MARTIN RATTLER. 261

“Well, ye see, it happened this way. There’s a
custom hereaway that slaves are allowed to work on
Sundays and holidays on their own account; but
when the mines was a government consarn this was
not allowed, and the slaves were the most awful
thieves livin’, and often made off with some o’ the
largest dimonds. Well, there was a man named
Juiz de Paz, who owned a small shop, and used to go
down now and then to Rio de Janeiro to buy goods.
Wan evenin’ he returned from wan o’ his long
journeys, and, bein’ rather tired, wint to bed. He
was jist goin’ off into a comfortable doze when there
came a terrible bumpin’ at the door.

“* Hallo!” cried Juiz, growlin’ angrily in the
Portugee tongue; ‘ what d’ye want ?’

“There was no answer but another bumpin’ at the
door. So up he jumps, and, takin’ down a big
blunderbuss that hung over his bed, opened the door,
an’ seized a Naygur be the hair o’ the head!

“«Q massa! O massa! let him go! Got dimond
for to sell!’

“On hearin’ this, Juiz let go, and found that the
slave had come to offer for sale a large dimond,
which weighed about two pennyweights and a third.

“« What d’ye ask for it?’ said Juiz, with sparklin’

eyes.