Modern chivalry :: :: University of Virginia Library

RETURNING to his lodging, he
could not help reflecting by the way,
that probably poor Teague, mortified by
repeated disappointments, in going to
Congress, being suffered to preach, or be
a member of the Philosophical Society;
and what might afflict him still more, the
not marrying the rich hostess, who had
made him overtures, might, in his despair
of ever coming forward in any respectable
capacity in life, have suspended himself
from a beam, or plunged into the river,
and have put an end to his existence;
which, should it be the case, being in
some measure accessary to this catastrophe
of the bog-trotter, by dissuading from these
several pretensions, he could not acquit

himself of guilt; at all events, he would
feel great pain and sorrow.

Such were his reflections for a great
part of this day; and had thought of putting
an advertisement in the paper, to
know if any dead body had been lately
discovered; or inquisition held on a young
man, with red hair, and a long leg, who
had been missing some days, and was supposed
to have hung or drowned himself.
But in the evening, meditating thus, mention
being made by some of the lodgers,
of going to hear the annual oration, delivered
before the Philosophical Society,
by a member; it struck his mind, that
possibly Teague, falling in with some of
this body, had been induced by them to
take a seat, and might be present on that
occasion. Not hesitating, therefore, he
seconded the proposal of going; and offered
to be of the party.

Coming to the hall, the philosophers
were seated; but a black member sat with
a taper before him, who, it seems, was
to deliver the oration.

The fact was this; A gentleman of Maryland
of the name of Gorum, had sent
to the society, some time before, a curiosity
found by one of his negroes in the

mud of Wye river, on the banks of which
his seat was. It appeared to be a stone,
with a cavity sufficient to receive a man's
foot, and was adjudged by the society to
be an Indian's petrified moccason. The
singularity of the discovery, well intitling
the gentleman to a seat, he was invited;
but sending his compliments, he gave
them to understand, that Cuff, (for that
was the name of the negro) was more intitled
to that honour than he was, being
the person who had found the curiosity;
and as he made it a point to do his slaves
justice in any perquisite of their own, he
could not think of robbing one, on this occasion
of any honour, to which he might
be introduced by this discovery.

The society approved his honesty, and
fair dealing; and by unanimous ballot,
admitted the negro; who, having been a
member some time, had been appointed,
to pronounce the annual oration. Cuff, a
good deal disconcerted in hearing of the
task imposed upon him, had applied to
his master to know what to say. Colonel
Gorum attending a good deal to literary
matters, had heard of an oration delivered
before the society, the object of which was
to prove that the Africans had been once

white, had sharp noses, and long hair;
but that by living in sun-burnt climates,
the skin had changed colour, the hair become
frizzled, and in the course of generation,
the imagination of the mother, presenting
obtuse objects, had produced an offspring
with flat noses. He therefore gave
Cuff to understand, that it would be doing
no more than justice to his countrymen, for
he was a Guinea negro, if he should avail
himself of this occasion to prove that men
were all once black, and that by living in
snowy countries, and being bleached by
the weather, the skin had gradually become
white, and the hair moist and long, and
the imagination presenting prominent objects
to the mothers, or the fathers differing
among themselves, and pulling one another
by this part, had given the long and
pointed nose.

Cuff, thus prepared, set out; having arrived,
and being on this occasion to harangue,
began as follows:

The Oration.

Massa shentiman; I be cash crab in de
Wye riva: found ting in de mud; tone,
big a man's foot: hols like to he; fetch

Massa: Massa say, it be de Indian moccason.—O!
fat de call it; all tone. He say,
you be a filasafa, Cuff: I say, O no, Massa;
you be de filasafa. Wel; two tree
monts afta, Massa call me, and say, You
be a filasafa, Cuff, fo' sartan: Getta ready,
and go dis city, and make grate peech for
shentima filasafa. I say, Fat say? Massa:
Massa say, somebody say, dat de first man
was de site man; but you say, dat de first
man was de black a-man. Vel, I set out
out: come along: Massa gi me pass. Some
say, where you go, Cuff? I say, dis city, be
a filasafa. O no, Cuff, you be no filasafa:
call me fool, gi me kick i'de backside;
fall down, get up again, and come
to dis city.

Now, shentima, I say, dat de first man
was de black a man, and de first woman
de black a woman; an get two tree children;
de rain vasha dese, an de snow
pleach, an de coula come brown, yella,
coppa coula, and, at de last, quite fite;
an de hair long; an da fal out vid van anoda;
and van cash by de nose, an pull;
so de nose come lang, sharp nose.

Now I go home, Massa shentima; an
tel grate Massa, dat make peech, an ibedy
body vas da; an den Cuff fin a more

tings—cabs, oysta, cat-fish, bones, tones,
ibedy ting; sen to you, shentima.

The oration being ended, the Society
could do no less than appoint a committee
to wait on Mr. Cuff, and request a copy
of his oration, that it might be published.

But the Captain, in the mean time, had
examined, with great attention, the whole
audience; but could not discover Teague.
Departing, therefore, with the rest, his
thoughts recurred to his first idea, viz.
that the unfortunate creature had committed
suicide. Drawing up, therefore, an
advertisement, he sent it to a daily paper;
but, though it appeared next morning,
and the day elapsed, there was no word of
Teague.