sters, and were always willing
and obedient, and, being well fed, looked sleek and contented. The most
interesting was Martha, the black nurse of Mrs Twigg's children. Her
devoted affection for her charges was remarkable; she seemed to have no
care or thought for anything besides them, and though she occasionally
joined in the village festivities among her own people, she invariably
came back full of anxiety lest any harm should have happened to them
during her absence. She was treated by her mistress with great kindness
and consideration, and perfect confidence was placed in her. The old
grey-headed butler, Martin, was also on a more familiar footing with his
master than any white servant of the same position in an English
household would have been; while all the other domestic slaves, or boys
as they were generally called, were merry fellows, always laughing and
joking, though holding old Martin in great respect--their garments
consisting of a checked shirt, white trousers, and white jacket, though
their feet were shoeless, and they generally dispensed with hats. They
looked neat and clean, and had no reason to complain of want of physical
comfort. Probably, in other cases where the master was ill-tempered,
they would have been liable to punishment, deserved or undeserved.

"But what about the agricultural labourers?" asked Ellen Sandys, who was
ever, when he could be so with propriety, by her side--she looking upon
him as a well-mannered, intelligent schoolboy; so that Lieutenant Foley
would have experienced no jealous feelings had he seen them together.

"Well, they, I suppose, are in their way as happy and contented as they
need be," answered Archie. "The field slaves, as we call them, who live
out in the huts there, are divided into gangs. The first is composed of
the stronger men and women, who work together, the women being able to
do almost as much as the men. Their business is to clear the land, dig
and plant the cane-fields, and in crop-time cut the canes and attend to
the mill-house, where the canes are crushed and the sugar and molasses
manufactured. The second gang is composed chiefly of the bigger boys
and girls and more weakly women, who are unable to do the harder work,
and the older men who have lost their strength. They have to weed the
canes and attend to other lighter duties. The third gang consists of
the young children, who are employed chiefly in weeding the gardens,
collecting fodder