Mass' George Part 18

"Oh, I don't know, Master George. One pair of hands can't do the work here. Wants a dozen pair, seems to me. Well, I've done my dooty. I told master there was a chance to get some slaves."

"And of course my father would not buy slaves," I said, indignantly.

"No, sir; and the house and plantations I've took such pride in will all go to ruin now."

"Morgan!"

We both started and looked round to see my father standing in the rough porch of rugged oak-wood.

The man went up to him.

"You have made me uneasy about all this," he said, thoughtfully. "I will go on board the schooner, and see who is there among my neighbours.

I should like to interfere if I could."

"Better not, sir. May make bad blood after."

"Morgan!" cried my father, so sternly that the man drew himself up as if he were on parade, and his old officer were in uniform. "Do not forget yourself, sir. Go and unloose the boat. You can row me on board."

Morgan saluted and went away, while my father began to walk up and down the sandy path among his flowers. I waited a bit, and then went hesitatingly up to him. For a few minutes he did not notice me, and I saw that his lips were pressed close together, and his brow wrinkled.

"Ah, George," he said at last, and he laid his hand upon my shoulder.

"Going out in the boat, father?"

"Yes, my boy."

"Take me too."

He looked at me quickly, and shook his head.

"But I should like to go, father."

"My boy," he said, "I am going on board a ship lying in the river--a vessel used by cruel-hearted men for trafficking in their fellow-creatures."

"Yes, I know, father," I said; "a slaver."

He frowned a little, but went on.

"I am going to see if I can do any good among my friends and neighbours.

It would be no proper sight for you."

I felt disappointed, but when my father spoke in that firm, quiet way, I knew that he meant every word he said, and I remained silent, but followed him as he took his hat and stick and walked slowly down to the little landing-place, where Morgan was already seated in the boat with the painter held in one hand, pa.s.sed just round the trunk of the nearest tree, and ready to slip as soon as my father stepped on board.

A slight motion of an oar sent the stern of the boat close in to the bank, my father stepped in, the painter was slipped, and the boat yielded to the quick current, and began to glide away.

But just then my father raised his head, saw me standing there disconsolate, and said aloud--

"Would you very much like to come, George?"

"Oh, yes, father," I shouted; and he made a sign. Morgan pulled his left-hand oar, and I forced my way through the dense undergrowth to reach the spot where the boat was being pulled in, fifty yards down stream.

It was hard work, and I had not gone far through the dense leaf.a.ge, and over the soft, spongy, river-soaked bank, before there was a rush and a scuffle, followed by a splash, and though I saw nothing, I knew that it was a small alligator, taking refuge in the water after a night's wandering ash.o.r.e.

I had heard these sounds so often, and was so accustomed to the dread shown by the reptiles, that I did not hesitate to go on, and soon after reached the place where Morgan was holding on by the overhanging bushes, drawing the boat so close in that I easily stepped down on to one of the thwarts, giving my father a bright, eager look, but he did not see it; so taking one of the oars, I sat down behind our man, and rowed hard till our boat glided out of the mouth of the stream which ran through my father's property, and reached the turbid waters of the great river.

As we pa.s.sed out of the mouth of our stream, and round the bushes on the point, there lay the schooner a couple of hundred yards away, anch.o.r.ed in the middle, with her long raking masts tapering in the sunshine, and the great spars glistening and bright as if freshly greased.

She was low in the water, and as I looked over my shoulder, I caught sight of a boat just pushing off to go down stream, and noted that she was rowed by some of our neighbours, and had black men on board.

I saw my father give a quick look in the direction of the boat, and frown, but he did not speak, and we rowed on.

As we neared the schooner I more than once became conscious of a peculiar offensive odour, that I thought must be something coming up with the tide; but I was too much interested in the slaver to give more than a pa.s.sing thought to such a matter, and my eagerness and excitement increased as we drew near. For I heard loud voices, and saw our nearest neighbour close to the side, talking to a hard-looking, deeply-bronzed man. Then one of the sailors threw us a rope; we made fast, my father stepped on board, and I followed.

"Better take the other two I've got, colonel, and clear me out," said the bronzed man.

"No, I think not," said Colonel Preston, who had exchanged a short nod with my father, and he turned to where a dejected-looking group of negroes, both men and women, were standing on the deck close to the open hold.

"Better alter your mind; make your black hay while the sun shines. I may never come up your river again. I'll throw in the other two dirt cheap."

I felt the colour come into my cheeks, and then felt how pitiful it was for the miserable, drooping, nearly nude creatures to be sold like that; but my attention was taken up directly by my father's looks and the colonel's words as he said, sternly--

"No; six are all I want, and it seems to me that half of these will die before I have had them long ash.o.r.e."

"No; they'll soon pick up. We've had a rough crossing," said the slaver captain, "and the quarters are a bit close. We ran short of water too, and a tidy lot died, and made the others bad. You give 'em time, and that lot 'll turn out as cheap as anything you ever bought. You should have seen them when they first came aboard--lively and spry as could be.

Have the other two. Hi! Below there!" he continued, as he went to the open hold, and boy-like I stepped forward, full of curiosity, to look down too.

But I started back in horror, as a hot puff of the revolting odour I had previously noticed came up from below.

"Ah, not very sweet, youngster," said the slaver captain, with a laugh.

"Going to brimstone it out well as soon as I've made a clearance. Got two more, haven't you?"

"Ay," came up in a growl.

"Man and woman, eh?"

"Boy and a man," came up.

"Send 'em on deck."

There was a pause, during which I heard from below--"Now then! Up with you!" and the sound of blows, which made me draw a long breath, and I was going back once more to the hold when I felt my father's hand upon my shoulder, and saw as I looked up that he was deadly pale.

"Hoist 'em up there!" shouted the captain, and a rope rove through a block was lowered down.

"How can you join in this cursed business, Preston?" said my father in a low tone to our neighbour.

"I was going to ask you that," said the colonel, coldly.

"Me? Ask me?"