Compared with the Cockney, he was grave, and rather taciturn; but there was a deal of good old humour bottled up in him, after all.

For the rest, he was frank, good-hearted, shrewd, and resolute; and like Shorty, quite illiterate.
Though a curious conjunction, the pair got along together famously.
But, as no two men were ever united in any enterprise without one getting the upper hand of the other, so in most matters Zeke had his own way.

Shorty, too, had imbibed from him a spirit of invincible industry; and Heaven only knows what ideas of making a fortune on their plantation.
We were much concerned at this; for the prospect of their setting us, in their own persons, an example of downright hard labour, was anything but agreeable.

But it was now too late to repent what we had done.
The first day--thank fortune--we did nothing.

Having treated us as guests thus far, they no doubt thought it would be wanting in delicacy to set us to work before the compliments of the occasion were well over.