| | Leaving the United Nation of Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians, Henry continued his travel in this the roughest apparently of all the States. Armed with bowie knives and revolvers openly carried belted around the person,he who displays the greatest number of deadly weapons seems to be considered the greatest man. The most fearful incivility and absence of refinement was apparent throughout this region. Neither the robes of State nor gown of authority is sufficient to check the vengeance of awakened wrath in Arkansas. Law is but a fable, its ministration a farce, and the pillars of justice but as stubble before the approach of these legal invaders. |
| | Hurriedly passing on in the darkness of the night, Henry suddenly came upon a procession in the wilderness, slowly and silently marching on, the cortege consisting principally of horsemen, there being but one vehicle, advanced by four men on horseback. Their conversation seemed at intervals of low, muttering, awe-stricken voices. The vehicle was closely covered, and of a sad, heavy sound by the rattling of the wheels upon the unfinished path of the great Arkansas road. Here he sat in silence listening, waiting for the passage of the solemn procession, but a short distance from whence in the thicket stood the hut of the slave to whom he was sent. |
| | ' Ole umin ! done yeh heah some 'un trampin' round de house ? Hush I eve-droppehs 'bout!' admonished Uncle Jerry. |
| | ' Who dat ?' enquired Aunt Rachel, as Henry softly rapped at the back window. |
| 5 | ' A friend !' was the reply. |
| | ' What saut frien' dat go sneak roun' people back windah stid comin' to de doh !' |
| | ' Hush, ole umin, yeh too fas' ! how yeh know who 'tis? Frien', come roun' to de doh,' said the old man. |
| | Passing quickly around, the door was opened, a blazing hot fire shining full in his face, the old man holding in his hand a heavy iron poker in the attitude of defence. |
| | ' Is dis you, my frien'?' enquired Uncle Jerry, to whom Henry was an entire stranger. |
| 10 | ' Yes, Uncle, this is me,' replied he. |
| | ' God bless yeh, honey! come in; we didn know 'twos you, chile! God bless de baby !' added Aunt Rachel. ' Ole man, heah yeh comin' an' we been lookin' all-day-long. Dis evenin' I git some suppeh, an' I don'o if yeh come uh no.' |
| | ' How did you know I was coming, Aunty?' |
| | ' O ! honey, da tell us,' replied she. |
| | 'Who told you?' |
| 15 | ' De folks up dah.' |
| | 'Up where?' |
| | ' Up dah, 'mong de Injins, chile.' |
| | ' Indians told you ?' |
| | ' No, honey ; some de black folks, da all'as gwine back and for'ard, and da lahn heap from dem up dah ; an' da make 'ase an' tell us.' |
| 20 | ' Can you get word from each other so far apart, that easy ?' |
| | ' Yes 'ndeed, honey ! some on 'em all de time gwine ; wite folks know nothin' 'bout it. Some time some on 'em gone two-three day, an' ain miss ; white folks tink da in the woods choppin'.' |
| | ' Why, that's the very thing ! you're ahead of all the other States. You folks in Arkansas must be pretty well organized already. |
| | ' Wat dat yeh mean, chile, dat' organ' so ?' |
| | ' I mean by that, Aunty, a good general secret understanding among yourselves.' |
| 25 | ' Ah, chile ! dat da is. Da comin' all de time, ole man hardly time to eat mou'full wen 'e come in de hut night.' |
| | ' Tell me, Aunty, why people like you and Uncle here, who seem to be at the head of these secrets, are not more cautious with me, a stranger ?' |
| | ' Ole umin, I lisenin at yeh !' said Uncle Jerry, after enough had been told to betray them ; but the old people well understood each other, Aunt Rachel by mutual consent being the mouth-piece. |
| | ' How we knows you!' rejoined the old woman ; wy, chile, yeh got mahk dat so soon as we put eye on yeh, we knows yeh. Huccum yeh tink we gwine tell yeh so much wen we don'o who yeh is? Sho ! chile, we ain' dat big fool!' |
| | 'Then you know my errand among you aunty?' |
| 30 | ' Yes, meh son, dat we does, an' we long been waitin' foh some sich like you to come mong, us. We thang God dis night in ouh soul ! We long been lookin' foh ye chile!' replied Uncle Jerry. |
| | ' You are closely watched in this State, I should think, Uncle.' |
| | ' Yes, chile, de patrolas da all de time out an' gwine in de quahtehs an' huntin' up black folks wid der ' nigga-dogs' as da call 'em.' |
| | ' I suppose you people scarcely ever get a chance to go anywhere, then ?' |
