[5] In these excursions he was usually accompanied by an
old negro, called Jupiter, who had been manumitted[6] before the
reverses of the family, but who could be induced, neither by threats
nor by promises, to abandon what he considered his right of attendance
upon the footsteps of his young "Massa Will." It is not improbable
that the relatives of Legrand, conceiving him to be somewhat unsettled
in intellect, had contrived to instil this obstinacy into Jupiter,
with a view to the supervision and guardianship of the wanderer.
The winters in the latitude of Sullivan's Island are seldom very
severe, and in the fall of the year it is a rare event indeed when a
fire is considered necessary. About the middle of October, 18--, there
occurred, however, a day of remarkable chilliness. Just before sunset
I scrambled my way through the evergreens to the hut of my friend,
whom I had not visited for several weeks--my residence being at that
time in Charleston, a distance of nine miles from the island, while
the facilities of passage and re-passage were very far behind those of
the present day. Upon reaching the hut I rapped, as was my custom, and
getting no reply, sought for the key where I knew it was secreted,
unlocked the door, and went in. A fine fire was blazing upon the
hearth. It was a novelty, and by no means an ungrateful one. I threw
off an over-coat, took an armchair by the crackling logs, and awaited
patiently the arrival of my hosts.
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