^2 STUDIES OF NATURE, 



perceived a well-built houfe, confiderable planta- 

 tions, and a great number of flaves engaged in dif- 

 ferent occupations. Their mafter was walking in 

 the midft of them, with a pipe in his mouth, and 

 a ratan in his hand. He was a very tall, lean man^ 

 of an olive complexion, with his eyes funk in his 

 head, and his eye- brows black, and meeting each 

 other. Firginia, quite petrified, holding Paid by 

 the arm, approached the mafter, and entreated him, 

 for the love of God, to pardon his flave, who was 

 a few paces behind them. The mafler, at firfl, 

 did not pay much attention to thefe two children, 

 who were but meanly clad ; when, however, he 

 had remarked the elegant form of Firginia, her 

 beautiful flaxen hair, which appeared from under 

 a blue hood, and when he had heard the fweet 

 tones of her voice, which trembled, as well as her 

 body, while Ihe implored his forgivenefs, he took 

 the pipe from his mouth, and, raifing his ratan to- 

 ward Heaven, declared, with a terrible oath, that 

 he would pardon his flave, not for the love of 

 God, but for the love of her. Firginia immedi- 

 ately made a lîgn for the Have to advance toward 

 her mafter, and then ran away, while Paid followed 

 her. 



They fcrambled, together, up the ftccp decli- 

 vity of the mountain, by which they had defcended 

 in the m.orning, and having arrived at it's fummir, 



they 