| | ' God bless yeh, honey, da blacks do'n mine dem noh der ' nigga-dogs' nutha. Patrolas feahd uh de black folks, an' da black folks charm de dogs, so da cahn heht 'em,' said Aunt Rachel. |
| 35 | ' I see you understand yourselves ! Now, what is my best way to get along through the State ?' |
| | ' Keep in de thicket, chile, as da patrolas feahd to go in de woods, da feahd runaway ketch 'em ! Keep in da woods, chile, an' da ain' goin' dah bit ! Da talk big, and sen' der dog, but da ain' goin' honey !' continued the old woman. |
| | ' Ah spose, meh son, yeh know how to chaum dogs ?' enquired Uncle Jerry. |
| | ' I understand the mixed bull, but not the full bred Cuba dog,' replied Henry. |
| | ' Well, chile, da keep boph kine heah, de bull dog an' bloodhoun' an' fo' yeh go, I lahn yeh how to fix 'em all! Da come sneakin, up to yeh ! da cahn bite yeh !' |
| 40 | ' Thank you, uncle Jerry ! I'll try and do as much for you in some way.' |
| | ' Yeh no call foh dat, meh son ; it ain' nothin' mo' nah onh——' |
| | ' Hush ! ole man ; ain' dat dem ?' admonished Aunt Rachel, in a whisper, as she went to the door, thrusting out her head in the dark. |
| | ' Who ! Patrols ?' with anxiety enquired Henry. |
| | ' No chile, de man da kill down yondah ; all day long da been lookin' foh 'em to come.' |
| 45 | ' A procession passed just before I came to your door, which I took for a funeral.' |
| | ' Yes, chile, dat's it, da kill im down dah.' |
| | On enquiry, it appeared that in the Senate a misunderstanding on the rules of order and parliamentary usage occurred, when the Speaker conceiving himself insulted by the Senator who had the floor, deliberately arose from his chair, when approaching the Senator, drove a bowie-knife through his body from the chest, which laid him a corpse upon the Senate floor. |
| | ' There he is ! there he is !' stormed the assassin, pointing with defiance at the lifeless body, his hand still reeking with blood. ' I did it!' slapping his hand upon his own breast in triumph of his victory. |
| | They had just returned with the body of the assassinated statesman to the wretched home of his distracted family, some ten miles beyond the hut of Uncle Jerry. |
| 50 | ' Is this the way they treat each other here, Aunty?' |
| | ' Yes, chile, wus den dat ! da kill one-notha in cole blood, sometime at de table eatin'. Da all'as choppin' up some on 'em.' |
| | ' Then you black people must have a poor chance among them, if this is the way they do each other !' |
| | ' Mighty po', honey ; mighty po' indeed !' replied Uncle Jerry. |
| | ' Well, Uncle, it's now time I was doing something ; I've been here some time resting. Aunty, see to your windows and door ; are there any cracks in the walls !' |
| 55 | ' No, honey, da dob good !' whispered the old woman as a well-patched woollen quilt to shield the door was hung, covering nearly one side of the hut, and a thickly-patched linsey gown fully shielded the only window of four eight by ten lights. |
| | These precautions taken, they drew together in a corner between the head of the bed and well-daubed wall to hold their seclusion. |
| | 'Laud!' exclaimed Uncle Jerry, after the secrets were fully imparted to them; 'make beah dine all conquering ahm! Strike off de chains dat dy people may go free! Come, Laud! a little nigh, eh!' |
| | ' Honah to 'is name !' concorded Aunt Rachel. ' Wuthy all praise ! Tang God foh wat I seen an' heahn dis night! ah night long to be membed! Meh soul feels it! It is heah!' pressing her hand upon her breast, exclaimed she. |
| | ' Amen! Laud heah de cry uh dy childen ! Anseh prah !' responded the old man, in tears ; when Aunt Rachel in a strain of sorrowful pathos, sung to the expressive words in the slaves' lament: |
| | |
| 60 | ' In eighteen hundred and twenty-three |
| | They said their people should be free ! |
| | It is wrote in Jeremiah, |
| | Come and go along with me ! |
| | It is wrote in Jeremiah, |
| 65 | Go sound the Jubilee !' |
| | |
| | At the conclusion of the last line, a sudden sharp rap at the door startled them, when the old woman, hastening, took down the quilt, enquiring, |
| | ' Who dat ?' |
| | ' Open the door, Rachel!' was the reply, in an authoritative tone from a posse of patrols, who on going their evening rounds were attracted to the place by the old people's devotion, and stood sometime listening around the hut. |
| | 'You seem to be happy here, Jerry:' said Ralph Jordon, the head of the party. 'What boy is this you have here?' |
