rk in his Majesty's dockyard, and permit,
for certain considerations, to caulk the sides and bottoms of his
Majesty's vessels of war.

Notwithstanding this intimate connection between his Majesty and
herself; she did not disdain to wash, or cause to be washed, the shirts
and stockings of his Majesty's officers of the navy; that is, if she
liked those officers. Now, she was kind enough to like me exceedingly;
and, though very pretty, and not yet very old, all in a very proper and
platonic manner. She was also a great giver of dignity balls, and when
she was full dressed, Miss Belinda Bellarosa was altogether a very
seductive personage. A warrant officer was an abomination. She had
refused the hands of many master's mates, and I knew "for true," to use
her own bewitching idiom, that several lieutenants had made her most
honourable overtures.

Well, to Miss Belinda I made the best of my way. I am choice in my
phrases. I could hardly make my way at all, for a strange sort of
delirium was supervening. Immediately she saw me, she exclaimed, "Ah,
Goramity! him catched for sure--it break my heart to see him. You know
I lub Massa Rattlin, like my own piccaninny. S'elp me God, he very
bad!"

"My queen of countless Indians! dear duchess of doubloons! marry me
to-night and then you'll be a jolly widow tomorrow."

"Hear him! him! how talk of marry me?"

"Oh! Bella, dear, if you will not kill me with kindness, what shall I
do? I cannot bear this raging pain in my head. You've been a kind soul
to me. Pardon my nonsense, I could not help it. Let one of your
servants help me to walk to the doctor."

"Nebber, nebber, doctor!" and she spat on the floor with a sovereign
contempt. "Ah, Massa Ralph, me lub you dearly--dat sleep here
to-night--me lose my reputation--nebber mind you you. What for you no
run, Dorcas, a get me, from Massa Jackson's store, bottle good port?
Tell him for me, Missy Bellarosa. You Phebe, oder woman of colour dere,
why you no take Massa Ralph, and put him in best bed? Him bad, for
certainly--make haste, or poor buckra boy die."

So, with the assistance of my two dingy handmaidens, I was popped into
bed, and, according to the directions of my kind hostess, a suffocating
number of blankets heaped upon me. Shortly afterwards, and when my
reeling senses were barely sane enough to enable me to recognise
objects, my dear doctress, with two more Negresses, to witness to her
reputation, entered, a