ISll. 
COLONIAL MANNERS. 
141 
into the interior. At last our conversation exhausted itself : our 
host rose, and went out of the room, we doubted not, to reprimand 
the servants for their unusual delay in bringing in the dinner, it 
being now past five o'clock. 
In the interim, being alone, we had nothing better to amuse us, 
than the view from the window ; whence we had only a melancholy 
prospect of the rain, which deluged the ground, and left us without 
hope of being permitted to take a walk to see the village. 
The hour of six passed by without any symptom of dinner ap- 
pearing : seven also passed, and eight ; but still nothing was offered us 
to eat. At intervals we resumed the conversation, in which the lady 
of the house and her daughters sometimes joined. This produced 
a more agreeable variety, which, together with the friendly manners 
of her son, who spoke English very well, relieved the tedium of so 
many hours, but could not repel the imperious craving of hunger, 
which, like the Spartan youth with the fox under his cloak, we had 
the fortitude to conceal, though we felt it gnawing our vitals. 
At last, when nine o'clock arrived, several slaves followed each 
other with dishes of hot meat and stews, and as many of vegetables 
cooked in different ways. With these, and other things, a large 
table was soon covered, while wine-glasses and bottles occupied the 
intermediate spaces. So plentiful was the display, that my com- 
panion was equally surprised at it with myself ; and it was now evi- 
dent, that some pains had been taken to prepare a supper better 
than ordinary : and, whatever might have been our thoughts previ- 
ously to this, we fully acquitted our host of intentional neglect. All 
those attentions which hospitality prompts, were shown to us by 
every part of the family, who evinced a real desire to please. 
This occurrence served to exemplify, and to teach me, with 
most impressive effect, a common feature in colonial manners. It 
has been already mentioned, that in this country no inns are any 
where to be found ; consequently, the necessity of the case, as well 
as common humanity, urges every Christian-like colonist to open his 
door to the hungry or benighted traveller. And, as this hospi- 
tality becomes reciprocal, by their occasionally passing each other's 