| 70 | 'Major Morgan's, sir,' replied Henry, referring to the proprietor of the next plantation above. |
| | 'I don't remember seeing you before, boy,' continued Jordon. |
| | ' No, sir ; lately got me,' explained Henry. |
| | ' Aye, aye, boy ; a preacher, I suppose.' |
| | ' No, sir.' |
| 75 | ' No, Maus Rafe, dis brotheh no preacheh; but 'e is 'ligious, and come to gib us little comfit, an' bless God I feels it now ; dat I does,blessed be God !' said the old woman. |
| | ' Well, Rachel, that's all right enough ; but, my boy, its high time that you were getting towards home. You've not yet learned our rules here ; where are you from?' |
| | 'Louisiana, sir.' |
| | 'Yes, yes, that explains it. Louisiana negroes are permitted to go out at a much later hour than our negroes.' |
| | 'Maus Rafe, ah hope yah let de brotheh eat a mouph'l wid us fo' 'e go?' |
| 80 | 'O yes, Rachel! give the boy something to eat before he goes; I suppose the 'laborer is worthy of his hire,'' looking with a smile i at his comrades. |
| | ' Yes 'ndeed, seh, dat he is !' replied the old woman with emphasis. |
| | ' Rachel, I smell something good ! What have you here, spare rib?' enquired Ralph Jordon, walking to the table and lifting up a clean check apron which the old woman had hurriedly thrown over it to screen her homely food from the view of the gentlemen patrols. ' Good ! spare rib and ash cake, gentlemen ! What's better ? Rachel, give us some seats here !' continued Ralph Hurrying about, the old woman made out to seat the uninvited guests with a half barrel tub, an old split bottom chair, and a short slab bench, which accommodated two. |
| | 'By gum ! this is fine,' said Ralph Jordon, smacking his mouth, and tearing at a rib ; ' gentlemen, help yourselves to some spirits,' setting on the table a large flask of Jamaica rum, just taken from his lips. |
| | ' Nothing better,' replied Tom Hammond ; ' give me at any time the cooking in the negro quarters before your great house dainties.' |
| 85 | ' So say I,' sanctioned Zack Hite, champing like a hungry man ; ' the negroes live a great deal better than we do.' |
| | ' Much better, sir, much better,' replied Ralph. ' Rachel, don't you nor Jerry ever take any spirits ?' |
| | ' No, Maus Rafe, not any,' replied the old woman. |
| | ' May be your friend there will take a little.' |
| | ' I don't drink, sir,' said Henry. |
| 90 | Rising from the homely meal at the humble board of Aunt Rachel and Uncle Jerry, they emptied their pockets of crackers, cold biscuits and cheese, giving the old man a plug of honey-cured tobacco, to be divided between himself and wife, in lieu of what they had, without invitation, taken the liberty of eating. The patrol this evening were composed of the better class of persons, principally business men, two of whom, being lawyers who went out that evening for a mere ' frolic among the negroes.' |
| | Receiving the parting hand, accompanied with a 'good bye, honey!' and 'God bless yeh, meh son!' from the old people, Henry left the hut to continue his course through the forest. Hearing persons approaching, he stepped aside from the road to conceal himself, when two parties at the junction of two roads met each other, coming to a stand.' |
| | ' What's up to-night, Colonel ?' enquired one. |
| | ' Nothing but the raffle.' |
| | 'Are you going?' |
| 95 | ' Yes, the whole party here; wont you go?' |
| | ' I dun'o ; what's the chances ?' |
| | ' Five dollars only.' |
| | ' Five dollars a chance! What the deuce is the prize!' |
| | ' Oh, there's several for the same money.' |
| 100 | ' What are they?' |
| | ' That fine horse and buggy of Colonel Sprout, a mare and colt, a little negro girl ten years of age, and a trail of four of the finest negro-dogs in the State.' |
| | ' Hallo! all them ; why, how many chances, in the name of gracious, are there?' |
| | ' Only a hundred and fifty.' |
| | ' Seven hundred and fifty dollars for the whole ; that's cheap. But, then, all can't win, and it must be a loss to somebody.' |
| 105 | 'Will you go, Cap'n?' |
| | ' Well, I don't care—go it is!' when the parties started in the direction of the sport, Henry following to reconnoiter them. |
| | On approaching the tavern, the rafflers, who waited the rest of the company to gather, could be seen and heard through the uncurtained windows and the door, which was frequently opened, standing around a blazing hot fire, and in groups over the bar-room floor, amusing themselves with jests and laughter. Henry stood in• the verge of the forest in a position to view the whole of their proceedings. |
