-

'Massa, de blessed Lord am callin' for de chile,--shall we pray?'

The Colonel nodded assent, and we all, blacks and whites, knelt down on
the floor, while the old preacher made a short, heart-touching prayer.
It was a simple, humble acknowledgment of the dependence of the creature
on the Creator,--of His right to give and to take away, and was uttered
in a free, conversational tone, as if long communion with his Maker had
placed the old negro on a footing of friendly familiarity with Him, and
given the black slave the right to talk with the Deity as one man talks
with another.

As we rose from our knees my host said to me, 'It is my duty to stay
here, but I will not detain you. Jim will show you over the plantation.
I will join you at the house when this is over.' The scene was a painful
one, and I gladly availed myself of the Colonel's suggestion.

Mounting our horses, Jim and I rode off to the negro house where Scip
was staying.

Scip was not at the cabin, and the old negro woman told us he had been
away for several hours.

'Reckon he'll be 'way all day, sar,' said Jim, as we turned our horses
to go.

'He ought to be resting against the ride of to-morrow. Where has he
gone?'

'Dunno, sar, but reckon he'm gwine to fine Sam.'

'Sam? Oh, he's the runaway the Colonel has advertised.'

'Yas, sar, he'm 'way now more'n a monfh.'

'How can Scip find him?'

'Dunno, sar. Scipio know most ebery ting,--reckon he'll track him. He
know him well, and Sam'll cum back ef he say he orter.'

'Where do you think Sam is?'

'P'raps in the swamp.'

'Where is the swamp?'

''Bout ten mile from har.'

'Oh, yes! the shingles are cut there. I should think a runaway would be
discovered where so many men are at work.'

'No, massa, dar'm places dar whar de ole debil cudn't fine him, nor de
dogs nudder.'

'I thought the bloodhounds would track a man anywhere.'

'Not t'ru de water, massa; dey lose de scent in de swamp.'

'But how can a negro live there,--how get food?'

'De darkies work dar and dey take 'em nuff.'

'Then the other negroes often know where the runaways are; don't they
sometimes betray them?'

'Neber, massa; a darky neber tells on anoder. De Cunnel had a boy in dat
swamp once, good many years.'

'Is it possible? Did he come back?'

'No, he died dar. Sum ob de hands found him dead one mornin' in de hut
whar he lib'd, and dey buried him dar.'

'Why did Sam run away?'

''Cause de Oberseer flog hi