Manuel Pereira; Or, The Sovereign Rule of South CarolinaAdams, F. Colburn (Francis Colburn)
General
Manuel Pereira; Or, The Sovereign Rule of South Carolina
Adams, F. Colburn (Francis Colburn)
African Americans -- Fiction; Biographical fiction; Pereira, Manuel -- Fiction; South Carolina -- Fiction
I've an affection for the old thing after all, and can't part without
saying God bless her, for it's an honest death to die in debt to the
underwriters. I hope her old bones will rest in peace on terra-firma.
Good-by, Captain,--remember me to Manuel; and let us forget our troubles
in Charleston by keeping away from it.”
CHAPTER XXV. GEORGE THE SECESSIONIST, AND HIS FATHER'S SHIPS.
AS we have said, the second mate and little Tommy remained to seek
new voyages. Such was the fact with the second mate; but Tommy
had contracted a violent cold on the night he was locked up in the
guard-house, and had been a subject for the medicine-chest for some
time; and this, with his ardent attachment for Manuel, and hopes to
join him again as a sailing companion, was the chief inducement for his
remaining. The Captain 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account