209 



March 6. 



Nato has kept his promise as yet, and has actu- 

 ally past a whole week in the field ; a thing which 

 he was never known to do before within the 

 memory of man. So I sent him a piece of money 

 to encourage him; and told him, that I sent him a 

 maccarony for behaving well 5 and wished to know 

 whether any one had ever given him a maccarony 

 for behaving ill. I hear that he was highly de- 

 lighted at my thinking him worthy to receive a 

 present from me, and sent me in return the most 

 positive assurances of perseverance in good con- 

 duct. On the other hand, Mackaroo has not only 

 run away himself, but has carried his wife away 

 with him. This is improving upon the profligacy 

 of British manners with a vengeance. In England, 

 a man only runs away with another person's wife : 

 but to run away with his own — what depravity! — 

 As to my ungrateful demigod of a sheep-stealer, 

 Hercules, the poor wretch has brought down upon 

 himself a full punishment for all his misdeeds. By 

 running away, and sleeping in the woods, exposed 

 to all the fury of the late heavy rains, he has been 

 struck by the palsy. Yesterday some of my negroes 

 found him in the mountains, unable to raise him- 

 self from the ground, and brought him in a cart 

 to the hospital ; where he now lies, having quite 

 lost the use of one side, and without any hopes of 

 recovery. He is still a young man, and in every 



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