m. He use him bery hard, massa.'

'What had Sam done?'

'Nuffin', massa.'

'Then why was he flogged? Did the Colonel know it?'

'Oh, yas; Moye cum de possum ober de Cunnel, and make him b'lieve Sam
war bad. De Cunnel dunno de hull ob dat story.'

'Why didn't _you_ tell him? The Colonel trusts you.'

'Twudn't hab dun no good; de Cunnel wud hab flogged _me_ for tellin' on
a wite man. Nigga's word ain't ob no account.'

'What is the story about Sam?'

'You won't tell dat _I_ tole you, massa?'

'No, but I'll tell the Colonel the truth.'

'Wal den, sar, you see Sam's wife am bery good-lookin', her skin's most
wite,--her mudder war a mulatter, her fader a wite man,--she lub'd Sam
'bout as well as de wimmin ginrally lub dar husbands,' (Jim was a
bachelor, and his observation of plantation morals had given him but
little faith in the sex), 'but most ob 'em, ef dey'm married or no, tink
dey must smile on de wite men, so Jule she smiled on de Oberseer,--so
Sam tought,--and it made him bery jealous. He war sort o' sassy, and de
Oberseer strung him up and flog him bery hard. Den Sam took to de swamp,
but he didn't know whar to gwo, and de dogs tracked him; he'd ha' got
'way dough ef de Oberseer hadn't shot him; den he cudn't run. Den Moye
flogged him till he war 'most dead, and arter dat chained him up in de
ole cabin and gabe him 'most nuffin' to eat. De Cunnel war gwine to take
Sam to Charles'on and sell him, but sumhow he got a file and sawed fru
de chain and got 'way in de night to de 'still.' When de Oberseer cum
dar in de mornin', Sam jump on him and 'most kill him. He'd hab sent him
whar dar ain't no niggas ef Junius hadn't a holed him. _I'd_ a let de
ole debil gwo.'

'Junius, then, is a friend of the Overseer.'

'No, sar; _he_ hain't no friends, 'cep de debil; but June am a good
nigga, and he said 'twarn't right to kill ole Moye so sudden, for den
dar'd be no chance for de Lord forgibin' him.'

'Then Sam got away again?'

'O yas; nary one but darkies war round, and dey wouldn't hole him. Ef
dey'd cotched him den, dey'd hung him, shore.'

'Why hung him?'

''Cause he'd struck a wite man; it 'm shore death to do dat.'

'Do you think Scip will bring him back?'

'Yas; 'cause he 'm gwine to tell massa de hull story. De Cunnel will
b'lieve Scipio ef he _am_ brack. Sam'll know dat, and he'll come back.
De Cunnel'll make de State too hot to hole ole Moye, when he fine him
out.'

'Does Sam's wife "smile" on t