570 LEAVES FROM A LOO. 



crew discovered a quantity of savannah flowers (echites suberedd), 

 a most deadly poison, which the assassin had picked out from the 

 refuse of the mules, the instinct of these animals always inducing 

 them to reject it from their food. Satisfied with this discovery, we 

 returned to the cabin, where we found the youth who had warned us 

 in the first instance, on his knees, returning thanks to Providence for 

 having been the means of saving us all from a dreadful death. His 

 thanksgivings were only interrupted by the groans of the negro, who 

 was writhing on the floor apparently in his last agony. We prepared 

 an emetic of white vitriol, which we forced the murderer to swallow ; 

 but it was useless. It brought on a slight vomiting ; but in a few 

 minutes he expired in dreadful tortures. Many a time since have I 

 been haunted by that dark, agonized,, despairing face, and the recol- 

 lection of those dying groans ! 



I will not describe Port of Spain, Trinidad ; but refer the reader 

 curious of such lore to Brookes' Gazetteer or Guthrie's Geography, 

 either of which erudite compilations will inform him of more than I 

 ever knew touching the superficies of the island, its population, man- 

 ners and customs, the number of public buildings, and what they 

 cost erecting ; and those interesting facts he will discover while I 

 proceed with my story. 



About six weeks after the event just related, while I was in Port 

 of Spain, I met my esteemed friend, Albert Fitz-Allen. He 

 was not what may be called an agreeable companion, being of a 

 taciturn disposition, contemplative, somewhat melancholy, and very 

 cold and distant in his manners to strangers. It sometimes happens, 

 however, that those who have the most companionable qualities are 

 the last of men we should choose for friends ; but Fitz-Allen, who 

 wanted those sociable requisites, possessed a disposition most suscep- 

 tible of warm friendship. He was a shrewd but silent observer of 

 man : he seldom volunteered advice to his few friends ; but when his 

 counsel was required he gave it, and it might be depended on. He 

 had read much both of books and men ; hence when you once drew 

 him into conversation, few had more information to impart. One 

 day, while jesting with him good humoureuly on his melancholy turn 

 of mind, he informed me that such was not his original disposition ; 

 but that family misfortunes made him what he was not naturally. 

 He then related to me his history, but extorted a promise that I should 

 never disclose it to any one while he lived. The following is the 

 outline of it: 



His mother died while he was an infant. His father was a clergy- 

 man, who had a lucrative living in the county of Sussex ; he had 

 three sons, Alfred, Henry, and himself. The eldest was designed by 

 his parents for the church ; but having a desire to go to sea (very 

 common to young men bred on the sea-coast), the father in vain 

 endeavoured to dissuade him from it. In his fourteenth year the 

 youth ran away, and was not heard of for some time. His second 

 son, Henry, the father found too little inclined for study, and rather 

 too obtuse of intellect, ever to be an ornament to the sacred profes- 

 sion of his parent ; and the latter was too conscientious to place a 

 youth of humble abilities in so important a situation as he conceived 



