603

ring that, for safety, I continued to wear, became | to bed; for I had in the course of my trips secured severed in the middle. It was plain there was a flaw in the virgin gold. Solitude had made me barricade, by tying each end of it to the handles a hammock, which I suspended right across my superstitious; and I looked upon the broken circle of opposite trunks. as an omen that I was doomed to perpetual time it was very difficult for me to get into the I must confess that for a long celibacy. The thought of never-ending singleness hammock, as I no sooner got in on one side than I fell upon my heart with a crushing weight. And, fell out from the other. However, as I knew to make my misery perfect, the cat that I have there could be no witness of my awkwardness, I spoken of in a former chapter, again came rubbing persevered, and in a few nights not a midshipman herself against me, looking upwards with horribly in the whole of the royal navy could jump more speaking eyes, as though confirming my fear of adroitly into his sleeping-birth than I did. destitution.

I took the fractured ring from my finger. Hope whispered-" Take heart, Miss Robinson; like a first love broken, it may be soldered." I secured the precious bit of domestic metal, and renewed my work, a little comforted.

CHAPTER VIII.

WHILST making my breakfast, I began to think of my dinner. My thoughts immediately flew to With this.it was the constant custom of my dear fatherLike a bee gathering sweets, I went from cahin norance. the turkey; and again I felt confounded by my igto cabin. Rummaging a locker I found three state of perturbation, and inwardly reproaching How was I to dress it? Whilst in this razors; I was about to leave them, when my pre-myself for the time I had lost at tambour-work that vious train of thought recurred. requires a wedding-ring," said the thought, "also at least the theory of the kitchen, my eye fell upon "The fate that might have been so usefully, so nobly employed in gives a value to razors. take the instruments: and the same resolution in- lying in the cot of the regimental chaplain going I therefore resolved to the book I had brought from the wreck; the book duced me to bring away a prodigious stock of out to India. Listlessly enough, I took the volume tobacco. "I shall never smoke myself," I seemed in my hand-opened it, and, equally to my astonto remark; but he may.' Complete Art of Cookery! My gratitude was unishment and joy, read upon the title-page-The bounded, and I blessed the good man whose midnight studies had indirectly proved of such advantage to me.

In another locker I found some knives and-I could have wept with gratitude-some silver forks. It having been made one of the first principles of my education to consider a silver fork essential to any assertion soever of human dignity, I felt myself lifted by the discovery. I had learned that until I came to "Turkey." Again and again With beating heart, I turned over the pages, what was known as the Iron Age, was no other read the directions; but though they were written than the time of Iron Forks or why did I take with all the clearness of a novel, they only gave 1 real silver to Blackheath with me? The age of me, what I once heard called, a magnificent theory. iron was the age of vulgar toil, when everybody | I felt that_drawing required a practical hand; for labored now the first-known silver spoon-as I how was I to know gall from liver? "A stuffing was instructed by the Misses Whalebones-came of sausage-meat" sounded very well-but how to into the world in the mouth of the first gentle

man.

66

make it? And then-though, possibly, the plant In another locker I found a bag of sovereigns. shalot? The excellent chaplain's book, instead of might grow in the island-where to get a shred They made me sigh. "Of what use, O sover-instructing and comforting me, plunged me in the eigns!" I said, are you to me? You cannot profoundest melancholy. As I turned over the buy me a seat at the opera. You cannot take me pages-I, a desolate spinster on a desolate islandto Brighton. You cannot waft me to Rundell and I seemed scoffed and mocked at by the dishes that Bridge's, to make choice there." the gold, I said, "O drug, stay there, and"-and very best society, and many of them awakened Flinging down I read of dishes, all of them associated with the then the thought of the shops in Bond street, and thoughts of Michaelmas goose, of Christmas beef, with the thought the stock of the four seasons rose of spring lamb, and all the many amenities that in my mind, and I moralized no more, but took the impart the sweetest charm to civilized existence. bag. As I did this, the sky became overcast, and With a strong effort of will, I laid down the book: I found that if I would secure my goods I must I would keep it, I thought, for calmer hours. shorten my stay. I ran into a cabin which I recol- When more accustomed to my hideous solitude, it lected had been occupied by a very nice old gentle- might soothe and support me, throwing the fasciman, a clergyman, going out to join his regiment, nations of romance about a cold and hungry reality. then fighting very hard indeed, in India. But, like a dove, he was going out with the olive in his mouth, to comfort the wounded and preach patience to the flogged. Taking a hasty glance, I saw nothing but a book upon the bed-clothes of his cot -the book he had doubtless been reading when the ship struck; without opening it, I secured my prize, and ran upon deck. The sky was getting blacker and blacker, and I resolved to swim for it. The weight of the gold was a little embarrassing, but, for the first time, I found that almost any amount of gold might be borne in difficulties. After a time I seemed to swim the lighter for it. The wind continued to rise, but at length I got ashore, and making a hasty supper of biscuit and salt-beef with the smallest imaginable drop of eaude-cologne on a lump of sugar, I went comfortably

