Among the Pines; or, South in Secession Time

by James R. Gilmore

  CHAPTER XVI.

  "ONE MORE UNFORTUNATE."

  The family met at the breakfast-table at the usual hour on the followingmorning; but I noticed that Jim was not in his accustomed place behindthe Colonel's chair. That gentleman exhibited his usual good spirits,but Madam P---- looked sad and anxious, and _I_ had not forgotten thescene of the previous evening.

  While we were seated at the meal, the negro Junius hastily entered theroom, and in an excited manner exclaimed:

  "Oh, massa, massa, you muss cum ter de cabin--Jim hab draw'd his knife,and he swar he'll kill de fuss 'un dat touch him!"

  "He does, does he!" said his master, springing from his seat, andabruptly leaving the apartment.

  Remembering the fierce burst of passion I had seen in the negro, andfearing there was danger a-foot, I rose to follow, saying, as I did so:

  "Madam, cannot you prevent this?"

  "I cannot, sir; I have already done all I can. Go and try to pacify theColonel--Jim will die before he'll be whipped." Jim was standing at thefarther end of the old cabin, with his back to the wall, and the largespring knife in his hand. Some half-dozen negroes were in the centre ofthe room, apparently cowed by his fierce and desperate looks, and hismaster was within a few feet of him.

  "I tell you, Cunnel," cried the negro, as I entered, "you touch me atyour peril!"

  "You d----d nigger, do you dare to speak so to me?" said his master,taking a step toward him.

  The knife rose in the air, and the black, in a cool, sneering tone,replied: "Say your prayers 'fore you come nigher, for, so help me God,you'm a dead man!"

  I laid my hand on the Colonel's arm, to draw him back, saying, as I didso: "There's danger in him! I _know_ it. Let him go, and he shall askyour pardon."

  "I shan't ax his pardon," cried the black; "leff him an' me be, sir;we'll fix dis ourselfs."

  "Don't interfere, Mr. K----," said my host, with perfect coolness, butwith a face pallid with rage. "Let me govern my own plantation."

  "As you say, sir," I replied, stepping back a few paces; "but I warnyou--there is danger in him!"

  Taking no notice of my remark, the Colonel turning to the tremblingnegroes, said: "One of you go to the house and bring my pistols."

  "You kin shoot me, ef you likes," said Jim, with a fierce, grim smile;"but I'll take you ter h--l wid me, _shore_. You knows WE wont stand ablow!"

  The Colonel, at the allusion to their relationship, started as if shot,and turning furiously on the negro, yelled out: "I'll shoot you forthat, you d----d nigger, by ----."

  "It 'pears ter me, Cunnel, ye've hed 'bout nuff shootin' round har,lately; better stop thet sort o' bis'ness; it moight give ye a sorethroat," said the long, lean, loose-jointed stump-speaker of theprevious Sunday, as he entered the cabin and strode directly up to myhost.

  "What brought you here, you d----d insolent hound?" cried the Colonel,turning fiercely on the new-comer.

  "Wal, I cum ter du ye a naaboorly turn--I've kotched two on yer niggersdown ter my still, and I want ye ter take 'em 'way," returned thecorn-cracker, with the utmost coolness.

  "Two of my niggers!" exclaimed the Colonel, perceptibly moderating histone--"which ones?"

  "A yaller gal, and a chile."

  "I thank you, Barnes; excuse my hard words--I was excited."

  "All right, Cunnel; say no more 'bout thet. Will ye send fur 'em? I'dhev fotched 'em 'long, but my waggin's off jest now."

  "Yes, I'll send at once. Have you got them safe?"

  "Safe? I reckon so! Kotched 'em last night, arter dark, and they've keptright still ever sense, I 'sure ye--but th' gal holds on ter th' young'un ter kill--we cudn't get it 'way no how."

  "How did you catch them?"

  "They got 'gainst my turpentime raft--the curren' driv 'em down, Is'pose."

  "What! are they dead?"

  "Dead? deader'n drownded rats!" replied the native,

  "My God! drowned herself and her child!" exclaimed the Colonel, withdeep emotion.

  "It is terrible, my friend. Come, let us go to them, at once," I said,laying my hand on his arm, and drawing him unresistingly away.

