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himself off of his own accord, and that in so 

 much haste that he left all his clothes behind him. 

 My next step was to displace the chief black go- 

 vernor, a man deservedly odious to the negroes, 

 and whom a gross and insolent lie told to myself 

 enabled me to punish without seeming to displace 

 him in compliance with their complaints against 

 him ; and these sources of discontent being re- 

 moved, I read to them my regulations for al- 

 lowing them new holidays, additional allowances 

 of salt-fish, rum, and sugar, with a variety of 

 other indulgences and measures taken for pro- 

 tection, &c. All which, assisted by a couple 

 of dances and distribution of money on the 

 day of my departure had so good an effect 

 upon their tempers, that I left them in as good 

 humour apparently, as I found them in bad. But 

 to leave them was no such easy matter ; the weather 

 had been bad from the moment of my commencing 

 my journey, but from the moment of my reaching 

 Hordley, it became abominable. The rain poured 

 down in cataracts incessantly ; the old crazy house 

 stands on the top of a hill, and the north wind 

 howled round it night and day, shaking it from 

 top to bottom, and threatening to become a hurri- 

 cane. The storm was provided with a very suitable 

 accompaniment of thunder and lightning ; and to 

 complete the business, down came the mountain 

 torrents, and swelled Plantain Garden River to 

 such a degree, that it broke down the dam-head, 