the direction of the wreck, and found it-gone. Walking upon the beach, I looked, as usual, in The gale of the night had doubtless been very violent-though I slept too soundly to hear it-and the remains of the miserable vessel had sunk forever in the deep. I was, at first, very much affected; but when I remembered that with the exception of one box, containing a bonnet of the most odious color for my complexion, I had brought all my dear sister-passengers' trunks and boxes safe ashore, I felt soothed with the consciousness that, at least I had done my duty.

man, nor-excepting the aforesaid rabbits (or er
And I was upon an island—alone; with neither
mine)-beast. After a flood of tears, I resolved
like a true woman, to make the best of my misery
I walked further into the island, and discovered

beautiful bit of grass-plot, backed by a high rock. | of matches in the purser's locker-when I wanted To this place, with a strength and patience I am it. Gathering dry sticks and leaves into a heap, I almost ashamed to confess, I removed every trunk made a rousing fire. I had brought away the and every box, placing them in a semicircle, with the ship's compass; and so used the metal basin that rock as I believe it 's called the gable end. When contained it as a saucepan. In this I boiled my this was done, I cut down innumerable stakes of first shrimps. I had no salt, which was a great willow this I was enabled to do with the surgeon's privation. Necessity, however, the mother of insaw, a remarkably neat and elegant little instru- vention-(and, certainly, for a little outcast, he has ment. The stakes I drove into the earth, within proved a very fine child in the world; though when about six inches round the trunks, by means of a prosperous, I'm afraid he very seldom thinks of cannon ball-providentially, as it afterwards turned his mamma)-necessity suggested to me, that if I out, brought from the wreck. This being done would pound the gunpowder very fine, it might at and it cost me incredible labor to accomplish it-I a pinch serve for salt. I tried the experiment; and dug up hundreds of creepers, and parasitical plants, though I must allow that salt is better without and cactuses, that I found in different parts of the charcoal, nevertheless, salt with charcoal is infiniteisland, and replanted them near the willow stakes. ly better than no salt at all. Vegetation was very rapid indeed, in that island. In less than a week the plants and willows began to shoot, and to anticipate my story a little-in two months every trunk and every box was hidden by a green and flowering wall. The cactuses took very kindly, and formed a hedge, strong enough, I verily believe, to repel a wild beast or a wild In--clear as crystal, and sweet as milk-in which dian. I ought to have said that I had taken the precaution to roof my bower, as I called it, with some tarpaulin, that stained and made my hands smell horribly. However, I had no remedy.

For some time I took very much to shrimps; but the human mind is given to variety-a fact that in my solitude I have frequently pondered on-and I began to long for some other kind of food in fact, for some fresh fish. In my wanderings about the island, I had discovered a beautiful piece of water

were multitudes of the most beautiful roach, and gudgeon, and pike, and I know not what. I felt very much disposed to obtain some; but my wishes met with a check from these thoughts. "In the first place," I said, "I have no tackle; in the next, I am no fisherwoman." Now to have made my argument complete against angling, there should have been no fish. But it was not so. I therefore determined to invent me some tackle.

