moved to a place of
superior accommodation--I suspect to our tumble-down, rickety stable;
but, as we wanted his room more than his company, we did not complain of
this. Mammy Gobo was no respecter of persons, and I was glad to find
that she attended on Tom with as much care as she had done on me. The
poor fellow was very grateful.

"Ah, sir," he said, "though that 'ere nigger woman has got a black skin,
to my mind she has as good and red a heart in her body as any
white-faced person. It's just the painting of the outside which ain't
altogether according to our notions; but after all, sir, beauty is, as
you know, sir, only skin deep."

I fully agreed with him on this point, and at that moment poor Mammy
Gobo was more welcome to our sight than the most beautiful creature in
existence. What cooling drinks she concocted out of herbs and simples,
and what delicious messes out of various sorts of vegetables and fruits
and roots, the productions of that fruitful climate! However, Mammy
Gobo could not always attend on us, for she had several other patients
and had to look after her own affairs at home. During her absence our
poor chickens fared but ill, for we could not go out to collect food for
them, and the supply we had before stored up was soon expended. They,
in consequence, had to go forth to forage for themselves. At first they
came back regularly enough, but then we remarked that one was missing;
then next day another did not make its appearance, and so on the third
day two were missing. In a few days half our stock were lost. We told
Mammy Gobo of what had occurred, and she said she would try and find out
who had robbed us. When, however, she was present, all the chickens
came back. We certainly did not suspect her of being the thief, but we
felt sure that the real thieves watched her movements and ran off with
our fowls when she was out of the way. We were compelled also to kill
several of our stock of chickens for food, Mammy Gobo having especially
prescribed chicken-broth when we became somewhat convalescent. They
were now reduced to a very small number. One by one they also
disappeared till none remained, and then we were indeed in a very
miserable and forlorn condition. We were still too ill, however, to
think much of the future, but we found it impossible to supply even our
present wants; and had not the kind-hearted black woman catered for us,
assuring the hucksters that I was certain to recove