o call on the doctor when ill,--he put Sam to
bleeding, pulling teeth, and administering medicine to the slaves. Sam
soon acquired the name among the slaves of the "Black Doctor." With this
appellation he was delighted; and no regular physician could have put on
more airs than did the black doctor when his services were required. In
bleeding, he must have more bandages, and would rub and smack the arm
more than the doctor would have thought of.

Sam was once seen taking out a tooth for one of his patients, and
nothing appeared more amusing. He got the poor fellow down on his back,
and then getting astride of his chest, he applied the turnkeys and
pulled away for dear life. Unfortunately, he had got hold of the wrong
tooth, and the poor man screamed as loud as he could; but it was to no
purpose, for Sam had him fast, and after a pretty severe tussle out came
the sound grinder. The young doctor now saw his mistake, but consoled
himself with the thought that as the wrong tooth was out of the way,
there was more room to get at the right one.

Bleeding and a dose of calomel were always considered indispensable
by the "old boss," and as a matter of course, Sam followed in his
footsteps.

On one occasion the old doctor was ill himself, so as to be unable to
attend to his patients. A slave, with pass in hand, called to receive
medical advice, and the master told Sam to examine him and see what
he wanted. This delighted him beyond measure, for although he had been
acting his part in the way of giving out medicine as the master ordered
it, he had never been called upon by the latter to examine a patient,
and this seemed to convince him after all that he was no sham doctor. As
might have been expected, he cut a rare figure in his first examination.
Placing himself directly opposite his patient, and folding his arms
across his breast, looking very knowingly, he began,--

"What's de matter wid you?"

"I is sick."

"Where is you sick?"

"Here," replied the man, putting his hand upon his stomach.

"Put out your tongue," continued the doctor.

The man ran out his tongue at full length.

"Let me feel your pulse;" at the same time taking his patient's hand in
his, and placing his fingers upon his pulse, he said,--

"Ah! your case is a bad one; ef I don't do something for you, and dat
pretty quick, you'll be a gone coon, and dat's sartin." At this the
man appeared frightened, and inquired what was the matter with him, in
ans