Whether Mr.
Bransome got to know of this, and was offended at it, I do not know, but
shortly afterward he ceased to live with us.
There was between the factory and the sea, and a little to the right of
the former, a small wooden cottage which had been allowed to fall into a
dilapidated state from want of some one to live in it. This Mr. Bransome
gave orders to the native carpenters to repair and make weather-tight;
and when they had done so, he caused a quantity of furniture to be
brought from St. Paul de Loanda and placed within in it. Then he
transferred himself and his baggage to the cottage.
Jackson displayed complete indifference to this change on the part of
the agent. In fact, there had been, ever since the arrival of the latter
upon the Point, and in spite of apparent friendliness, a perceptible
breach, widening daily, between the two men. As to the reason of this I
had my own suspicions, for I had made the discovery that Jackson had for
some time past been drinking very heavily.
In addition to the brandy which we white men had for our own use, I had,
to my horror, found out that he was secretly drinking the coarse
and fiery rum that was sold to the natives; and as I remembered the
mutterings and moanings that had formerly alarmed me, I wondered that I
had not guessed the cause of them at the time; but until the arrival of
Mr.
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