tuation, and the shattered frame through which Clump had
struggled, he took the joke, and broke into the most elephantine
convulsions of laughter that I ever heard or witnessed. For half a
minute, at least, he shook and shook internally, and then exploded. An
explosion was no sooner finished than the internal spasm recommenced,
and so he went on until I really feared he might injure himself. After
five minutes of such attack, he managed to draw out his bandanna and
cover his face with it, and then, whilst we watched his figure shaking
and quivering, we heard, like groans, from beneath the handkerchief, "Oh
ur-rh-ha--ar--uh! Bless me!" When he took down his handkerchief and
happened to see Juno rising from her knees, he swelled up again like a
balloon, and then eased off gradually in splutterings and moans as a
dying porpoise. After which, he went and pacified Juno, and tried to
explain to her what a wicked trick we had been guilty of, and that the
band of smugglers, after all, were only the boys she knew so well, and
he proceeded to disrobe us, one by one, so that the old woman might
comprehend the joke. And so she did, but she sat motionless for a time,
until some portion of her usual composure returned; and then she got up
with many a sigh and mutterings of "Ki! ki! tink dat's wicked--frite ole
Juno so--oh Lor!" but before tea was served, I heard her chuckling
slyly, and turning towards us again and again as she poured the hot milk
on the toast she was dishing up. We meantime were employed in peeling,
and by degrees got restored to our usual appearance, and we then hurried
up to our rooms to wash off the rouge and the marks of burnt cork with
which our faces were covered. But the Captain sat down and shook
quietly for a long while, the tears rolling down his face, and his
fingers opening and closing convulsively on the handkerchief. And when
tea was quite ready, he went off to hunt up Clump.

Mr Clare came in soon after, but we had, by that time, got the better
of the fun, and removed all traces of the commotion. When the Captain
joined us at the table, he had another laughing spasm before he could
say or eat anything; but for the remainder of the evening he controlled
himself pretty well, only breaking out about half a dozen times, and
blowing his nose until it was very red and swollen. However, Mr Clare
never heard of the way the poor negroes had been frightened by a
practical joke, a thing he particularl