rk staircase until we reached the first
landing-place, when we heard a noise as of two negroes wrangling on the
steps above us.

"You rascal!" sang out one, "take dat; larn you for teal my
wittal!"--then a sharp crack, as if he had smote the culprit across the
pate; whereupon, like a shot, a black fellow, in a handsome livery,
trundled down, pursued by another servant with a large silver ladle in
his hand, with which he was belabouring the fugitive over his
flint-hard skull, right against our hostess, with the drumstick of a
turkey in his hand, or rather in his mouth.

"Top, you tief!--top, you tief!--for me piece dat," shouted the pursuer.

"You dam rascal!" quoth the dame. But she had no time to utter another
word, before the fugitive pitched, with all his weight, against her;
and at the very moment another servant came trundling down with a large
tray full of all kinds of meats--and I especially remember that two
large crystal stands of jellies composed part of his load--so there we
were regularly capsized, and caught all of a heap in the dark
landing-place, halfway up the stair; and down the other flight tumbled
our guide, with Mr. Treenail and myself, and the two blackies on the
top of her, rolling in our descent over, or rather into, another large
mahogany tray which had just been carried out, with a tureen of turtle
soup in it, and a dish of roast-beef, and platefuls of land-crabs, and
the Lord knows what all besides.

The crash reached the ear of the landlord, who was seated at the head
of his table in the upper piazza, a long gallery about fifty feet long
by fourteen wide, and he immediately rose and ordered his butler to
take a light. When he came down to ascertain the cause of the uproar.
I shall never forget the scene.

There was, first of all, mine host, a remarkably neat personage,
standing on the polished mahogany stair, three steps above his servant,
who was a very well-dressed respectable elderly negro, with a candle in
each hand; and beneath him, on the landing-place, lay two trays of
viands, broken tureens of soup, fragments of dishes, and fractured
glasses, and a chaos of eatables and drinkables, and table gear
scattered all about, amidst which lay scrambling my lieutenant and
myself, the brown housekeeper, and the two negro servants, all more or
less covered with gravy and wine dregs. However, after a good laugh,
we gathered ourselves up, and at length we were ushered on the scene.
Mine hos