e Confederates in honor of the fall of Sumter,
just four years before. Some of the same negroes who served at the
first ball, as _slaves_, now attended the second as _free and
independent_ waiters. I purchased of one of them for a nominal sum
quite a collection of Confederate currency, a Palmetto brass button,
and a quaint Pompeiian lamp, which are still preserved as mementoes of
the occasion. We were told "dat Massa Middleton used to own de place,"
but, as the darkeys sing:

"He saw a smoke way down de ribber,
Where de Lincum gunboats lay,
He took his hat, an' lef' berry sudden,
An' I 'specs he's run'd away!"

So the fine estate, with its broad verandas, and elegant mirrors and
paintings on the walls, all became, including the darkeys, "contraband
of war."

The next day was Saturday, and it was announced that the "Oceanus"
would sail at five in the afternoon. The hour of departure was
afterwards postponed to Sunday morning at nine o'clock, by advice of
the pilot. We visited various points of interest on Saturday,
including the office of the Charleston _Mercury_, where we secured
some interesting papers, which are referred to in the Appendix. We
also saw the slave-marts, where families had so long been bought and
sold like cattle. I secured a bill of sale of a slave who was
described as "a negro fellow called Simon." The seller's name was
Mordecai, and the buyer of "the sole use of Simon forever," was a Mr.
Lazarus.

[Illustration]

During the morning, one of our lady passengers was accosted by an aged
black woman with a hen and a bag of eggs, as follows: "Missus, I want
to gib de northern ladies sumthin', but I have nuthin' but this yer
hen, and these yer eggs. Won't you take 'em?" This was too much for
the sympathetic nature of Mrs. B----, but what to do with the hen and
her products so far from home, was the question. Finally the eggs were
taken and the hen left. The woman was rewarded and departed in much
delight. On the homeward voyage a gentleman proposed to take them up
to his country seat in New York State, and put them under the care of
the most motherly hen of his large flock. This was done with the
following result:

"JUNE 10, 1865.

"I am happy to inform you that the Charleston hen has done
her duty as well as could be expected under the
circumstances. The eggs were evidently the product of
secession times, and stoutly resisted all northern
i