he scene around was any thing but promising-disappointing to the
captain's exalted ideas of Colonel Whaley's magnificent plantation. The
old farm-house was a barrack-like building, dilapidated, and showing no
signs of having lately furnished a job for the painter, and standing in
an arena surrounded by an enclosure of rough slats. Close examination
disclosed fragments of gardening in the arena, but they showed the
unmistakable evidences of carelessness. At a short distance from this
was a cluster of dirty-looking negro-huts, raised a few feet from the
ground on palmetto piles, and strung along from them to the brink of the
river were numerous half-starved cattle and hogs, the latter rooting up
the sod.

It was now nearly slack water, on a high flood, and the schooner lay
just above the bend of the creek. Presently a large, portly-looking
man, dressed like as Yorkshire farmer, came, to the bank, and in a
stentorious voice ordered the captain to haul into the creek at once!
The manner in which the order was given rather taxed the captain's
feelings, yet he immediately set his men to work heaving up the anchor
and carrying out "a line" to warp her in. But that slow motion with
which negroes execute all orders, caused some delay, and no sooner had
he, begun to heave on the line than the tide set strong ebb and carried
him upon the lower point, where a strong eddy, made by the receding
water from the creek, and the strong undertow in the river, baffled all
his exertions. There she stuck, and all the warps and tow-lines of a
seventy-four, hove by the combined strength of the plantation, would
not have started her. When the tide left, she careened over toward the
river, for there was no means at hand to shore her up.

One of the drivers went up and reported "Massa captain got 'im ship
ashore," and down came Colonel Whaley, with all the pomp of seven lord
mayors in his countenance. "What sort of a feller are you to command
a ship? I'd whip the worst nigger on the plantation, if he couldn't do
better than that. Rig a raft out and let me come o' board that vessel!"
said he, accompanying his demands with a volley of vile imprecations
that would have disgraced St. Giles'.

"Do you know who you're talking to? You mus'n't take me for a nigger,
sir! I know my duty, if you don't good manners," rejoined the captain.

"Do you know who owns that ship? you impudent feller, you! Take the
sails off her, immediately-at once! or I'll shoot