| | Presently there was a rush out of doors with glee and merriment. Old Colonel Sprout was bringing out his dogs, to test their quality previous to the raffle. |
| | 'Now, gentlemen!' exclaimed he, 'them is the best trained dogs in this part of the State. Be dad, they's the bes' dogs in the country. When you say 'nigger,' you need't fear they'll ever go after anything but a nigger.' |
| 110 | ' Come, Colonel, give them a trial; we must have something going on to kill time,' suggested one of the party. |
| | ' But what will he try 'em on?' said another ; ' there's no niggers to hunt.' |
| | ' Send them out, and let them find one, be George; what else would you have• them do?' replied a third. |
| | ' Where the deuce will they get one?' rejoined a fourth. |
| | ' Just as a hunting dog finds any other game,' answered a fifth ; 'where else?' |
| 115 | ' O, by golly, gentlemen, you need'n give yourselves no uneasiness about the game. They'll find a nigger, once started, if they have to break into some negro quarter and drag'm out o' bed. No mistake 'bout them, I tell you, gentlemen !' boasted Sprout. |
| | ' But won't a nigger hurt 'em when he knows he's not a runaway?' enquired Richard Rester Rutherford. |
| | ' What, a nigger hurt a bloodhound ! By, gracious, they're fearder of a bloodhound than they is of the devil himself ! Them dogs is dogs, gentlemen, an' no mistake; they is by gracious!' declared Sprout. |
| | ' Well, let them loose, Colonel, and let's have a little sport, at any rate!' said Ralph Jordon, the patrol, who had just arrived ; 'we're in for a spree to-night, anyhow.' |
| | ' Here, Ceasar, Major, Jowler, here Pup! niggers about! Seek out!' hissed the Colonel with a snap of the finger, pointing toward the thicket, in the direction in which was Henry. With a yelp which sent a shudder through the crowd, the dogs started in full chase for the forest. |
| 120 | ' By George, Colonel, that's too bad! Call them back!' said Ralph Jordon, as the savage brutes bounded in search of a victim. |
| | ' By thunder, gentlemen, it's too late! they'll have a nigger before they stop. They'll taste the blood of some poor black devil before they git back!' declared Sprout. |
| | Having heard every word that passed between them, in breathless silence Henry awaited the approach of the animals. The yelping now became more anxious and eager, until at last it was heard as a short, impatient, fretful whining, indicating a near approach to their prey, when growing less and less, they ceased entirely to be heard. |
| | ' What the Harry does it mean! the dogs has ceased to bay ?' remarked Colonel Sprout. |
| | ' Maybe they caught a nigger,' replied John Spangler. |
| 125 | ' It might be a ' Tartar !' rejoined Ralph Jordon. |
| | ' Maybe a nigger caught them !' said the Sheriff of the county, who was present to superintend the raffle, and receive the proceeds of the hazard. |
| | ' What!' exclaimed the old gentleman, to enhance the value of the prizes ; ' What! my Ceasar, Major, Jowler, and Pup, the best dogs in all Arkansas!—a nigger kill them ! No, gentlemen, once let loose an' on their trail, an' they's not a gang o' niggers to be found out at night they could'nt devour! Them dogs! Hanged if they didn't eat a nigger quick as they'd swaller a piece o' meat!' |
| | ' Then they're the dogs for me!' replied the Sheriff. |
| | ' And me,' added Spangle, a noted agent for catching runaway slaves. |
| 130 | ' The raffle, the raffle!' exclaimed several voices eager for a chance, estimating at once the value of the dogs above the aggregate amount of the stakes. |
| | ' But the dogs, the dogs, gentlemen ! they're not here ! Give us the dogs first,' suggested an eager candidate for competition in the prizes. |
| | ' No matter, gentlemen; be sartin,' said the Colonel, ' when they's done they'll come back agin.' |
| | ' But how will they be managed in attacking strange negroes ?' enquired Ralph Jordon. |
| | ' O, the command of any white man is sufficient to call 'em off, an' they's plenty o' them all'as wherever you find niggers.' |
| 135 | ' Then, Colonel, we're to understand you to mean, that white men can't live without niggers.' |
| | ' I'll be hanged, gentlemen, if it don't seem so, for wherever you find one you'll all'as find tother, they's so fully mixed up with us in all our relations!' peals of laughter following the explanation. |