Whilst I worked at my bower, I lived upon the biscuit and potted meats and preserves found in the steward's cabin. In time, however, I began to grow tired of these, and longed for something fresh. As for the turkey, I had left that hanging to the tree, being incapable of drawing and dress- My petticoat-my crinoline-I had no doubt there ing it. Many wild-fowl flew about me, but, dis- were fifty others in the boxes-flashed upon me. heartened by the turkey, I took no heed of them. It was a little worn, and the others were, no doubt, At length it struck me that though not much of a new; besides, I had more than one of my own cook I might be able to boil some shrimps. The stock. Knowing that fishing-lines were made of first difficulty, however, was to catch them. Dur- hair, I immediately began to draw my crinoline. ing my visits to English watering-places I had As I drew out horse-hair by horse-hair ĺ moralized observed females of the lower orders, with hand--I could not help it-upon the wondrous accidents nets I think they call them, fishing for shrimps. I of life. "When," thought I, "for the Crowntherefore resolved to make a net. Here, at least, and-Anchor Ball, I first put on this crinoline, some part of the education acquired at the Misses swimming into the room in a cloud of white satin Whalebone's was of service to me, for I knew how did I then think it (the petticoat) was ever into knit. Amongst the stores I had brought from tended to catch little gudgeons?" And with these my ship, were several balls of twine. Chopping thoughts, I patiently, mournfully, drew out hair by and chiselling a needle, I set to work, and in less hair, and found that they would bear any weight than three days produced an excellent net. This I of fish that might jump at the hook. stretched on a stout elastic frame of wood, and the The hook! Where was the hook? In another tide serving, walked-just like one of the vulgar instant a thought suggested the ring-the broken women I had seen at Brighton and Margate-bare-wedding-ring. There was a something in the legged, into the sea. The shrimps came in little notion that brought to my face a melancholy smile. shoals, and in less than a couple of hours I am There was a bitterness, a pleasant bitterness, in the sure, I returned to the shore with not less than idea, that I relished mightily. I therefore resolved three quarts of the best brown shrimps, Gravesend to turn the ring into a rude hook, which, by means measure. These I boiled; obtaining a light after of a pair of pliers from the surgeon's case, I acthis fashion: complished. And it looked so remarkably like a hook, nobody could have imagined it had ever been a wedding-ring.

When a very little girl, I had always assisted my brother when making fireworks for Guy Fawkes. It was he who taught me how to make -I think they are called, little devils. A pinch or two of gunpowder is taken in the palm of the hand, and wetted: it is then kneaded into the form of a little cone; a few grains of dry powder are laid upon the top, when fire is applied to it, and the whole thing goes off in a red eruption, like a toy Vesuvius. Having prepared the powder, I struck sparks upon it; using my steel busk (how the sparks did fly about it, to be sure!) and a flint. By these means I burnt a piece of linen-a beautiful bit of new Irish, and so got my original stock of tinder. After this, I had only to use my busk and the flint to obtain a light-for I found a heap

A tall, tapering rod grew on every tree. I therefore set out to the brook fully equipped. Arrived at the place, I baited the ring-the hook I should say-with nothing more than a little chewed biscuit, mixed, to keep it together, with pomatum. I threw in, and as fast as I threw in, I had a bite. It was curious to see the innocent creatures fly to the ring; that is, the hook that was to destroy them. I was some time astonished at their simplicity. At length I thought," Poor things! their eagerness to bite at the wedding-ring proves the island to have been always uninhabited. They bite in this way, because they have never before beheld the face of a woman

139

THE TWO SIDES OF THE QUESTION.
WE print these communications without com-

ment:

"SIR,

No. I.-A PLANTER TO PUNCH.

"Cheltenham.

605

their feet, and won't do a stroke of work-not if with their wives by their sides and their pot-bellied little Sambos and Julius Cæsars tumbling about the governor was to go on his knees to 'em. Now, I put it to you-is this a tolerable state of things? How would you like to see the laborers in Englord were begging and praying them to go to work, land kicking their heels in comfort, and putting their thumbs to their noses while tenant and landwhen once they'd made enough to keep them for The negroes

are enjoying themselves, and the planters are the week? What comes of it all? cultivation, and many of the rascally black fellows ruined; four-sixths of the plantations are out of are saving money and clubbing it to buy us out writhing and squeaking under your dining room one after another-fellows that you 've seen have all the property of the colony before ten years windows and your own cart-whips! They'll

are gone.

66

don't know!
"I always said what it would come to.
the government can reconcile it to their consciences
How
"I am, sir,

"Your indignant reader,
"NATHANIEL THRESHER."*

No. II.-A FREE NEGRO TO PUNCH.
"Mount Pleasant, Berbice.

