He was a most
respectable young man, Mr Stomaway told me, a Swede by birth, who had
came over to England with his parents at the early age of eight years,
where both he and his cousin Agatha had continued, until he embarked for
the West Indies. This was an orphan girl whom his father had adopted,
and both of them, as he had often told Mr Stornaway, had utterly
forgotten their Swedish,--in fact, they understood no language but
English at the time he embarked. I have been thus particular, from a
very extraordinary phenomenon that occurred immediately, preceding his
dissolution, of which I was a witness.
We rode up in front of the door, close to the fixed manger, where the
horses and mules belonging to the busha are usually fed, and encountered
a negro servant on a mule, with an umbrella--case slung across his back,
and a portmanteau behind him, covered with the usual sheep's fleece, and
holding a saddle horse.
"Where is your master?" said Mr Bang.
"De dactor is in de hose," replied quashie. "Busha dere upon dving."
We ascended the rocky unhewn steps, and entered the cool, dark hall,
smelling strong of camphor, and slid over the polished floors towards an
open door, that led into the back piazza, where we were received by the
head book--keeper and carpenter. They told us that the overseer had
been seized three days before with fever, and was now desperately ill;
and presently the doctor came forth out of the sick--room.
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