ntry. The
Federal gunboats soon appeared upon the coast, entered the bay and
ran up the rivers. Many of the younger people went off with them, but
during the long and dreary four years which ensued Old John remained
staunch at his post, cultivating the land as best he might, and
sending constantly supplies of money and provisions to his mistress.
At last the whole thing broke down: Lee surrendered, Johnston
surrendered. Troops as well as gunboats swarmed in all directions. Not
only regular soldiers, but raw negro levies, occupied the towns and
were posted through the country. Stories were circulated that I was
killed, that I was captured; and the latter statement was true. There
were rumors that the land was to be divided among the negroes, and one
dark night in the early summer of 1865 some drunken sailors, escaped
from the gunboats lying in the bay, raised a mob of negroes from the
various plantations and gutted nearly every house in the parish. Among
others they came to mine eager for wine, and John was pointed out by
some of the neighboring negroes as knowing where it was concealed. The
sailors threatened his life: he refused to tell. They held a pistol to
his head, but the old man remained staunch in his refusal. Provoked by
his fidelity, at length they brutally beat him with the butts of their
pistols until his gray hairs were dabbled in gore, and went off to
other plunder, telling their followers to take what they wanted from
my residence. But, bruised, bleeding and crippled though he was, Old
John still defended his master's property, and sitting on the front
steps of the house kept the whole crowd at bay by the firmness and
dignity of his attitude. I heard of the affair first from a white man
who lived in the neighborhood, and it was not until I asked him about
it that he told me himself. The next day he gave to my own people
the furniture remaining in the house to keep until I came back, but
positively refused to allow them to take of the crops that had been
gathered any more than was required for their subsistence, and this
he regularly shared out to them at stated intervals. And when, after
a long imprisonment and much enfeebled myself, I landed one evening at
the wharf which leads up to the house, the first figure which met my
sight was the old man faithfully guarding the barns. His eyesight was
too dim for him to see me, but as soon as he heard my voice he seized
my hand with passionate fervor, pressing it