  A pair of mules was speedily harnessed to a large turpentine wagon, andthe horses we had ridden the day before were soon at the door. When theColonel, who had been closeted for a few minutes with Madam P----, cameout of the house, we mounted, and rode off with the "corn-cracker."

  The native's farm was located on the stream which watered my friend'splantation, and was about ten miles distant. Taking a by-road which ledto it through the woods, we rode rapidly on in advance of the wagon.

  "Sort o' likely gal, thet, warn't she?" remarked the turpentine-maker,after a while.

  "Yes, she was," replied the Colonel, in a half-abstracted manner;"_very_ likely."

  "Kill harself 'case har man war shot by thet han'som overseer uvyour'n?"

  "Not altogether for that, I reckon," replied my host; "I fear the mainreason was her being put at field-work, and abused by the driver."

  "Thet comes uv not lookin' arter things yerself, Cunnel. I tend ter myniggers parsonally, and they keer a durned sight more fur this worldthen fur kingdom-cum. Ye cudn't hire 'em ter kill 'emselves fur noprice."

  "Well," replied the Colonel, in a low tone, "I _did_ look after her. Iput her at full field-work, myself!"

  "By----!" cried the native, reining his horse to a dead stop, andspeaking in an excited manner: "I doant b'lieve it--'taint 't all likeye--yer a d----d seceshener; thet comes uv yer bringin'-up--but ye've asoul bigger'n a meetin'-house, and ye cudn't hev put thet slim, weaklygal inter th' woods, no how!"

  The Colonel and I instinctively halted our horses, as the "corn-cracker"stopped his, and were then standing abreast of him in the road.

  "It's true, Barnes," said my host, in a voice that showed deepdejection; "I _did_ do it!"

  "May God Almighty furgive ye, Cunnel," said the native, starting hishorse forward; "_I_ wudn't hev dun it fur all yer niggers, by ----."

  The Colonel made no reply, and we rode on the rest of the way insilence.

  The road was a mere wagon-track through the trees, and it being butlittle travelled, and encumbered with the roots and stumps of the pine,our progress was slow, and we were nearly two hours in reaching theplantation of the native.

  The corn-cracker's house--a low, unpainted wooden building--stood nearthe little stream, and in the centre of a cleared plot of some tenacres. This plot was surrounded by a post-and-rail fence, and in itsfront portion was a garden, which grew a sufficient supply of vegetablesto serve a family of twenty persons. In the rear, and at the sides ofthe dwelling, were about seven acres, devoted mainly to corn andpotatoes. In one corner of the lot were three tidy-looking negro-houses,and close beside them I noticed a low shed, near which a large quantityof the stalks of the tall, white corn, common to that section, wasstacked in the New England fashion. Browsing on the corn-stalks werethree sleek, well-kept milch cows, and a goat.

  About four hundred yards from the farmer's house, and on the bank of thelittle run, which there was quite wide and deep, stood a turpentinedistillery; and around it were scattered a large number of rosin andturpentine barrels, some filled and some empty. A short distance higherup, and far enough from the "still" to be safe in the event of a fire,was a long, low, wooden shed, covered with rough, unjointed boards,placed upright, and unbattened. This was the "spirit-house," used forthe storage of the spirits of turpentine when barrelled for market, andawaiting shipment. In the creek, and filling nearly one-half of thechannel in front of the spirit-shed, was a raft of pine timber, on whichwere laden some two hundred barrels of rosin. On such rude conveyancesthe turpentine-maker sent his produce to Conwayboro'. There thetimber-raft was sold to my way-side friend, Captain B----, and itsfreight shipped on board vessel for New York. Two "prime" negro men,dressed in the usual costume, were "tending the still;" and a negrowoman, as stout and strong as the men, and clad in a short, loose,linsey gown, from beneath which peeped out a pair of coarse leggins, was
adjusting a long wooden trough, which conveyed the liquid rosin from the"still" to a deep excavation in the earth, at a short distance. In thepit was a quantity of rosin sufficient to fill a thousand barrels.

  "Here, Bill," said Barnes to one of the negro men, as we pulled up atthe distillery, "put these critters up, and give 'em sum oats, and whenthey've cooled off a bit, water 'em."

  "Yas, yas, massa," replied the negro, springing nimbly forward, andtaking the horses by the bridles, "an' rub 'em down, massa?"

