
 texts of Scripture he had learned of Aimee. 
 
 The third day after my return from Plessis Fount, 
 Ali shared with me the pleasure of seeing the arrival 
 of my old Houssa friends, Tatee and Brad, among 
 the slaves bought from the Orange Grove sale. 
 They were much later from their country than Ali, 
 and we spent nearly the whole night talking of our 
 native land. Many, many happy Sundays did I 
 jspend with my recovered friends in the two years 
 I passed in the still dearly-remembered hills of St. 
 Ann. There Dickie Smith and his wife, and honest 
 Brad and his wife lived on, under the mild sway of 
 Mr. St. John, until the general act of emancipation 
 made them and theirs freemen and landholders. 
 
 A day or two after my Houssa friends were set- 
 tled at Rose Hill, I attended Madam Felix to Mira- 
 fior, and began a regular course of studies with 
 Aimee, under the general direction of Mr. Holgrave. 
 Mr. Martin eau had preceded us by two days, and 
 
GKEAT CHANGES. 441 
 
 Mr. St. John came in company with Mr. Holgrave, 
 and spent a week at Miraflor. 
 
 During the whole winter the gentlemen ex- 
 changed many visits, and were much together, but 
 Madam Felix, Aimee, and I scarcely left Miraflor 
 for two years. It was a time of serene happiness 
 those last studious, contented years in Jamaica. 
 The first incident that broke the even current of our 
 lives was the return of Mrs. Marriot now Mrs. St. 
 John as a bride to Rose Hill. 
 
 A year after this event came the rather sudden 
 determination of Mr. Holgrave to pass a year or two 
 in the south of France and Italy. The death of a 
 maiden aunt had added something handsome to his 
 income, and he was taken with a desire to revisit 
 the scenes of his youthful travels. Mr. Martineau 
 resolved to accompany him, and a general breaking 
 up followed. Madam Felix had long entertained 
 the idea of settling for life in some part of Europe, 
 where her almost imperceptible taint of African 
 blood would not form the iron wall of social exclu- 
 sion which she was made to feel so severely in 
 Jamaica. Yet all this had been settled upon so 
 quietly that Aimee fairly took me by surprise when 
 she danced one morning into the piazza, where I 
 
THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 was serving Mr. Holgrave with his early cup of 
 chocolate, exclaiming, in great glee, " We are all to 
 sail for England in June, Dr. Mahmadee !" She had 
 been pleased to give me the title of Doctor, and 
 make all the blacks about us address me in that 
 way, until the whole family had fallen into the use 
 of the word also. 
 
 " Now you will be made a real learned Medecin, 
 and can go to Kashna and convert all your people, 
 and stop slave-stealing." I looked at Mr. Holgrave 
 for a glance of confirmation. 
 
 "Yes, Doctor, I have decided to visit Europe 
 again, and while there you shall have an opportu- 
 nity to pursue your medical studies," said Mr. Hol- 
 grave, kindly. 
 
 I was dizzy with conflicting emotions. My fond- 
 est dreams seemed on the point of realization and 
 yet would they all be worth weighing against the 
 loss of my kind friends the separation from my 
 bright and amiable pupil, Aimee ? There was a 
 black drop of dread and discontent in the heart of 
 my budding ambition. 
 
 It was like walking in a dream, when I went 
 to make a farewell visit to Brad, and Kitty Smith, 
 and the rest of my old friends at Rose Hill I 
 
GREAT CHANGES. 443 
 
 dared not trust my voice when the lovely lady of 
 Rose Hill gave me, with many kind wishes, a neat 
 gold cravat-pin as a parting present. I still retain 
 this precious memorial of the fair and noble lady, 
 whose generous words of encouragement had lifted 
 the spirit of the poor black slave so many degrees 
 above its old level. 
 
 Mr. St. John made many judicious, as well as 
 liberal additions to my wardrobe, and almost every 
 servant about the place had for me some kind token 
 of good-will. How poor and unable I felt to mani- 
 fest the grateful love that overflowed my heart. I 
 had my own freedom and future so well assured, 
 that I gave all the " white musi6 " which I had 
 hoarded in my Medinet purse to Tatee to help out 
 a plan cherished by her husband, Dickie Smith, even 
 more than herself of buying the freedom of my 
 namesake, Sid. 
 
