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" My neger, my neger," repeated Mammy Luna, 

 " me no want punish you ; my pot smell good, and 

 you belly- woman. Come back, my neger, come 

 back ; me see now water above your knee ! " But 

 the woman was obstinate ; she continued to sing 

 and to advance, till she reached the middle of the 

 river's bed, when down came a tremendous flood, 

 swept her away, and she never was heard of more ; 

 while Mammy Luna warned the other negroes 

 never to take the property of another ; always to 

 tell the truth ; and, at least, if they should be 

 betrayed into telling a lie, not to persist in it, 

 otherwise they must expect to perish like their 

 companion. Observe, that a moral is always an 

 indispensable part of a Nancy story. Another is 

 as follows : — " Two sisters had always lived to- 

 gether on the best terms ; but, on the death of one 

 of them, the other treated very harshly a little 

 niece, who had been left to her care, and made her 

 a common drudge to herself and her daughter. 

 One day the child having broken a water-jug, was 

 turned out of the house, and ordered not to return 

 till she could bring back as good a one. As she 

 was going along, weeping, she came to a large 

 cotton-tree, under which was sitting an old woman 

 without a head. I suppose this unexpected sight 

 made her gaze rather too earnestly, for the old 

 woman immediately enquired — ' Well, my picca- 

 niny, what you see?' 'Oh, mammy/ answered 

 the girl, i me no see nothing.' 6 Good child !' said 