"I don't expect much sympathy from you. I'll tell you why. When my medical attendant, at Cheltenham last year, recommended what he called peristaltic motion of the lower viscera' for my liver complaint, (for I've not lived in Berbice eighteen years for nothing, and yet there wasn't a planter in the colony more moderate in his sangrosum and sangaree,) he suggested taking in publication, which, he said, would make me laugh, and produce the motion with the odd name above your mentioned. Well, sir, I ordered your publication, and laughed a good deal at it I must say, but every now and then I came across some high-flying bit of stuff, which I dare say the fellow who writes it calls humanity and philanthropy, but which, I between you and me, is humbug and nothing else. "I dare say if of the iniquitous emancipation of the black fellows, you 'd lived in 1833, at the time you'd have been one of the loudest in the man and brother' clap-trap. Snow-balls as well as I do. I've seen them under You don't know the he cart-whip; and the more 's the pity since the cart-whip was hung up for good and all. I felt it was all up with the colonies when that happened. I could not sell my estate, but I leased it to my attorney, and with the paltry share I got of your so-called compensation, (a downright robbery by land, saar, always call him home,' now 'mansithe way, if ever there was one,) left Berbice, and pashun diffused in dese happy qwarters of the "Saar, we receive papers from home, (dat Engsettled at Cheltenham, alongside of some old arth,) and find dat de Perteckshun is to be took Guiana cronies in the same predicament with my-off de furrin and slave-grown shugar. Some white self. Sir, we are a small and far from cheerful part of wronged and ruined men. They 're going to take away the little protection that was left us. Of course I don't intend to chime in with the abolition nonsense of that old rascal Clarkson, about encouraging the slave trade and such like stuff. I only wish we were where Cuba is, and had been wise enough to keep our blacks under the collar owing to circumsances ober which I could not conwhen we had 'em there. But that 's all over, "Sir, I don't aut to blush to say dat, once, more's the pity. I'll tell you the real point mon slave-field nigger! Den I work berry unwhere the shoe pinches. the trol, I myself was in de 'gradin persicion of comwork. They're a set of the idlest vagabonds! perticler, berry near fell into biler by reason ob The black fellows won't pleasantly hard, 'specially bilin-times: once, sir, They 've no respect for the rights of property and being overtook wid sleep after four days' work the interests of their employers. There's a gang and extra rum. Dat time, saar, is unpleasant re

"MASSA PUNCH,
here reglar, saar, wid bery great satifakshun, and
much amoosement, self and wife, Dinah.
"Sir, We read you ebbery week, dat you come

genlman make uncommon row, and say dat 'dis
ruin dis deliteful col'ny of British Guiana, where I
write to you, saar, at present. But do white
genlman berry much de worse for aggrawashun,
let me 'sure you, saar, black gentlman perfecly
trankle, as to 'liberations of British Parliment.

of scoundrels about Mount Pleasant-my estate-minisense; but now as free black gentlman let me rascals that were my slaves, most of them since 'sure you, saar, for self and friends find change of they were pickaninnies fighting for bananas under life uncommon pleasant. We are not berry ekal my dinner-table, up to that fatal 1st of August. "I've clothed those fellows, sir, I've fed them, I hab studied polical 'comony,) especially for I've let them cultivate provision grounds on my labor. Uncommon plenty white persons ob proin demand and supply hereabouts, (you see, saar, waste, and fatten themselves like pigs with the perty in cane-land, not so many black gentlmen to cane-juice at boiling times; I've flogged them work. Wages being unobjexshnable at a dollar a (that is, my overseer has) week after week, and day, and two days a week quite 'nuff for illiganses done what I could to teach them industrious habits, of life for self and Dinah. White properioter come by field-work twelve hours a day, six days out of to black gentlman to ask him work ebbery day in the seven-for I know what 's due to the church. de week. 'Diculous! what for work, in de name What's my reward? Why, now that the fellows ob common sense, when you can get de luxshries are free, as they call it, they have n't the gratitude of life widout putting oneself out of de way to do to work more than two days in the week. That nothing ob de kind? No, I say to white probrings them in their eight shillings, and they can perioter, No, saar, 'scuse me; when hab misforlive the whole seven days through like fighting- tune to be slave-nigger, you fix de work-hours. cocks for six. So, their two days' work done, there they sit, as lazy as so many gentlemen and as happy as so many kings, under their verandahs,

Berbice--now imports 0."
"Late Importer of 10,000 hogsheads of sugar from

Now dat I free, 'tanks to de British legislature, I THE PEN AND THE SWORD.-The British lion settle 'em for self and family-no tank you.' Also, never wanted to make a meal, not even of a saar, I mass money. Seberal black persons of my Yankee cabin-boy; and we hope that the Ameri'quaintance done de same, and we s'pose soon to can eagle is now content to feed upon native set up a plantashun of our own. Old Massa Indian corn, instead of dining upon Britishers, Thresher, prhaps, hab no 'jeckshun_to sell Mount gloriously dead upon the battle-field. Mr. CalPlesant, near where I now reside. Den, saar, we houn, however, very wisely attributes all this to shall rebel in de proud feelins of dark properioters, the tongues of statesmen and the quills of public where we once worked common field niggers wid writers. "Had there been," says the American, de driver berry sharp behind. Berry proud feelin," the least false step on the other side-had the and I'sure you, I feel affected to look at speeches in parliament, or the articles in the pubDinah, and de lubly obspring she have maturnally lic journals been of an exasperating character, we reared, and tink what dey wood have been ten could not then have arranged matters on this side year long ago, and what dey are now under de as we have done." And then he lauds the modernew redgment! I 'sure you, saar, dat dis is ex- ation of Peel and Aberdeen. And all this cheerlent place for black gentleman now. He don't ing for the present, is hopeful for the future. A wish at all for any change whatsomdever, statesman's windpipe, wisely employed, may in good time shut up in rusty dumbness those