 At last we were all gathered on board the brig 
 Caroline, and under weigh for England. I walked 
 the deck a free man, and ranking not as the servant, 
 but the secretary of Mr. Holgrave. How changed 
 my lot, since seven years before I had been brought 
 a kidnapped boy into that harbor, in a crowded 
 slave-ship I 
 
444 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 "Do you not thank God for all these mercies, 
 Dr. Mahmadee," said Aimee, in a softened tone, and 
 as if in answer to my thronging recollections, when 
 she came to my side and looked with me at the 
 receding houses of Kingston. Most devoutly did I 
 thank Him. 
 
 Hercules had been promised his liberty, but, at 
 the last moment, he begged to be taken along. He 
 had made a match with Yictorine, and as she went 
 with her mistress, Hercules, like a dutiful servant 
 and husband, wished to go too. 
 
 We had a pleasant passage to England, and, 
 after a brief stay, to enable Mr. Holgrave to make 
 a short visit to Mr. Davis and the family, the whole 
 party proceeded to Paris for the winter. I was 
 immediately entered for a course of medical lectures ; 
 but my mornings and evenings were devoted, as 
 usual, to my labors of love about Mr. Holgrave. 
 
 Miss Aimee was placed in a convent for two 
 years, to finish her education, but not before she 
 and I had witnessed the private marriage of Mr. 
 Martineau. Madam Felix was never known for a 
 day, in France, as other than the wife of Mr. Mar- 
 tineau, and she entered at once into a social sphere 
 equal in wealth, refinement, and distinction, to the 
 
GREAT CHANGES. 445 
 
 best of those aristocratic families of Jamaica, within 
 whose charmed ring nothing tinged with African 
 blood could penetrate. At Paris as afterwards at 
 Marseilles no one asked, or cared for the lineage 
 of Madam Martin eau, who was always called " the 
 charming American," and whose agreeable reception- 
 evenings were constantly adorned by the presence 
 of the learned and titled lions of French society. 
 
 Mr. Holgrave had apartments in the same hotel 
 at first, but soon after Christmas he began to com- 
 plain of the climate, and made arrangements with 
 Dr. Dumont, of Marseilles, with whom he became 
 acquainted at Paris, to return with him and have 
 lodgings at his house. Dr. Dumont was a savan 
 and a bachelor, like Mr. Holgrave, and, besides ac- 
 commodating us with rooms in his house, he accept- 
 ed me as a pupil. He was a round, florid, smiling 
 little man ; a bit of a gourmand, and slightly self- 
 indulgent, but genial and tolerant to all the world. 
 He had been a great traveler, had been on a mission 
 to the Emperor of Morocco, and had a pet theory 
 about the distinct origin of the black, red, and white 
 races of men, which he proved to his own intense 
 satisfaction from the Bible. He was also a warm 
 Freemason, as well as Mr. Holgrave and Mr. Mar- 
 
446 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 tineau; and these high members of that ancient 
 order caused me to be accepted and initiated in 
 their own lodge, at Marseilles, directly after I had 
 finished my first medical course. 
 
 Four leagues from Marseilles there was for sale 
 a fine old estate, with a commodious chateau, which 
 had belonged to Madam's grandfather, and Dr. Du- 
 mont's brother had charge of the affair. I think it 
 was in the course of the purchase of this property 
 by Mr. Martineau that we all came to know and 
 esteem Dr. Dumont so well ; but, be that as it may, 
 the whole party were assembled at the chateau for a 
 month of domestic recreation, early in the summer. 
 Martineau Hall had been taken, just as it stood, for 
 a term of years, by my old friend Dr. Marsh, and all 
 the rest of their property except Miraflor, on which 
 Mr. Holgrave had a lien was sold by the Marti- 
 neau's, and invested in this French estate. 
 
