al payment, on account; the full
payment is to be made when the crop comes in.

_Aug. 7._ Last Friday Mr. Philbrick and I got our money. The people
generally took the payment in excellent spirit. A few seemed
surprised, not knowing what to do with so much money; a few, of
course, grumbled at the amount, though a clear explanation was always
understood and received with reasonable satisfaction. I thought that
one or two were disposed to take advantage of the fact that I had not
taken the account of acres,[55] and so tried to make a difficulty by
telling strange tales. But there was a great deal of manliness and
fairness shown, with a degree of patience and foresight that was very
gratifying.

_Aug. 16._ Perhaps the best way to give you a satisfactory notion of
"what my work is, how I like it," etc., is to give an account of a
day's work on my plantations.

[Illustration: rude portal]

Thursday, Aug. 14. I allow Mr. Philbrick to have his horse saddled
first,--this was polite,--and as soon as he is out of the
gate--"Robert!"--"Surr!" "Put my _smallest_ horse into the sulky." I
retire within, and collect the necessary equipment for a day "out,"
viz.: white umbrella, whip (riding, long enough for sulky use),
plantation-book, spring-balance (some rations to be delivered), much
stout twine, for mending harness if need be, paper of turnip-seeds,
two thirds of a pound of powder, and one novel, "An Only Son," for
occupation during the first weary hour, consumed in a three miles walk
over a sandy road. The young horse, caught at last,--our stud of four
graze on the turfy acre fenced in about the house,--is a little
restive at first in the unwonted restraint of the harness, but soon
gets broken in to steady work by the heavy roads. Somewhat over an
hour's slow progress brings me to the rude portal which spans the
entrance of the McTureous estate. The houses of all the plantations on
the Sea Side road are to be found on the eastern, or left-hand as one
rides towards Hilton Head. The character of the fields and quarters
between the road and the water is very much the same on all the
places. The "water" is a creek, separating the island proper from
salt-water marshes and the higher islands outside, against which
latter the ocean itself beats. The distance from the road to the
creek averages half a mile. The quarters, universally called
"nigger-houses," are strung along the bank of the creek, at about 100
feet from the water, on