  "Yas, rub 'em down right smart," replied the corn-cracker; then turningto me, as we dismounted, he said: "Stranger, thet's th' sort o' niggersfur ye; all uv mine ar' jess like him--smart and lively as kittens."

  "He does seem to go about his work cheerfully," I replied.

  "Cheerfully! d----d ef he doant--all on 'em du! They like me better'nthar own young 'uns, an' it's 'cause I use 'em like human bein's;" andhe looked slyly toward the Colonel, who just then was walking silentlyaway, in the direction of the run, as if in search of the browned"chattels."

  "Not thar, Cunnel," cried the native; "they're inter th' shed;" and hestarted to lead the way to the "spirit-house."

  "Not now, Barnes," I said, putting my hand on his arm: "leave him alonefor a little while. He is feeling badly, and we'd better not disturb himjust yet."

  The native motioned me to a seat on a rosin-barrel, as he replied:

  "Wal, he 'pears ter--thet's a fact, and he orter. D----d ef it arn'twicked to use niggers like cattle, as he do."

  "I don't think he means to ill-treat them--he's a kind-hearted man."

  "Wal, he ar sort o' so; but he's left ev'ry thing ter thet d----doverseer uv his'n. I wudn't ha' trusted him to feed my hogs."

  "Hogs!" I exclaimed, laughing; "I supposed you didn't _feed_ hogs inthese diggins. I supposed you 'let 'em run.'"

  "_I_ doant; an' I've got th' tallest porkys round har."

  "I've been told that they get a good living in the woods."

  "Wal, p'r'aps the' du jest make eout ter live thar; but my ole 'omanlikes 'em ter hum--they clean up a place like--eat up all th' leavin's,an' give th' young nigs suthin' ter du."

  "It seems to me," I said, resuming the previous thread of theconversation; "that overseers are a necessity on a large plantation.""Wal, the' ar', an' thet's why thar ortent ter be no big plantations;God Almighty didn't make human bein's ter be herded togethar in th'woods like hogs. No man orter ter hev more'n twenty on 'em--he can'tlook arter no more himself, an' its agin natur ter set a feller over 'emwhat hain't no int'rest in 'em, an' no feelin' fur 'em, an' who'll drive'em round like brutes. I never struck one on 'em in my life, an' my tendu more'n ony fifteen th' Cunnel's got."

  "I thought they needed occasional correction. How do you manage themwithout whipping?"

  "Manage them! why 'cordin' ter scriptur--do ter 'em as I'd like ter bedun ter, ef I war a nigger. Every one on 'em knows I'd part with my lastshirt, an' live on taters an' cow-fodder, fore I'd sell em; an' then Igive 'em Saturdays for 'emselfs--but thet's cute dealin' in me (tho' th'pore, simple souls doant see it), fur ye knows the' work thet day for'emselfs, an' raise nigh all thar own feed, 'cept th' beef andwhiskey--an' it sort o' makes 'em feel like folks, too, more like as efthe' war _free_--the' work th' better fur it all th' week."

  "Then you think the blacks would work better if free?"

  "In _course_ I does--its agin man's natur to be a slave. Thet lousyparson ye herd ter meetin, a Sunday, makes slavery eout a divineinstitooshun, but my wife's a Bible 'oman, and she says 'taint so; an'I'm d----d ef she arn't right."

  "Is your wife a South Carolina women?"

  "No, she an' me's from th' old North--old Car'tret, nigh on ter Newbern;an' we doant take nat'rally to these fire-eaters."

  "Have you been here long?"

  "Wal, nigh on ter six yar. I cum har with nuthin' but a thousan' ter myback--slapped thet inter fifteen hun'red acres--paid it down--and thenhired ten likely, North Car'lina niggers--hired 'em with th' chance uvbuyin' ef the' liked eout har. Wal, th' nigs all know'd me, and the'sprung ter it like blazes; so every yar I've managed ter buy two on 'em,and now I've ten grow'd up, and thar young'uns; th' still and all th'traps paid fur, an' ef this d----d secesh bis'ness hadn't a come 'long,I'd hev hed a right smart chance o' doin' well."

  "I'm satisfied secession will ruin the turpentine business; you'll beshut up here, unable to sell your produce, and it will go to waste."

