from the other. I may be said to have been born
a Federalist; but this change of sentiment had prevented my ever giving a
Federal vote since attaining my majority.

Marble had entertained a strong dislike for England, ever since the
Revolution. But, at the same time, he had inherited the vulgar contempt of
his class for Frenchmen; and I must own that he had a fierce pleasure in
seeing the combatants destroy each other. Had we been near enough to
witness the personal suffering inflicted by the terrible wounds of a naval
combat, I make no doubt his feelings would have been different; but, as
things were, he only saw French and English ships tearing each other to
pieces. During the height of the affair, he observed to me:--"If this
Monsieur Gallois, and his bloody lugger, could only be brought into the
scrape, Miles, my mind would be contented. I should glory in seeing the
corvette and the Polisson scratching out each other's eyes, like two
fish-women, whose dictionaries have given out."

Neb and Diogenes regarded the whole thing very much as I suppose the
Caesars used to look upon the arena, when the gladiators were the most
blood-thirsty. The negroes would laugh, cry "golly!" or shake their heads
with delight, when half-a-dozen guns went off together; receiving the
reports as a sort of evidence that crashing work was going on, on board
the vessels. But I overheard a dialogue between these two children of
Africa, that may best explain their feelings:

"Which you t'ink whip, Neb?" Diogenes asked, with a grin that showed
every ivory tooth in his head.

"I t'ink 'em bot' get it smartly," answered my fellow. "You see how a
Speedy make quick work, eh?"

"I wish 'em go a _leetle_ nearer, Neb.--Some shot nebber hit, at all."

"Dat always so, cook, in battle. Dere! dat a smasher for John Bull!"

"He won't want to press more men just now. Eh! Neb?"

"Now you see Johnny Crepaud catch it! Woss! Dat cracks 'e cabin winders!"

"What dat to us, Neb? S'pose he eat one anoder, don't hurt us!"

Here the two spectators broke out into a loud fit of laughter, clapping
their hands, and swinging their bodies about, as if the whole thing were
capital fun. Diogenes was so much delighted when all the Black Prince's
spars went, that he actually began to dance; Neb regarding his antics with
a sort of good-natured sympathy. There is no question that man, at the
bottom, has a good deal of the wild beast in him, and that he can be
brought t