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was told that a messenger had been sent to call 

 them, and that their absence was occasioned by 

 their attendance at poor Bob's funeral. Several of 

 his relations, who nursed him on his death-bed, 

 have assured me, that the last audible words which 

 he uttered were — " Are there still no news of 

 massa?" 



February 13. 



Talk of Lucretia ! commend me to a she-turkey ! 

 The hawk of Jamaica is an absolute Don Giovanni; 

 and he never loses an opportunity of being ex- 

 tremely rude indeed to these feathered fair ones ; 

 not even scrupling to use the last violence, and 

 that without the least ceremony, not so much as 

 saying, " With your leave," or " By your leave," or 

 using any of the forms which common civility ex- 

 pects upon such occasions. The poor timid things 

 are too much frightened by the sudden attack of 

 this Tarquin with a beak and claws, to make any 

 resistance ; but they no sooner recover from their 

 flutter sufficiently to be aware of what has hap- 

 pened, than they feel so extremely shocked, that 

 they always make a point of dying; nor was a 

 female turkey ever known to survive the loss of 

 her honour above three days. 



February 14. 



I think that I really may now venture to hope 

 that my plans for the management of my estate 

 have succeeded beyond even my most sanguine 



z 2 



