rican; nor is it
confined to times and places, to condition or to climate; for it
grows and flourishes in the wigwam of the American, the coozie of the
African, and the proud edifices of the Europeans. It, however,
sometimes happens, that although one party may be in love, the other
is as frigid, as if he were part and parcel of an iceberg, and so was
it situated with John Lander. It has been already stated, that the
communication between the yard which the Landers occupied, and that
which was tenanted by the wives of Ebo, was uninterrupted, and of
course in the absence of their husband, there was no impediment to
any of them whispering their tale of love into the ears of the
juvenile travellers, whenever they thought they were in a disposition
to hear it. Some of the wives indeed, instead of being the nourishers
and fosterers of love, were the veriest antidotes to it, that perhaps
human nature could produce; on the other hand, there were some in the
fullness and freshness of youth, who had just been selected or rather
purchased by Ebo, as very proper persons to soothe and comfort him in
his declining years. One of them in particular, had, by certain signs
and gestures, given John Lander to understand, that although they
might vary very much in colour, yet that a kind of sympathy might
exist between their hearts, which would lead to a mutual
communication of happiness, so much desired at so great a distance
from his native land. John, however, either did not or would not
understand the language, which the sable beauty spoke; still her
conduct was not unnoticed by several other ladies of the seraglio,
and particularly by the shrivelled and the wizened, who hesitated not
to convey the intelligence to Ebo, who immediately paid a visit to
the travellers, out of pure compliment and good-will, as he said, at
the same time expressing his fears that the curiosity of his women
might be troublesome to them, and as it was by no means his wish, nor
that of his lord and sovereign, the king, that they should be
subjected to any species of annoyance, he had given directions for
the door-way to be instantly blocked up with mortar, which would
effectually prevent any further unpleasant intrusion on the part of
the women.

The Landers could evidently see the lurking motive for this extreme
attention of Ebo, to promote their comfort, nor were they in reality
displeased at it, for the society of the women was certainly at times
very unpl