nd
uttering a hem, that was still deep and powerful, as in the brightest and
happiest of his days. "When there is so little time given to a poor fellow
to speak his mind in, it may be well to let him have a chance to do most
of the talking. Something may come uppermost which he would like to send
to his friends in Africa; in which case, we may as well be looking out for
a proper messenger. Hah! what is it, boy? You see he is already trying to
rowse something up out of his ideas."

"Misser Fid--he'm take a collar," said the black, struggling for
utterance.

"Ay, ay," returned Richard, again clearing his throat, and looking to the
right and left fiercely, as if he were seeking some object on which to
wreak his vengeance. "Ay, ay, Guinea; put your mind at ease on that point,
and for that matter on all others. You shall have a grave as deep as the
sea, and Christian burial, boy, if this here parson will stand by his
work. Any small message you may have for your friends shall be logg'd, and
put in the way of coming to their ears. You have had much foul weather in
your time, Guinea, and some squalls have whistled about your head, that
might have been spaced, mayhap, had your colour been a shade or two
lighter. For that matter, it may be that I have rode you down a little too
close myself, boy, when over-heated with the conceit of skin; for all
which may the Lord forgive me as freely as I hope you will do the same
thing!"

The negro made a fruitless effort to rise, endeavouring to grasp the hand
of the other, saying, as he did so,--

"Misser Fid beg a pardon of a black man! Masser aloft forget he'm all,
misser Richard; he t'ink 'em no more."

"It will be what I call a d----'d generous thing, if he does," returned
Richard, whose sorrow and whose conscience had stirred up his uncouth
feelings to an extraordinary degree. "There's the affair of slipping off
the wreck of the smuggler has never been properly settled atween us,
neither; and many other small services of like nature, for which, d'ye
see, I'll just thank you, while there is opportunity; for no one can say
whether we shall ever be borne again on the same ship's books."

A feeble sign from his companion caused the topman to pause, while he
endeavoured to construe its meaning as well as he was able. With a
facility, that was in some degree owing to the character of the individual
his construction of the other's meaning was favourable to himself, as was
quite evident