| | ' Come, Colonel, I'll be hanged if we stand that, except you stand treat!' said Ralph. |
| | ' Stand what? Let us understand you; what'd I say? |
| | ' What did you say? why, by George, you tell us flatly that we are related to niggers!' |
| 140 | ' Then, gentlemen, I'll stand treat; for on that question I'll be consarned if some of us don't have to knock under !' at which there were deafening roars of laughter, the crowd rushing into the bar-room, crying: |
| | ' Treat! treat! that's too good to be lost!' |
| | Next day after the raffle, the winners having presented the prizes back to their former owner, it was whispered about that the dogs had been found dead in the woods, the mare and colt were astray, the little slave girl was in a pulmonary decline, the buggy had been upset and badly worsted the day before the raffle, and the horse had the distemper ; upon which information the whole party met at a convenient place a fixed day, going out to his house in a body, who ate, drank, and caroused at his expense during the day and evening. |
| | ' Sprout,' said Ralph Jordon, ' with your uniform benevolence, generosity and candor, how did you ever manage to depart so far from your old principles and rule of doing things? I can't understand it.' |
| | 'How so? explain yourself,' replied Sprout. |
| 145 | ' Why you always give rather than take advantage, your house and means always being open to the needy, even those with whom you were unacquainted.' |
| | ' I'm sure I aint departed one whit from my old rule,' said Sprout; 'I saw you was all strangers to the thing, an' I took you in ; I'm blamed if I didn't!'' the crowd shouting with laughter. |
| | ' One word, Sprout,' said Jordon; ' when the dogs ceased baying, didn't you suspect something wrong?' |
| | ' I know'd at once when they stopped that they was defeated; but I thought they'd pitched headlong into a old well-hole some sixty foot deep, where the walls has tumbled in, an' made it some twenty foot wide at the top. I lis'ened every minute 'spectin' to hear a devil of a whinin' 'mong 'em; but I was disapinted.' |
| | ' Well, its a blamed pity, anyhow, that such fine animals were killed ; and no clue as yet, I believe, to the perpetration of the deed,' said the Sheriff. |
| 150 | ' They was, indeed,' replied Sprout, ' as good a breed o' dogs as ever was, an' if they'd a been trained right, nothin' could a come up with them ; but consarn their picters, it sarves 'em right, as they wos the cussedest cowards I ever seed! 'Sarn them, if a nigger ony done so—jis' made a pass at 'em, an' I'll be hanged if they didn't yelp like wild cats, an almost kill 'emselves runin' away !' at which explanation the peals of laughter were deafening. |
| | ' Let's stay a week, stay a week, gentlemen !' exclaimed Ralph Jordon, in a convulsion of laughter. |
| | ' Be gracious, gentlemen!' concluded Sprout, ' if you stay till eternity it wont alter the case one whit; case, the mare an' colt's lost, the black gal's no use to anybody, the buggy's all smashed up, the hos' is got the distemper, and the dogs is dead as thunder !' |
| | With a boisterous roar, the party, already nearly exhausted with laughter, commenced gathering their hats and cloaks, and left the premises declaring never again to be caught at a raffling wherein was interested Colonel Joel Sprout. |
| | The dogs were the best animals of the kind, and quickly trailed out their game ; but Henry, with a well-aimed weapon, slew each ferocious beast as it approached him, leaving them weltering in their own blood instead of feasting on his, as would have been the case had he not overpowered them. The rest of the prizes were also valuable and in good order, and the story which found currency depreciating them, had its origin in the brain and interest of Colonel Sprout, which resulted as designed, entirely in his favor. |
| 155 | Hastening on to the Fulton landing, Henry reached it at half past two o'clock in the morning, just in time to board a steamer on the downward trip, which barely touched the shore to pick up a package. Knowing him by reputation as a great horse master, the captain received him cheerfully, believing him to have been, from what he had learned, to the Texas races with horses for his master. |
| | Being now at ease, and faring upon the 'best the vessel could afford, after a little delay along the cotton trading coast, Henry was safely landed in the portentious city of New Orleans. |
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