Frederick Marryat

“ Mesty made no reply: anyone who knows the life of a midshipman's servant will not be surprised at his silence.
"Now, tell me, do you think you were right in being so revengeful, when you were in your own country?" inquired Jack.
"I tink so den, Massa Easy; sometimes when my blood boil, I tink so now—oder time, I no know what to tink—but when a man love very much, he hate very much."
"But you are now a Christian, Mesty."
"I hear all that your people say," replied the negro, "and it make me tink—I no longer believe in fetish, anyhow."
"Our religion tells us to love our enemies." ”

“ By de power, I hate him, and wish I had him skull. You tink little Massa Gossett love him?"
"No," replied Jack, laughing, "I'm afraid that he would like to have his skull as well as you, Mesty—but at all events we must try and forgive those who injure us."
"Then, Massa Easy, I tink so too—too much revenge very bad—it very easy to hate, but not very easy to forgive—so I tink that if a man forgive, he hab more soul in him, he more of a man."
"After all," thought Jack, "Mesty is about as good a Christian as most people." ”

“ Now, Mesty, you know the compass on deck has a flourishing thing for the north point—and here is a compass with a north point also. Now the north point from the Zaffarine Islands leads out to the Spanish coast again, and Gibraltar lies five or six points of the compass to this side of it—if we steer that way we shall get to Gibraltar. ”

“ I don't know how, but all the slaves feared me, and my master feared me, for he had seen the man die, and he, although he was a white man, believed in fetish, and he wished to sell me again, but no one would buy a fetish man, so he made friends with me ”