als pointing to heaven, but whose ministers preach that slavery is a
God-ordained institution!

The slaves were speedily separated, and taken along by their respective
masters. Jennings, the slave-speculator, who had purchased Agnes and
her daughter Marion, with several of the other slaves, took them to the
county prison, where he usually kept his human cattle after purchasing
them, previous to starting for the New Orleans market.

Linwood had already provided a place for Isabella, to which she was
taken. The most trying moment for her was when she took leave of her
mother and sister. The "Good-by" of the slave is unlike that of any
other class in the community. It is indeed a farewell forever. With
tears streaming down their cheeks, they embraced and commended each
other to God, who is no respecter of persons, and before whom master and
slave must one day appear.

CHAPTER III. THE SLAVE-SPECULATOR

DICK JENNINGS the slave-speculator, was one of the few Northern men, who
go to the South and throw aside their honest mode of obtaining a living
and resort to trading in human beings. A more repulsive-looking person
could scarcely be found in any community of bad looking men. Tall, lean
and lank, with high cheek-bones, face much pitted with the small-pox,
gray eyes with red eyebrows, and sandy whiskers, he indeed stood alone
without mate or fellow in looks. Jennings prided himself upon what he
called his goodness of heat, and was always speaking of his humanity. As
many of the slaves whom he intended taking to the New Orleans market had
been raised in Richmond, and had relations there, he determined to leave
the city early in the morning, so as not to witness any of the scenes
so common on the departure of a slave-gang to the far South. In this, he
was most successful; for not even Isabella, who had called at the prison
several times to see her mother and sister, was aware of the time that
they were to leave.

The slave-trader started at early dawn, and was beyond the confines of
the city long before the citizens were out of their beds. As a slave
regards a life on the sugar, cotton, or rice plantation as even worse
than death, they are ever on the watch for an opportunity to escape. The
trader, aware of this, secures his victims in chains before he sets out
on his journey. On this occasion, Jennings had the men chained in pairs,
while the women were allowed to go unfastened, but were closely watched.

After a