They are, of course, very slippery, and require wary
walking till one gets accustomed to them. The rooms are made exceedingly
dark during the heat of the day, according to the prevailing practice in
all ardent climates. A black footman, very handsomely dressed, all to his
bare legs, (I thought at first he had black silk stocking on,) preceded
me, and when he reached the drawing--room door, asked my name. I told him,
"Mr Cringle,"--whereupon he sung out, to my dismay--"Massa Captain
Ringtail to wait pan Misses."
This put me out a little--especially as I heard some one say "Captain
who--what a very odd name?"
But I had no time for reflection, as I had not blundered three steps out
of the glare of the piazza, into the palpable obscure of the darkened
drawing--room, black as night from the contrast, when I capsized headlong
over an ottoman in the middle of the apartment, and floundered right into
the centre of a group of young ladies, and one or two lapdogs, by whom it
was conjointly occupied. Trying to recover myself, I slipped on the
glasslike floor, and came down stern foremost; and being now regularly at
the slack end, for I could not well get lower, I sat still, scratching my
caput in the midst of a gay company of morning visitors, enjoying the
gratifying consciousness that I was distinctly visible to them, although
my dazzled optics could as yet distinguish nothing. To add to my
pleasurable sensations, I now perceived, from the coldness of the floor,
that in MY downfall the catastrophe of my unmentionables had been
grievously rent, but I had nothing for it but sitting patiently still
amidst the suppressed laughter of the company, until I became accustomed
to the twilight, and they, like bright stars, began to dawn on my
bewildered senses in all their loveliness, and prodigiously handsome women
some of' them were, for the Creoles, so far as figure is concerned, are
generally perfect, while beautiful features are not wanting, and my travel
had reconciled me to the absence of the rose from their cheeks.
Pages:
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215