The woman was undoubtedly of negro
blood; but to Paul's profound astonishment, she had as fine a brogue as
her husband. After some conversation Paul ventured to ask the
captain how this happened. The latter laughed heartily and answered:
"Me wife wuz born far enough away from dear ould Ireland. Oi'll tell ye
how it wuz. Many years ago a parthy of immygrants left county Kerry for
Nassau, New Providence oisland. Their ship wuz driven far out av her way
in a sthorm an' wrecked on a small oisland in Flamingo Bay. A few av
thoze thet survived, settled on the oisland, an' soon had foine homes on
its fertile soil. They found only a few nager inhabitants, an' shure
they tuk thim fur servants. Me parents were among the survivors from the
ship an' Oi wuz born about a year afther the wreck. As toime went on,
the nagers gradually acquired the accent of their masthers. Whin Oi grow
up Oi shipped on a tradin' schooner in which we wus cast away near
Nassau. There Oi joined an English ship; n' fur foive years put in the
loife av a sailor forninst the mast. Me heart always longed fur the
sunlit, happy oisland an' me people an' at lasht Oi got back there, an'
there Oi married Betsy thet ye will see on her beam ends on the sofia.
Soon afther, in company with others, Oi bought fur a trifle, a schooner
that wuz wrecked on the Keys.
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