A TALE OF A TAR. 517 



Town, and a good many of them ate bank notes between soft-jack 

 (bread-and-butter) ; but I saved all my dollars, joes, and doubloons, 

 ' because,' says I, ' I must pay my doctor and the old woman in 

 Trinidad ; besides, I'll see if I've enough left to buy poor Nancy.' 

 Now, I find old Sail is dead, she as took care of me when I was sick 



with the yellow fever ; and as to Dr. C , he would not touch a 



dollar, but squeezing my hand, said I was an honest tar, and an 

 honour to my country. Howsomever, that's neither here nor there. 

 I'll cut my yarn short ; indeed I'm sorry you won't sell Nancy ; but 

 since that's the case, I'll give her the money, and she may do what 

 she likes with it. Could I see her, ma'am ?" 



Mrs. Worthy sent the deformed boy to call Nancy, who happened 

 to be a short distance from home. In the mean time she told Rattliii 

 that, were she so inclined, she could not keep Nancy in slavery if any 

 one offered her value for her manumission. Such was the decree of 

 the Spanish colonial law, at that time in force in the island. 



" However," she added, te it shall never be said of the widow of 

 John Worthy, who was the kindest of masters, that any one had 

 recourse to law to make her do justice to her slaves. I have fre- 

 quently been offered 600 dollars for the girl Nancy, so well is she 

 known for an excellent servant; but if you can give me 400 dollars 

 she shall be free." 



" I think I have about that 'ere sum, ma'am ; let me see," said he, 

 taking out a canvas purse, pretty well filled with Spanish gold ; " how 

 many dollars is this worth ?" producing a doubloon. 



t( Sixteen," was the reply. 



"Sixteen and sixteen" he paused " yes, is thirty-two; and 



what is this ?" 



" A joe, eight dollars." 



" Thank'e, ma'am thirty-two and eight's forty no, I'm out in 

 my dead reckoning thirty and eight makes I axes your pardon, 

 ma'am, but 1 wish you'd count these yellow boys for me ; if they 

 were all the same size I could manage them, but some are little and 

 others big. I wish all doubloons passed for ten dollars, and then I 

 could manage to reckon them easy enough, as it would be all plain 

 sailing." 



She took the purse and counted twenty-six doubloons, a joe, and 

 a two dollar piece. " There are twenty-six dollars over 400, and 

 now, if you please, we'll send for Mr. Itchpalm, the lawyer, to draw 

 up the manumission." 



" No, no, ma'am," said Jack, "no land-sharks for me;" for Jack, 

 like most sailors, had an aversion to gentlemen of the profession ; 

 " besides," he added, " I've no time to stop, for the gig must be 

 ashore by this ; get the warrant of freedom made out yourself; I 

 know by your good looks you wouldn't cheat a poor slave, or an 

 honest sailor of the value of a bit of oakum." 



" You are a generous man," said Mrs. Worthy, evidently pleased 

 with the compliment, " and have too much honour yourself to sus- 

 pect that others may want it ; here, take back seven doubloons, and 

 now I only accept half what I was offered for my Nancy, and about 

 one- tenth of her value to me." She gave him the seven doubloons ; 



M.M. No. 107. 3 X 



