snapping like a savage
animal.

"Horrible!" ejaculated Murray.

"Yes, sah; dreffle horrible see shark bite poor half-dead niggah a
pieces."

"But you have never seen this?"

"Yes, massa--long time ago. Caesar brought in schooner ship from Caesar
own country. Bring lot of poor niggah all shut up down below. Ship
quite full, and ebery night some shut um eyes, and to-morrow morning
some won't open eyes again. Gone dead. Sailor chap come along rope,
haul niggah up on deck--haul on deck, and Massa Huggins brudder say:
`Chuck um o'erboard,' and chap come and take rope off Caesar and make um
open um eye like say: `What's de matter?' Den Massa Huggins' brudder
say, `What's dat, you lubber? Dat one not dead!'"

"Did you hear that?" said Murray, with his lips apart as he listened in
horror to the black's narrative.

"Yes, sah. Caesar no understand den what um mean, but um say--`What's
dat, you lubber? Dat one not dead!' Nebber forget um--nebber! Caesar
shut um eye now and see it all again--those niggah chap chuck overboard
and shark fish coming up out of water and roll over and over and snap,
snap, snap--so. Make Caesar keep eyes open so dat couldn't go to sleep
again for long time. Massa Huggins man come take hold of um by arm and
leg and chuck down below. Caesar not dead a bit. Caesar quite 'live
now. Go and talk lot o' time to pore black niggah when Massa Huggins'
brudder bring schooner ship full of niggah. Caesar talk to um, not like
um talk to Massa Murray Frank. Talk to um in own way sometime.
Sometime poor niggah can't understand, but berry glad find Caesar sorry
for um. Make um happy; laugh again."

"Poor creatures!" said Murray.

"Yes, massa. Poor creature! Come and talk togedder in de night
sometime. Massa Huggins flog um when him find um out, but poor niggah
don't mind dat. Like to talk about de ole country where um come from.
Massa Allen find um out too, but um only laugh and say, `Poor fellow!'
But Massa Huggin flog um, and some shut eye and nebber open um again.
Poor Massa Allen good massa, but won't do what Caesar say. He berry ill
now, and get frighten of Massa Huggins. Tell Caesar one day he wish
Massa Huggins die."

"He told you that!" said Murray, for the black had ceased speaking, and
his narrative had so great a fascination for the lad that he wanted to
hear more.

"Yes, massa; um say he wish Massa Huggin die so that poor niggah boy be
happy again and do um work. Massa