359 



since I had given her so much, she would not buy 

 tobacco but a fowl ; and then, when I returned, 

 she would bring me a chicken from it for my 

 dinner; that is, if she could keep the other negroes 

 from stealing it from her, a piece of extraordinary 

 good luck of which she seemed to entertain but 

 slender hopes. At length off she set; but she had 

 scarcely gone above ten yards from the house, 

 when she turned back, and was soon at my writing- 

 table once more, with a " Well! here me come to 

 massa again ! " So then she said, that she had 

 meant to eat part of the provisions which I had 

 given her, and carry home the rest to her boy ; 

 but that really it was so good, she could not help 

 going on eating and eating, till she had eaten 

 the whole, and now she wanted another bit of cold 

 ham to carry home to her child, and then she should 

 go away perfectly contented. I ordered Cubina 

 to give her a great hunch of it, and Mrs. Phillis at 

 length took her departure for good and all. 



March 4. (Wednesday.) 



1 set out to visit my estate in St. Thomas's in 

 the East, called Hordley. It is at the very furthest 

 extremity of the island, and never was there a 

 journey like unto my journey. Something dis- 

 agreeable happened at every step ; my accidents 

 commenced before I had accomplished ten miles 

 from my own house; for in passing along a narrow 

 shelf of rock, which overhangs the sea near Blue- 



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