bull, ah! what? Now you take'e him! treat him
like man, den we no 'struct to laws wat South Carolina got," continued
he.

Mr. Grimshaw thanked the captain, but made no reply about the manacles;
taking them in his hand, and handing the boy over into the charge of
Dusenberry. In a few minutes he was ushered into the sheriff's office,
and the important points of his dimensions and features noted
in accordance with the law. We are not advised whether the pert
characteristics of his nature were emblazoned,--if they were, the record
would describe a singular specimen of a frightened French darkie, more
amusing than judicial. But John Baptiste Pamerlie passed the ordeal,
muttering some rotten Creole, which none of the officials could
understand, and was marched off to the jail, where the jailer acted as
his interpreter. Being so small, he was allowed more latitude to ware
and haul than the others, while his peculiar bon point and pert
chatter afforded a fund of amusement for the prisoners, who made him a
particular butt, and kept up an incessant teasing to hear him jabber.
The second day of his imprisonment he received a loaf of bread in
the morning, and a pint of greasy water, misnamed soup. That was the
allowance when they did not take meat. He ran down-stairs with the pan
in hand, raising an amusing fuss, pointing at it, and spitting out his
Creole to the jailer. He was disputing the question of its being soup,
and his independent manner had attracted a number of the prisoners. Just
at the moment, the prison dog came fondling against his legs, and to
decide the question, quick as thought, he set the pan before him; and as
if acting upon an instinctive knowledge of the point at issue, the dog
put his nose to it, gave a significant scent, shook his head and walked
off, to the infinite delight of the prisoners, who sent forth a shout of
acclamation. Baptiste left his soup, and got a prisoner, who could speak
Creole, to send for his captain, who came on the next morning and
made arrangements to relieve his condition from the ship's stores. The
following day he whipped one of the jailer's boys in a fair fight; and
on the next he killed a duck, and on the fourth he cut a white prisoner.
Transgressing the rules of the jail in rejecting his soup-violating the
laws of South Carolina making it a heinous offence for a negro to strike
or insult a white person--committing murder on a duck--endeavoring to
get up a fandango among the yar