  "Thet's my 'pinion; but I reckon I kin' manage now witheout turpentime.I've talked it over 'long with my nigs, and we kalkerlate, ef these ardoin's go eny furder, ter tap no more trees, but clar land an' go terraisin' craps."

  "What! do you talk politics with your negroes?"

  "Nary a politic--but I'm d----d ef th' critters doan't larn 'em sumhow;the' knows 'bout as much uv what's goin' on as I du--but plantin arn'tpolitics; its bisness, an' they've more int'rest in it nor I hev, 'causethey've sixteen mouths ter feed agin my four."

  "I'm glad, my friend, that you treat them like men: but I have supposedthey were not well enough informed to have intelligent opinions on suchsubjects."

  "Informed! wal, I reckon the' is; all uv mine kin read, an' sum on 'emkin write, too. D'ye see thet little nig thar?" pointing to a juvenilecoal-black darky of about six years, who was standing before the "still"fire; "thet ar little devil kin read an' speak like a parson. He's gothold, sumhow, uv my little gal's book o' pieces, an' larned a dozen on'em. I make him cum inter th' house, once in a while uv an evenin', an'speechify, an' 'twould do yer soul good ter har him, in his shirt tail,with a old sheet wound round him fur a toger (I've told him th'play-acters du it so down ter Charles'on), an' spoutin' out: 'My name amNorval; on de Gruntin' hills my fader feed him hogs!' The little coonnever seed a sheep, an' my wife's told him a flock's a herd, an' hethinks 'hog' _sounds_ better'n 'flock,' so, contra'y ter th' book, heputs in 'hogs,' and hogs, you knows, hev ter grunt, so he gits 'em onth' 'Gruntin hills;" and here the kind-hearted native burst into a fitof uproarious laughter, in which, in spite of myself, I had to join.

  When the merriment had somewhat subsided, the turpentine-maker calledout to the little darky:

  "Come here, Jim."

  The young chattel ran to him with alacrity, and wedging in between hislegs, placed his little black hands, in a free-and-easy way, on hismaster's knees, and, looking up trustfully in his face, said:

  "Wal, massa?"

  "What's yer name?"

  "Dandy Jim, massa."

  "Thet arn't all--what's th' rest?"

  "Dandy Jim of ole Car'lina."

  "Who made ye?"

  "De good God, massa."

  "No, He didn't: God doant make little nigs. He makes none but whitefolks;" said the master, laughing.

  "Yas He'm do; Missus say He'm do; dat He make dis nig jess like He donelittle Totty."

  "Wal, He did, Jim. I'm d----d ef _He_ didn't, fur nobody else cud make_ye_!" replied the man, patting the little woolly head with undisguisedaffection.

  "Now, Jim, say th' creed fur 'de gemman.'"

  The young darky then repeated the Apostle's Creed and the TenCommandments.

  "Is thet all ye knows?"

  "No, massa, I knows a heap 'sides dat."

  "Wal, say suthin' more--sum on 'em pieces thet jingle."

  The little fellow then repeated with entire correctness, and withappropriate gestures, and emphasis, though in the genuine darkydialect--which seems to be inborn with the pure-Southern black--Mrs.Hemans' poem:

  "The boy stood on the burning deck."

  "Mrs. Hemans draped in black!" I exclaimed, laughing heartily: "Howwould the good lady feel, could she look down from where she is, andhear a little darky doing up her poetry in that style?"

  "D----d ef I doant b'lieve 'twud make her love th' little nig like Ido;" replied the corn-cracker, taking him up on his knee as tenderly ashe would have taken up his own child.

  "Tell me, my little man," I said: "who taught you all these things?"

  "I larned 'e
m, myseff, sar," was the prompt reply.

  "You learned them, yourself! but who taught you to read?"

  "I larned 'em myseff, sar!"

  "You couldn't have learned _that_ yourself; didn't your 'massa' teachyou?"

  "No, sar."

  "Oh! your 'missus' did."

  "No, sar."

  "No, sar!" I repeated; then suspecting the real state of the case, Ilooked him sternly in the eye, and said: "My little man, it's wrong totell lies--you must _always_ speak the truth; now, tell me truly, didnot your 'missus' teach you these things?"

  "No, sar, I larned 'em myseff."

