tain gave them accommodations in the cabin so long as
he had possession of the ship, which afforded the means of saving their
money, of which Tommy had much need; for notwithstanding he received a
nice present from the consul, and another from the Captain, which, added
to the few dollars that were coming to him for wages, made him feel
purse-proud, though it was far from being adequate to sustain him any
length of time, or to protect him against any sudden adversity.

The Captain had not seen little George, the secessionist, since his
assurance that he would make every thing right with Mr. Grimshaw,
and have Manuel out in less than twenty-four hours. It was now the
fourteenth of April, and the signs of his getting out were not so good
as they were on the first day he was committed, for the vessel being
condemned, if the law was carried to the strictest literal construction,
Manuel would be tied up among the human things that are articles of
merchandise in South Carolina. He was passing from the wharf to the
consul's office about ten o'clock in the morning, when he was suddenly
surprised in the street by little George, who shook his hand as if he
had been an old friend just returned after a long absence. He made
all the apologies in the world for being called away suddenly, and
consequently, unable to render that attention to his business which his
feelings had prompted. Like all secessionists, George was very fiery and
transitory in his feelings. He expressed unmeasurable surprise when the
Captain told him the condition of his man in the old jail. "You don't
say that men are restricted like that in Charleston? Well, now, I never
was in that jail, but it's unsuited to the hospitality of our society,"
said he.

"Your prison groans with abuses, and yet your people never hear them,"
replied the Captain.

George seemed anxious to change the subject, and commenced giving the
Captain a description of his journey to the plantation, his hunting and
fishing, his enjoyments, and the fat, saucy, slick niggers, the fine
corn and bacon they had, and what they said about massa, ending with an
endless encomium of the "old man's" old whiskey, and how he ripened it
to give it smoothness and flavor. His description of the plantation and
the niggers was truly wonderful, tantalizing the Captain's imagination
with the beauties of a growing principality in itself. "We have just
got a new vessel added to our ships, and she sails for the Pede