512 A TALE OF A TAB. 



eyes into one ;" displaying what our negroes call <( two man-o'-war 

 dumplings," whose appearance seemed to indicate that they would 

 not sit light on the slave captain's stomach. So the latter appeared to 

 think, for his manner all at once changed to extreme civility, and he 

 tried to persuade Rattlin that he was only jesting. Jack's anger was 

 immediately appeased ; and with the frankness of a British seaman 

 instantly gave him his hand, and they parted on good terms. 



His next care was to look out for employment; but as his stock of 

 clean apparel was exhausted, and he had no money,, he did not wish 

 to go on board any vessel without that appearance of neatness for 

 which an English sailor so much prides himself; these circumstances 

 made him determine on washing a pair of his trousers himself, a job 

 which sailors are in the practice of doing on ship-board. To accom- 

 plish this, he went about half a mile from the suburbs of the town, 

 and commenced operations beside a stream (for washing-tubs are here 

 unknown), wherein, and on the banks of which, stood some fifty or 

 sixty yellow and dingy laundresses, thumping away with their beetles 

 at the apparel of the inhabitants of the town. These ladies were 

 shocked and scandalized at seeing a man attempting what they con- 

 ceived to be their peculiar calling, and accordingly commenced a 

 violent set of philippics against the unfortunate sailor. All the terms 

 of reproach in their language, English, French, and Spanish, were 

 exhausted by those dark declaimers, who may be classed among the 

 most accomplished female orators in existence. 



These diatribes were pouring out against him when he exclaimed, 

 " Avast there haul taut the slack of your jaws, or clap a tomkin on 

 your muzzles, for your tongues are running fourteen knots an hour, 

 spinning a yarn with your double Dutch coiled against the sun; 

 what tho' I be a poor sailor, and am obliged to scrub my own trou- 

 sers, because, d'ye see, I am hard up in the clinch, without never a 

 knife to cut the seizing. I desires none of them here black squalls." 



Of this speech the sooty laundresses scarcely understood one word ; 

 they knew it was in reply to their tirades, and concluded, naturally 

 enough, that he was paying them back in their own coin ; as, often, 

 when spoken to in a language they do not understand, they conceive 

 they are abused, or as they call it, " cursed." Jack's reply drew 

 many a severe rejoinder from the sable ladies. 



" Look he yie (look at his eyes), dem like two dollar," said one. 



" And him nose, like one two-barrel pistol," said another. 



A French negress exclaimed, " Gardez le ! le pas becca ! le mate- 

 lot !" That is, <<r look at him! he is not a white man, he is ojily^a. 

 sailor! ' For the French negroes never class sailors and soldiers as 

 " beogees" (white men).* 



" Why you buse poor sailor, 'cause him 'bliged for wash him own 

 trousers, for ? You no hab pity for him you no saby (know) 'spose 

 him hab mother, wife, or sister, such a handsome buckra neber hab 

 for wash him own clothes," said a mild-looking mulatto girl ; and 



* The French negro word begue and English term buckra are perhaps both 

 corruptions from the Spanish bianco. 



