"Captain, I want that nigger boy of yourn, and you may just as well
give him up peaceably," said he.
"Yes, monsieur,--but you no treat 'im like child wen you get 'im,"
said the captain. Retiring to the cabin, and bringing back the
broken manacles in his hand, he held them up to Mr. Grimshaw, "You
put such dem thing on child like 'im, in South Carolina, ah? What
you tink 'im be, young nigger, ox, horse, bull, ah! what? Now you
take'e him! treat him like man, den we no 'struct to laws wat South
Carolina got," continued he.
Mr. Grimshaw thanked the captain, but made no reply about the
manacles; taking them in his hand, and handing the boy over into the
charge of Dusenberry. In a few minutes he was ushered into the
sheriff's office, and the important points of his dimensions and
features noted in accordance with the law. We are not advised
whether the pert characteristics of his nature were
emblazoned,--if they were, the record would describe a singular
specimen of a frightened French darkie, more amusing than judicial.
But John Baptiste Pamerlie passed the ordeal, muttering some rotten
Creole, which none of the officials could understand, and was
marched off to the jail, where the jailer acted as his interpreter.
Being so small, he was allowed more latitude to ware and haul than
the others, while his peculiar bon point and pert chatter afforded a
fund of amusement for the prisoners, who made him a particular butt,
and kept up an incessant teasing to hear him jabber.
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