Ezekiel was often down here for the purpose of laying in provisions, and
purchasing dry goods. You all know that?"
"Certainly!" shouted both Captain Transom and myself in a breath,
although we had never heard of him before.
"Hah, I knew it!"--Well then, Ezekiel was very rich; he came down in
August last, in the Pickle schooner, and, as bad luck would have it, he
fell sick of the fever.--"Isaac," quoth Ezekiel, "I am wery sheek; I
tink I shall tie." "Hope note, dear proder; you hab no vife, nor
shildir; pity you should tie, Ezekiel. Ave you make your vill, Ezekiel?"
"Yesh; de vill is make. I leavish every ting to you, Isaac, on von
condition, dat you send my pody to be bury in Curacao. I love dat place;
twenty years since I lef de Minories, all dat time I cheat dere, and
tell lie dere, and lif dere happily. Oh, you most sent my pody for its
puryment to Curacao!" "I will do dat, mine proder." "Den I depart in
peace, dear Isaac;" and the Israelite was as good as his word for once.
He did die. Isaac, according to his promise, applied to the captains of
several schooners; none of them would take the dead body. "What shall I
do?" thought Isaac, "de monish mosh not be loss." So he straightway had
Ezekiel (for even a Jew won't keep long in that climate) cut up and
packed with pickle into two barrels, marked, "Prime mess pork,
Leicester, M'Call and Co. Cork" He then shipped the same in the Fan
Fan, taking bills of lading in accordance with the brand, deliverable to
Mordecai Levi of Curacao, to whom he sent the requisite instructions.
Pages:
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405