Your Majesty," I said; "God's good, God looks after his
servants."

"De Lord is merciful," he answered gravely; "God takes care of his
children. Be seated, sar, and please excuse my not rising, my rheumatism
is a sore affliction to me. But de Lord is good, de Lord giveth and de
Lord He taketh away--and de holy text includes rheumatism too--as I have
told my poor wandering flock many a Sabbath evening."

And he smiled in a sly self-satisfied way at his pious pun. "The old
fellow is far from being crazy," I said to myself.

I was not long in getting to the subject of my visit. The old man
listened to me with great composure, but with a marked accession of
mysterious importance in his manner. So mediaeval astrologers drew down
their brows with a solemn assumption of supernatural wisdom when
consulted by some noble client--noble, but pitiably mortal in the
presence of their hidden knowledge. He had put his book down as I
talked. I noticed that he had been holding it--like his royal
arms--upside down.

"It's true, sar," he said, when I had finished, "I could find it for
you. I could find it for you, sure enough; and I'm de only man in all de
islands dat could. But I should have to go wid you, and it's de Lord's
will to keep me here in dis chair wid rheumatics. O! I don't murmur. It
is de Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes. De rods has turned
in dese old hands many a time, and I have faith in de Lord dey would
turn again--yes. I'd find it for you; sure enough. I'd find it if any
man could--and it was de Lord's will. But mebbe I can see it for you
widout moving from dis chair. For when de Lord takes away one gift from
his servants, he gives dem another. It is His will dat dese 'ere old
legs are stiff and can carry me round no more. So wot does de good Lord
do? He says: 'Nebber mind dem ole legs; nebber mind dem ole weary eyes;
sit jus' whar yuh are,' says de Lord, 'nebber min' no movin' round.' De
Lord do wondrous things to his faithful followers; He opens de eyes of
de spirit, so, having no eyes, dey shall see. Hallelujah! Glory be to de
Lord!--see down into de bowels of de earth, see thousands of miles away
just as plain as dis room--"

He had worked himself up to a sort of religious ecstasy, as I had seen
the revivalist sect he belonged to, known as the Holy Jumpers, do at
their curious services.

"Do you mean, brother, that the Lord has given you second sight?"

"Dat am it! Glory to His name, Hallelujah