Island, every person invited to a ball must give
one in return. One of the ladies who attended my ball gave one two
nights after. Her outlay for goods bought from me was over sixty
dollars.

Two or three days after the second ball I sailed for St. Andrews, where
we arrived the same evening. Immediately on our anchoring a large number
of the inhabitants of the Island came on board, ours being the first
American vessel they had seen there in fourteen years. I commenced a
heavy trade with them. This Island contains three times the population
of Old Providence. As these Islanders had heard that I gave a ball at
Providence, it would not do to refuse them one. It being agreed upon, I
told them to appoint their own managers, and then send on board and get
such articles as they required to treat their company with, not wishing
to be annoyed until they were ready; and as I was a stranger, I did not
want to have anything to do with giving the invitations. At the
appointed hour I went on shore, a horse and servant were waiting to
convey me to the ball-room, where I found a polished English lady, who
was to act as my partner, and lead the figure during the night, which I
was compelled to submit to until the ball ended. There was a floor in
the ball-room here, which made our dancing less laborious. We kept it up
briskly until 12 o'clock, and then partook of some refreshments. We then
recommenced dancing, and kept perseveringly at it until sunrise next
morning. But my trouble had just commenced. More than one half of the
free inhabitants were colored, whom I afterward found to be my best
customers, none of whom had been invited to the ball except an old man,
by the name of Bent, the wealthiest man on the Island, owning about
ninety slaves, whom the whites dare not overlook. I satisfied the
colored people that it was no fault of mine that they had not received
an invitation to my ball, at the same time treating them with the
greatest politeness, inviting them on board to partake of refreshments.
They, in order to be revenged on their white neighbors, gave a ball two
or three nights afterward, passing a resolution that no white man except
Captain Dunham should be invited.

At the appointed time a horse and waiter were sent to convey me to the
dance, which I knew it was my interest to attend. On arriving at the
place I found everything in good order, and was received with the most
facinating flourishes of high life, and introduced to