erk, and catching Sam's by the bridle,
pulled it to me.

"Now, boy," I said, "you must tell me all about this. I promise you that
no one shall harm you."

He began to whimper.

"I'll tell yo', Mas' Tom," he stuttered, "but yo' mus' n' hurt d'
witch man."

"Who is this witch man?" I demanded.

"Ole uncle Polete."

"Polete's no witch man. Why, Sam, you 've known him all your life. He's
nothing but an ordinary old nigger. He's been on the plantation twenty or
thirty years. All that he needs is a good whipping."

But the boy only shook his head and sobbed the more.

"Ef he's a-killed," he cried, "his ha'nt 'll come back fo' me."

I saw in a moment what the boy was afraid of. It was not of old
Polete in the flesh, but in the spirit. I thought for a moment. Well,
I had no reason to wish Polete any harm, yet if it were discovered
that he had been inciting the slaves to insurrection, there was no
power in the colony could save his life. If his owner did not execute
him, the governor would take the matter out of his hands, and order
it done himself.

"I tell you what I'll do, Sam," I said at last. "You tell me everything
you know, and I'll do all I can to save Polete. I believe I can stop this
thing without calling in any outside help."

He agreed to this, and as we jogged along I gradually drew the details of
the plot from him. The news of our defeat had, it seemed, stirred up the
negroes at the plantation, and in some way the wild rumor had been
started that a great force of French was marching over the mountains to
conquer Virginia and all the other English colonies; that emissaries had
come to the negroes and promised them that if they would assist the
invading army, they would be given their freedom and half of the colony
to live in. It was at this time that old Polete, crazed, perhaps, by
working in the tobacco fields under the blazing sun, had suddenly
developed into a witch man, and proclaimed that he could see the French
army marching, and urged the negroes to strike a blow at once in order to
merit their freedom when the French should come. Meetings were held
almost nightly in the woods some miles from their cabins, whence they
stole away after dark by twos and threes. Just what their plans were Sam
did not know, as he did not belong to the inner council, but he believed
that something would happen soon because of the increasing excitement of
the older negroes who were acquainted with the plans.

I rode