PORT ROYAL. 275 



one may find something to be amused with 5 

 even in the disappointment occasioned by their 

 laziness and absurdity. They affected great 

 distress at the failure of their engagement^ but 

 their joy was quite unaffected when I paid them 

 for their useless service^ not in bad words^ but 

 good dollars^ upon which^ a bystander might 

 have thought from their countenances and 

 manner that they had conferred an important 

 favour on me. 



Once more throwing myself on Captain Max- 

 well^s hospitality for a day or two^ I resolved to 

 be off in the first vessel that sailed to England 

 or New York: but the day after I reached 

 Port Royal^ and got on board the Gannet, 

 my servant was laid in his hammock with a 

 fever^ and before he was out of danger I fell ill 

 myself. For a few hours^ although treated 

 most skilfully by two surgeons of the sloop, 

 they were not without considerable apprehen- 

 sion of the result. The complaint had the cha- 

 racter of a violent bilious attack^ which might 

 have turned to regular yellow fever^ so prevalent 

 in Jamaica at this period^ but by the blessing 



