Page 196 - Child's own book

them upon the other. Then the wall of the closet opened ;
hut, instead of the young lady, there came out a black, in the
habit of a slave, and of gigantic stature, with a great green

baton in his hand. He advanced towards the pan, and touching
(ine of the fishes with his baton, said to it, with a terrible voicc
“ Fish, art thou in thy duty?' At those words, the fishes
raised up their heads, and answered, Yes, yes, we are; if you
reckon, we reckon ■ if you pay your debts, we pay ours; if you
fly, we overcome, and are content/’ The fishes had no sooner
finished those words, but the black threw the pan into the
middle nf the closet, and rcduccd the fishes to a coal. Having
done this, he retired fiercely, and entering again into the hole
in the wall, it shut, and appeared just as it did before. The
sulran was very much surprised at what he had seen; and, as
he was a brave man, he resolved to know what it all meant, by
going himself to inquire ; therefore he got the direction to the