LEAVES FROM A LOG. 



be more alike than their voices. These thoughts in a moment flashed 

 across my mind ; and although, during that moment, I must have 

 appeared dreadfully agitated ; yet fortunately, my feelings passed 

 unobserved by the pirate, who was seated with his eyes covered by 

 his left hand. I instantaneously came to the determination of keeping 

 the brothers unknown, at least for the present, as a discovery could 

 do no good, and might be productive of serious consequences in the 

 present state of Alfred's health. The mariner uncovering his eyes, 

 looked at his arm; when the mark met his view, he fixed his search- 

 ing glance with displeasure on me, and said in rather a stern tone, 

 "Do you suspect this to be my name ?" 



I was about to reply,when, apparently struck with his impropriety 

 of manner, grasping my hand, he said 



" Pardon me, worthy Sir my suspicions are most ungrateful ; al- 

 though I once knew what was due to politeness, when conferring with 

 a gentleman, yet I have been so long connected with the outcasts of 

 society, that my manners have been infected. This," added he, point- 

 ing to the mark on his arm and again the fire of insanity gleamed 

 in his eye as he clutched my arm, and drew me towards him tf this 

 was my name. Listen," said he in a low deep voice, every tone of 

 which thrilled through me " a father's death is like a crushing weight 

 upon my heart; my hand is red with a brother's blood; and one who I 

 loved, oh ! dearer than brother or father, lies in her restless grave 

 in the deep sea I broke her heart! Did you tell me to repent ? Ha! 

 ha! ha!" 



" Hold ! hold !" said I, interrupting him, though actually trem- 

 bling with horror ; " here comes the nurse, this is not fit for her ears. 

 You must let me take a little blood from you. You will be calmer 

 presently." I bound up his arm, and made an incision in the median 

 vein. 



" Ne neber see," said the nurse, e{ massa hand shake so when him 

 bleed somebody (any one) before. Me God ! how black poor sailor 

 blood be !" 



Having bled him to an extent proportionate to the inflammatory state 

 of his body and athletic form,, I bandaged the arm, and ordered the 

 nurse to prepare a chamber for him. The only one vacant was that 

 in which the estate's medicine was kept, owing to its being contigu- 

 ous to the hospital. My patient asked me to give him an opiate. I 

 inquired if he were habituated to take opium. He replied not of 

 late ; but having been some years since in the east, he had learnt to 

 swallow such potions ; which custom he had left off of late years, on 

 account of the difficulty of always procuring a supply : but that oc- 

 casionally he took laudanum in small quantities. I informed him, 

 that laudanum would be too stimulating for him at present; and 

 giving him a dose of such medicine as I conceived would tend to les- 

 sen his fever, introduced him to his small chamber. 



The nurse had with great readiness gathered her " little gang," 

 that is, about a dozen negro children under her charge, who with 

 dispatch collected a quantity of fresh dry banana leaves, with which 

 the old woman stuffed a kind of paliasse. These are soft to lie upon, 

 have an agreeable odour, and are supposed by some to possess a fe~ 