saar,

66

Especially yours,
"POMPEY JONES."

THE ANTI-SLAVERY HANNIBAL.

SCENE-A Dining-room, with a very well-spread
table. Present, HANNIBAL and Friend.

WHAT! let in slave-grown Muscovados!
Help Brazil of her sugar to rid !
What! give way to free-trade bravados!
No! Wilberforce, Clarkson, forbid !
I'd not touch such a sweet'ner accursed,
Tho' it cost but this penny a pound-
(And Hannibal flourished his copper,

Dug in Cuba, by slaves, from the ground.)

To wormwood 't would turn in my cobbler,
To gall it would change in my tea;
For a conjurer, potent as Dobler,

Is the spirit of hu-man-i-tie !

Ere my babes should suck lolly-pops slave-grown,
I'd hang them all up, sir, in that-
(And Hannibal fingered, heroic,

His slave-grown, sea-island cravat.)

No, no; at my table you 're safe, sir,
From all fruit of the negro's despair-
But, bless me! amidst all this talking,
You eat nothing at all, I declare !
Pray, do try that curry-for boiling

The rice I've a plan of my own :-
(And Hannibal gulped down a spoonful,

'Twas the best Carolina-slave-grown.)

What? you really have finished your dinner!
I can answer for that Curaçoa;
From a friend, a great Rotterdam merchant-
Slave-grown?-Oh, how can you talk so?
You shock me! I must have some coffee,
For the nerves 't is a famous resource-
(And Hannibal swallowed his Mocha,

'Twas slave-raised, Brazilian, of course.)

And now, as my wife's down at Brighton,
And yours hors de combat, old boy,
We'll make it a Bechelor's dinner-
'Tis a treat we don't often enjoy.

[Brings out box of cigars.
There! Puros! Direct from Havana !
You may wink, but I tell you they are-
(And Hannibal straight disappeared

'Neath the cloud of a slave-grown cigar.)

-"mortal engines, whose rude throats Th' immortal Jove's dread clamors counterfeit," and half a dozen quills of half a dozen journalists prove too much for a whole park of artillery. Mortars are devastating instruments-and yet they may be beaten by inkstands.

PROTECTION DINNERS.

WHEN children have a tumble or roll down stairs, folks give them fruit or sweet-stuff to stop their crying. The protectionists having sustained a thumping tumble, are comforted with dinners. Master Bentinck has been treated at Lynn, and Master Marquis Granby has also been consoled at Walsam. His father, the Duke of Rutland, shone very brilliantly on the occasion. Pity it is that so many coronets have spoilt so many wits! The duke opposed the free-trade principle; and his opposition was strengthened by the following tremendous illustration. (Several farmers were carried out in fits of laughter, and were not fully recovered until well pumped upon.) The duke said:

"He had heard of a gentleman, who having two chances, tossed up with his friend, agreeing, if the sovereign came head, he was to win, but if tail he was to lose. It was not long before the gentleman had the tail, and he feared we should soon be very much in the same situation [Hear, hear, and applause]."

Now, if his grace will-for one minute-lend us the illustration, we will venture to observe, that once when fate tossed for a duke for the house of Manners, certainly 66 a head" did not get it.

Mr. Disraeli, who attends" all protection dinners at the shortest notice, made at Walsam a dreadful onslaught on Manchester; the same Manchester that only two little years ago invited him to preside on a festal occasion, when he said "all things that are pretty and sweet to the unsu 3pecting and admiring cotton-pods. And at Walsam very magnificently did he pooh pooh poor Manchester, asking where it was when Englishmen won Magna Charta? This is unkind. We have a great admiration for the author of "Coningsby ;` and, therefore, in our own meek way, we shouli reprimand either Cobden, Bright, Wilson, cr any other Manchester man who, seeking to deprciate the parent of "Coningsby," should ask-Where, when the Israelites passed the Red Sea, was Benjamin Disraeli?"

66