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Page 6
We thanked the young lady, and said we didn't wish to be
troublesome; but, she said it could be no trouble to an English
soldier's daughter, to show English soldiers how their countrymen
and country-women fared, so far away from England; and consequently
we saluted again, and went in. Then, as we stood in the shade, she
showed us (being as affable as beautiful), how the different
families lived in their separate houses, and how there was a general
house for stores, and a general reading-room, and a general room for
music and dancing, and a room for Church; and how there were other
houses on the rising ground called the Signal Hill, where they lived
in the hotter weather.
"Your officer has been carried up there," she said, "and my brother,
too, for the better air. At present, our few residents are
dispersed over both spots: deducting, that is to say, such of our
number as are always going to, or coming from, or staying at, the
Mine."
("He is among one of those parties," I thought, "and I wish somebody
would knock his head off.")
"Some of our married ladies live here," she said, "during at least
half the year, as lonely as widows, with their children."
"Many children here, ma'am?"
"Seventeen. There are thirteen married ladies, and there are eight
like me."
There were not eight like her--there was not one like her--in the
world. She meant single.
"Which, with about thirty Englishmen of various degrees," said the
young lady, "form the little colony now on the Island. I don't
count the sailors, for they don't belong to us. Nor the soldiers,"
she gave us a gracious smile when she spoke of the soldiers, "for
the same reason."
"Nor the Sambos, ma'am," said I.
"No."
"Under your favour, and with your leave, ma'am," said I, "are they
trustworthy?"
"Perfectly! We are all very kind to them, and they are very
grateful to us."
"Indeed, ma'am? Now--Christian George King?--"
"Very much attached to us all. Would die for us."
She was, as in my uneducated way I have observed, very beautiful
women almost always to be, so composed, that her composure gave
great weight to what she said, and I believed it.
Then, she pointed out to us the building like a powder magazine, and
explained to us in what manner the silver was brought from the mine,
and was brought over from the mainland, and was stored here. The
Christopher Columbus would have a rich lading, she said, for there
had been a great yield that year, a much richer yield than usual,
and there was a chest of jewels besides the silver.
When we had looked about us, and were getting sheepish, through
fearing we were troublesome, she turned us over to a young woman,
English born but West India bred, who served her as her maid. This
young woman was the widow of a non-commissioned officer in a
regiment of the line. She had got married and widowed at St.
Vincent, with only a few months between the two events. She was a
little saucy woman, with a bright pair of eyes, rather a neat little
foot and figure, and rather a neat little turned-up nose. The sort
of young woman, I considered at the time, who appeared to invite you
to give her a kiss, and who would have slapped your face if you
accepted the invitation.
I couldn't make out her name at first; for, when she gave it in
answer to my inquiry, it sounded like Beltot, which didn't sound
right. But, when we became better acquainted--which was while
Charker and I were drinking sugar-cane sangaree, which she made in a
most excellent manner--I found that her Christian name was Isabella,
which they shortened into Bell, and that the name of the deceased
non-commissioned officer was Tott. Being the kind of neat little
woman it was natural to make a toy of--I never saw a woman so like a
toy in my life--she had got the plaything name of Belltott. In
short, she had no other name on the island. Even Mr. Commissioner
Pordage (and he was a grave one!) formally addressed her as Mrs.
Belltott, but, I shall come to Mr. Commissioner Pordage presently.
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