 The chateau was to be their permanent home, 
 but the next winter they thought to pass in Italy 
 with Mr. Holgrave, leaving me behind to pursue my 
 studies in France. When winter came, however, 
 Mr. Holgrave was disinclined to travel, and so he 
 passed his second year in Europe between his com- 
 fortable apartments in Dr. Dumont's ^pacious house 
 
GREAT CHANGES. 447 
 
 in Marseilles, and the chateau. He became more 
 and more interested in me as I advanced in my 
 studies, and the good Dr. Dumont was loud in his 
 commendations of my steady assiduity. He had 
 entered with enthusiasm into my project of return- 
 ing to Africa, and even wrote to the master of my 
 friend Ali, offering to take charge of the outfit and 
 education of the poor slave, if his freedom could be 
 granted within a certain time. For two years these 
 letters remained unanswered, and, just as we had 
 given up all hopes of a favorable response, there 
 
 9 
 
 came, in reply to a still later one from Mr. Holgrave, 
 a brief note, to the effect that Ali was worth three 
 ordinary slaves, but that in four years from that 
 date he should have his liberty, or before that, on 
 the payment of a moderate sum. 
 
 Our second summer at Marseilles was drawing to 
 a close when Dr. Dumont announced to us the birth 
 of a fine boy at the chateau, who was already named 
 Philip Holgrave. Aimee, whose school-term was 
 nearly over, wrote for permission to come home to 
 the christening, and it was granted. 
 
 I entered the saloon of the chateau the first time 
 Madam Martineau descended to it to receive com- 
 pany, after ]pr recovery, with some trepidation. 
 
448 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA, 
 
 She was attended by a tall, elegant girl, whom my 
 beating heart at once recognized as the gentle and 
 beloved Aimee, whom I had not seen for more than 
 two years. She looked dark very dark amid that 
 long array of white ladies, and I saw Mr. Holgrave's 
 eyes follow her w r ith a sort of mournful compassion, 
 as she mingled with them in the dance. I too felt 
 for myself a profound and painful sense of the dis- 
 tinctions of race, which, even in the stolid abasement 
 of slavery, had never pierced me so keenly before. 
 
 Yet, neither then, nor for weeks and months 
 afterward, when my heart was devoured by sen- 
 timents I could not banish and dared not express, 
 did I even allude to the subject. A terrible crisis 
 brought forth the words of fate. 
 
 I had taken the prize of the year, and was exult- 
 ing over the approaching close of my final studies, 
 when I was hastily summoned to the chateau. Mr. 
 Holgrave lay on his couch, his lips wearing a smile 
 of heavenly repose, but his eyes were closed forever 
 on this world of sin and suffering. He had left one 
 half of his property in England to me, the other half 
 to Mr. Martineau, in trust for Aimee. Once only in 
 his life, and that in the last hour, had he used to 
 this child the sacred, the explaining T^ord, daughter. 
 
GKEAT CHANGES. 449 
 
 The last rites had been paid, and all my measures 
 taken for my final return to Africa, and still I pre- 
 sumed not to speak the thoughts that were burning 
 in my heart, when, one happy morning, Aimee said 
 to me : " I think it was a sacred inspiration that 
 urged me to insist so constantly on your missionary 
 vocation. God's seal has stamped you African, that 
 you may serve Africa." 
 
 "And I am too conscious, dear Aimee, of the 
 iron distinctions of race. It is a weakness, but I 
 wish to escape from them into a working realm of 
 utility." 
 
 " Yes," she replied, with a half-sigh, " we have 
 here in France a generous, social tolerance ; but 
 even here it is not social equality." 
 
 " That does not apply to you, Aimee. You, the 
 petted ornament of this charming social circle, could 
 find nowhere else so many sources of happiness." 
 
 " I would be more happy if I lived in a sphere 
 of useful effort. I envy even your privations, Mah- 
 madee, for they carry with them a sense of security 
 that you are living where no one can despise you 
 for your color, and that you live to some purpose." 
 
 Something in the sweet, tremulous tones darted 
 a sudden life to my heart. I eagerly searched her 
 
450 THE PRINCE OF KASHNA. 
 
 eye ; it fell before my ardent gaze. I presumed to 
 raise her hand to my lips ; it trembled in my agi- 
 tated grasp, but it was not withdrawn. I led her 
 to Madam Martineau, and, kneeling at the feet of 
 my early and ever-indulgent protectress, I begged 
 her to pardon the presumption of my suit, and favor 
 me with her precious approval. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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