  "Ye can't cum it, Stranger; ye moight roast him over a slow fire, an'not git nary a thing eout on him but thet," said the corn-cracker,leaning forward, and breaking into a boisterous fit of laughter. "It'sagin th' law, an' I'm d----d ef I teached him. Reckon he _did_ larnhimself!"

  "I must know your wife, my friend. She's a good woman."

  "Good! ye kin bet high on thet; she's uv th' stuff th' Lord makes angelseout on."

  I had no doubt of it, and was about to say so, when the Colonel'sturpentine wagon drove up, and I remembered I had left him too longalone.

  The coachman was driving, and Jim sat on the wagon beside him.

  "Massa K----," said the latter, getting down and coming to me: "Whar amdey?"

  "In the spirit-shed."

  He was turning to go there, when I called him back, saying: "Jim, youmust not see your master now; you'd better keep out of sight for thepresent."

  "No, massa; de ma'am say de Cunnel take dis bery hard, and dat I ortertell him I'se sorry for what I'se done."

  "Well, wait a while. Let me go in first."

  Accompanied by the corn-cracker, I entered the turpentine-shed. A row ofspirit-barrels were ranged along each of its sides, and two tiersoccupied the centre of the building. On these a number of loose plankswere placed, and on the planks lay the bodies of the metif woman and herchild. The Colonel was seated on a barrel near them, with his headresting on his hands, and his eyes fixed on the ground. He did not seemto notice our entrance, and, passing him without speaking, I stepped tothe side of the dead.

  The woman's dress, the common linsey gown worn by her class, was stillwet, and her short, kinky, brown hair fell in matted folds around herface. One arm hung loosely by her side; the other was clasped tightlyaround her child, which lay as if asleep on her bosom. One of its smallhands clung to its mother's breast, and around its little lips played asmile. But how shall I describe the pale, sweet beauty of the face ofthe drowned girl, as she lay there, her eyes closed, and her lipsparted, as in prayer? Never but once have I seen on human features thestrange radiance that shone upon it, or the mingled expression of hope,and peace, and resignation that rested there--and that was in thelong-gone time, when, standing by her bedside, I watched the passingaway of one who is now an angel in heaven!

  "Come, my dear friend, let us go," I said, turning and gently taking theColonel by the arm, "the negroes are here, and will take charge of thedead."

  "No, no!" he replied, rising, and looking around, as if aroused from atroubled dream; "that is for _me_ to do!" Then he added, after amoment's pause, "Will you help me to get them into the wagon?"

  "Yes, I will, certainly."

  He made one step toward the body of the dead girl, then sinking downagain on the barrel, covered his face with his hands, and cried out: "MyGod! this is terrible! Did you ever see such a look as that? It willhaunt me forever!"

  "Come, my friend, rouse yourself--this is weakness; you are tired withthe long ride and excitement of the past few days. Come, go home--I willlook after them."

  "No, no! I must do it. I will be a man again;" and he rose and walkedsteadily to the dead bodies. "Is there any one here to help?" he asked.

  Jim was standing in the door-way, and I motioned to him to come forward.The great tears were streaming down his face as he stepped timidlytowards his master, and said: "I'll do dis, massa, don't you trubbleyerself no more."

  "It's good of you, Jim. You'll forgive me for being so cruel to you,wont you?" said the Colonel, taking the black by the hand.

  "Forgib ye, massa! _I_ war all ter blame--but ye'll forgib me,massa--ye'll forgib me!" cried the black, with strong emotion.

  "Yes, yes; but say no more about it. Come, let us get Julie home."

  But the poor girl was already _home_--home where her sufferings and hersorrows were over, and all her tears were wiped away forever!

  We four bore away the mother and the child. A number of blankets were inthe bottom of the wagon, and we laid the bodies carefully upon them.When all seemed ready, the Colonel, who was still standing by the sideof the dead, turned to my new friend, and said: "Barnes, will you loanme a pillow? I will send it back to-night."

  "Sartin, Cunnel;" and the farmer soon brought one from the house.Lifting tenderly the head of the drowned girl, the Colonel placed itbeneath her, and smoothing back her tangled hair, he gently covered herface with his handkerchief, as if she could still feel his kindness, orlonger cared for the pity or the love of mortal. Yet, who knows but thather parted soul, from the high realm to which it had soared, may notthen have looked down, have seen that act, and have forgiven him!