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again the old woman ; 6 and good will come to 

 you.' Not far distant was a cocoa-tree ; and here 

 was another old woman, without any more head 

 than the former one. The same question was 

 asked her, and she failed not to give the same 

 answer which had already met with so good a re- 

 ception. Still she travelled forwards, and began 

 to feel faint through want of food, when, under a 

 mahogany tree, she not only saw a third old woman, 

 but one who, to her great satisfaction, had got a 

 head between her shoulders. She stopped, and 

 made her best courtesy — 4 How day, grannie!' 

 ' How day, my piccaniny ; what matter, you no 

 look well?' £ Grannie, me lilly hungry.' 4 My 

 piccaniny, you see that hut, there 's rice in the pot, 

 take it, and yam-yam me ; but if you see one black 

 puss, mind you give him him share.' The child 

 hastened to profit by the permission ; the * one 

 black puss' failed not to make its appearance, and 

 was served first to its portion of rice, after which 

 it departed ; and the child had but just finished her 

 meal, when the mistress of the hut entered, and 

 told her that she might help herself to three eggs out 

 of the fowl-house, but that she must not take any of 

 the talking ones: perhaps, too, she might find the 

 black puss there, also; but if she did, she was to 

 take no notice of her. Unluckily all the eggs 

 seemed to be as fond of talking as if they had been 

 so many old maids ; and the moment that the child 

 entered the fowl-house, there was a cry of * Take 



