A wealthy family have recently moved into a rather large old house. Left behind in the cellar they come across a number of massive oak barrels. The father is all set to have them chopped up and thrown out, but as he makes a quick inspection he discovers that one is still full. Well, he figures, why waste a good thing. He has the barrel tapped.
The whole family gather round as he extracts the first of the liquid from the barrel. It is amber-coloured, and gives off a strong fruity smell. After a thorough inspection, the father has a taste. "It's rum," he exclaims in delight.
And so the family start to enjoy their happy find. It lasts for months, through puddings, after-dinner drinks, nightcaps. At last, after several months, the barrel is all but empty, and the father sadly decides that it's time for it to be broken up and taken away like all the others. To save time and money he decides that he'll do the job himself.
Grabbing a hatchet, he sets about dismantling the barrel. It's a struggle to begin with, but eventually he manages to stave in the top. Peering down into the murky depths he sees something strange. At first he cannot distinguish what it is; some large and lumpy shape sitting at an angle at the bottom of the barrel. He goes to fetch a torch, and shines it down into the dark. What he sees almost makes him sick with disgust. The lumpy thing is a dead body, perfectly preserved after years left floating in the rum.
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