overseer insisted on speaking to him immediately. He reported that there
were no fresh burials in the scrub land that had been set aside for the
purpose. When he confronted the witch doctor the man smiled wickedly and
assured him no graves were required.

The residents in the manor house were used to the sound
of joyless singing coming from the slave quarters in the evening. When the
sickness came the sound changed to something akin to a primitive worship service.
The singing faded away over the next two days. The overseer, who alone could
communicate with the slaves, feared to approach their quarters, and the next
morning when the overseer failed to report for instructions, Colbert took his
gun and stormed over to the man’s cabin in a rage. When he returned Margarate
found him pale and shaken.He mumbled something about blood on the floor and
the man being gone. Colbert lingered indoors for the rest of the day, drank
himself into a stupor and fell asleep in the drawing room on the ground floor.
Margarate retired and heard nothing during the night. When she awoke in the
morning, he was gone. Later that same day our ship had arrived. She knew not
whether he was dead or alive and she didn’t care.

She shared with us stories her mother had told her.

While we were talking, the black housekeeper
brought food. She lingered around the room fussing with one thing or another
until at last her mistress lost patience and told her to get out. Hector
intervened and asked her what she had to say. I can scarcely credit what she
told us even now.