or during the next week; but nothing occurred to disturb our peace, and
the regular routine went on.

From what we heard at the settlement the idea of building a block-house
had been for the present given up; but Morgan came back one morning,
after a visit to the colonel's man, with some news which rather
disturbed my father.

"Small schooner in the river?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you say that several of the gentlemen have been buying?"

"Yes, sir; that's right," said Morgan, "and the blacks are put to work
in their plantations."

My father frowned and walked away, while I eagerly turned to Morgan for
an explanation.

"Oh, it's all right enough, sir, what I tell you," said Morgan; "and
seems to me they're right, so long as they treat 'em well. Here's lots
of land wants clearing and planting, and one pair of hands can't do it,
of course, and there's no men to be hired out here, so the gentlemen
have been buying slaves."

"What a shame!" I cried. "How would you like to be bought for a
slave?"

Morgan looked at me, then at the sky, then down at the ground; then away
straight before him, as he took off his hat and scratched one ear.

"Humph!" he ejaculated, suddenly; "that's a puzzler, Master George. Do
you know I never thought of that."

"It seems to me horribly cruel."

"But then, you see, Master George, they're blacks, and that makes all
the difference."

I could not see it, but I did not say so, and by degrees other things
took my attention. There was so much to see, and hear, and do, that I
forgot all about Indians and blacks; or if they did come to mind at all
as time went on, I merely gave them a passing thought, and went off to
talk to Morgan, to set a trap, to fish, or to watch the beautiful birds
that came into the sunny clearing about my home.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

"There," said Morgan, one day, as he gave the soil a final pat with his
spade, "that job's done, and now I'm going to have a bit of a rest.
Leaving-off time till the sun gets a bit down."

"What have you been planting?" I asked.

"Seeds, my lad; flower seeds, as I've picked myself. I like to keep
raising the useful things, but we may as well have some bright flowers
too. Where's the master?"

"Indoors, writing."

"Then what do you say to a bit of sport?"

"Another rattlesnake?" I cried.

"No, thank ye, my lad; meddling with rattlesnakes may mean bringing down
the Indians, so we'll let them alone."

"Nonsense!"

"Well