Great earthquake come up one night an' swallowed de
whole town an only a few yeahs ago, when de watah was right cleah, yo'
could see de tops ob some ob de houses still standin' at de
bottom. I belibe Lucinda Nelson, sah, fur she's a great 'oman an' known
a heap ob tings. Niggah folks all go to her fur hoodoos an' chahms an' I
reckon she mus' be close on two hun' yeahs ole."
Captain Balbo who was laying close by did not seem to pay much attention
to the story of Port Royal Tom. He had heard it often before; but he
pricked up his ears when Lucinda was mentioned and eagerly questioned
the pilot as to her present whereabouts. Turning to Paul, he said:
"Oi've heard a good dale about, this fortune-teller, an' Oi intind to
visit her; she may be able to put us onto somethin' good" Paul laughed
at the idea of her knowing anything about wrecks or sunken treasure;
but the captain persisted in his determination to find her when they
landed.
The wind having dropped, the schooner was becalmed and lazily pitched
around on the gentle swell. The captain called loudly to his help-
mate Betsy to bring up some fresh cigars and a bottle of grog and
settled himself more comfortably on deck to enjoy the pilot's stories.
"Have you ever seen Port Royal Tom?" Paul asked the captain.
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