176 A JEALOUS HUSBAND: be very scrupulous about receiving them, so poor Josef being aware of his wife's weakness, and that there where he had garnered up his heart,' he was most ruthlessly deceived, became a prey to jealousy, and eager for revenge. Selina's claims to beauty consisted in a jet black skin, a laughing face, plenty of white teeth, and a tolerable figure; she was, in short, the black belle of the island, and gave herself all the ordinary and accustomed airs of a reigning beauty. On the proceedings of this fickle dark one did the injured husband keep a watchful eye, and in order the better to arrive at the truth, he one day ensconced himself in an obscure corner of the overseer's own house, whence he could (without being seen himself) follow the movements and hear the conversation of the friends, as they walked backwards and forwards under the wooden verandah of the building. Poor Josef, Haply, for he was black,' and had not 'soft parts of conversation;' he did not quite re-echo the words of the poet I had rather be a toad, but for all that his jealousy was neither less violent, nor his vengeance less signal, than that of the misguided Moor. In a fit of the wildest exasperation, he flew to his hut, and commenced sharpening his HIS REVENGE AND DEATH. 177 axe, in preparation for the deed of retribution which he meditated. But I will not dwell upon the painful detailsthat very night Josef murdered the overseer, and after having, with another blow, inflicted a ghastly wound on his faithless wife, he fled for safety to the woods. The momentary shelter afforded by the small groves of trees which grow on the island was soon found by the unhappy fugitive to be insufficient for the purpose of securing him from discovery. The numerous scouts who were sent in search of him lined the wood in every direction, and finding himself hotly pursued, the unhappy wretch at length made for the sugar-house, and took refuge behind the boiler. A powerful and well armed man at bay, strengthened with the courage which despair can give, was what no man on the island had courage to face. Notwithstanding the repeated orders that were given, no one could be found willing to come to close quarters with the man, who evidently intended to sell his life as dearly as he could; so, at length, despairing of taking him by any other means, they shot him where he stood. It was a sad story, for Josef had been a general favourite, and the provocations he had endured went far to justify the act he had committed. Neither his death, nor that of the overseer, made 178 SPANISH SLAVE-OWNERS. any impression on his wife; she recovered from her wounds, and became, as was evident to us, (from the ill-concealed jealousy of the others,) the favourite slave of old Don Ribiera. The negroes being (as is well known) a most superstitious race, the horror they evinced of the spot where their companion was killed was very great. No one among them would venture alone, and after dark, into the sugar-house, unless absolutely compelled to do so; and this fact having come to the ears of the overseer, it became a favourite punishment with him, (and a most cruel one it was,) to cause such slaves as had been guilty of trifling offences, to pass the night alone in the dreaded spot, where they imagined the ghost of their deceased comrade to be continually lurking. We remained three days on the famed island of Barataria, riding on horseback daily, and making our observations on the state and condition of the negroes, which observations were not, on the whole, very favourable either to the owner or his system; in short, from all I have been able to gather during our sojourn in slave countries, I have arrived at the conviction that the Spaniards are harder taskmasters, and less fitted in every way for the great responsibility of slave property, than either the French or the Americans. I had the same impression when I visited Cuba, and in the Gulf of NEGRO CUNNING. 179 Mexico I have seen no opinion. reason to change my We took our departure in a very pretty and fast sailing schooner of about twenty tons-the property of the Lord of the Isle,' who accompanied us part of the way on our return. The chattering women accompanied me to the water's edge, kissing my hand, and a few of them even contriving to shed some unnatural tears on our departure. We had of course left a few dollars with them, in return for their obsequious attendance, but I confess that I was not prepared to find that (not content with their legitimate gains) they had emptied my purse! ''Twas something,' and on taking it out soon after our embarkation, I found to my dismay that ''twas nothing! Though my dollars had 'enriched' the Selinas' and 'Angelinas' of the Barataria plantation, they had left me poor indeed,' and poorer perhaps in my good opinion of the black race than in anything else, for the idea I had formerly entertained of their skill in cunning and trickery was by no means lessened by this last Occurrence. ་ We had nothing in our schooner, by way of cargo, but Indian corn; this was thrown loosely into the vessel, which was not decked, and as the husks were still on the corn, the produce formed an agreeable seat. On it we reclined in luxurious indolence, the old Spaniard smoking his pipe in dignified silence, and a favourable breeze wafting us gently over the smooth and sunlit sea; we all agreed that it was real and positive enjoyment, and were very far from wishing our sail to be terminated, when we came in sight of some more low land, on which was the sugar plantation belonging to our friend, Mr. B |