umbered by his fetters, proceeded
to do it, he assisted him, by pulling it, with no gentle hand, from his
neck, and putting it in his pocket.

Legree now turned to Tom's trunk, which, previous to this, he had been
ransacking, and, taking from it a pair of old pantaloons and dilapidated
coat, which Tom had been wont to put on about his stable-work, he said,
liberating Tom's hands from the handcuffs, and pointing to a recess in
among the boxes,

"You go there, and put these on."

Tom obeyed, and in a few moments returned.

"Take off your boots," said Mr. Legree.

Tom did so.

"There," said the former, throwing him a pair of coarse, stout shoes,
such as were common among the slaves, "put these on."

In Tom's hurried exchange, he had not forgotten to transfer his
cherished Bible to his pocket. It was well he did so; for Mr. Legree,
having refitted Tom's handcuffs, proceeded deliberately to investigate
the contents of his pockets. He drew out a silk handkerchief, and put
it into his own pocket. Several little trifles, which Tom had treasured,
chiefly because they had amused Eva, he looked upon with a contemptuous
grunt, and tossed them over his shoulder into the river.

Tom's Methodist hymn-book, which, in his hurry, he had forgotten, he now
held up and turned over.

Humph! pious, to be sure. So, what's yer name,--you belong to the
church, eh?"

"Yes, Mas'r," said Tom, firmly.

"Well, I'll soon have _that_ out of you. I have none o' yer bawling,
praying, singing niggers on my place; so remember. Now, mind yourself,"
he said, with a stamp and a fierce glance of his gray eye, directed at
Tom, "_I'm_ your church now! You understand,--you've got to be as _I_
say."

Something within the silent black man answered _No!_ and, as if repeated
by an invisible voice, came the words of an old prophetic scroll, as Eva
had often read them to him,--"Fear not! for I have redeemed thee. I have
called thee by name. Thou art MINE!"

But Simon Legree heard no voice. That voice is one he never shall hear.
He only glared for a moment on the downcast face of Tom, and walked off.
He took Tom's trunk, which contained a very neat and abundant wardrobe,
to the forecastle, where it was soon surrounded by various hands of
the boat. With much laughing, at the expense of niggers who tried to be
gentlemen, the articles very readily were sold to one and another, and
the empty trunk finally put up at auction. It was a good joke, they all
tho