Under this superincumbent weight I had long struggled to stand. It kept bearing down more and more heavily upon the root of my brain: the anguish became insufferable, but I still nobly essayed to keep my footing, with a defiance and a pride that savoured of impious presumption. At length I felt completely overcome, and exclaimed, "God of mercy, relieve me! the burthen is more than I can bear." Then commenced the havoc in this temple, that was my head, and was not; there were the toppling down of the vast columns, the crushing of the several architraves, the grinding together of the rich entablatures; the breaking up, with noise louder than ever thunder was heard by man, of the marble pavements; the ruins crushed together in one awful confusion above me;--nature could do no more, and my dream slept. The sun was at its meridian height when I awoke the next day in health, with every sensation renewed, and that, too, in the so sweet a feeling that makes the mere act of living delightful. I found nothing remarkable, but that I had been subjected to a profuse perspiration. Miss Bellarosa met me at breakfast all triumph, and I was all gratitude. I was very hungry, and as playful as a schoolboy who had just procured a holiday. "Eh! Massa Ralph, suppose no marry me to-day--what for you say no yes to dat?" "Because, dear Bella, you wouldn't have me." "Try--you ask me," said she, looking at me with a fondness not quite so maternal as I could wish. "Bella, dearest, will you marry me?" "For true?" "For true." "Tanky, Massa Rattlin, dear, tanky; you make me very happy; but, for true, no. Were you older more fifteen year, or me more fifteen year younger, perhaps--but tank ye much for de comblement. Now go, and tell buckra doctor." So, as I could not reward my kind physician with my hand, which, by-the-by, I should not have offered had I not been certain of refusal, I was obliged to force upon her as splendid a trinket as I could purchase, for a keepsake, and gave my sable nurses a handful of bits each. Bits of what? say the uninitiated. I don't know whether I have described this fever case very nosologically, but, very truly I know I have. CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR. A NEW CHARACTER INTRODUCED, WHO CLAIMETH OLD ACQUAINTANCESHIP--NOT VERY HONEST BY HIS OWN ACCOUNT, WHICH GIVETH HIM MORE THE APPEARANCE OF HONESTY THAN HE DESERVETH--HE PROVETH TO BE A STEWARD NOT INCLINED TO HIDE HIS TALENT IN A NAPKIN. During all the time that these West Indian events had been occurring, that is, nearly three years, I had no other communication with England than regularly and repeatedly sending there various pieces of paper thus headed, "This, my first of exchange, my second and third not paid;" or for variety's sake, "This, my second of exchange, my first and third," etcetera; or, to be more various still, "This, my third, my first and second,"--all of which received more attention than their strange phraseology seemed to entitle them to.