124 



long without food, while she went herself to dance 

 on a neighbouring estate, that it was brought, in 

 an exhausted state, back to the hospital ; and, in 

 spite of every care, it expired within four and 

 twenty hours after its return. 



The ceremony was performed with perfect gra- 

 vity and propriety by all parties ; I thought it as 

 well to cut the reading part of it very short ; but 

 I read a couple of prayers, marked the foreheads 

 of the children with the sign of the cross, and, in- 

 stead of the concluding prayer, I substituted a wish, 

 " that God would bless the children, and make 

 them live to be as good servants to me, as I prayed 

 him to make me a kind massa to them ; 99 upon 

 which all present very gravely made me their 

 lowest bows and courtesies, and then gave me a 

 loud huzza ; so unusual a mode of approbation at a 

 christening that it had nearly overturned my seri- 

 ousness ; and I made haste to serve out Madeira 

 to the parents and assistants, that they might drink 

 the healths of the new Christians and of each other. 

 The mothers and the graimdee were then called up 

 to the table, and the ladies in a family way were 

 arranged behind them. 



Their title in Jamaica is rather coarse, but very 

 expressive. I asked Cubina one day " who w r as 

 that woman with a basket on her head ?" " Massa," 

 he answered, " that one belly-woman going to sell 

 provisions at the Bay." As she was going to sell 

 provisions, I supposed that ^%-woman was the 



