7. CHAPTER VII.
A scene on the banks of the Potomac, with the humours of an African
improvisatore.
Beneath the bluff, and at the mouth of the
creek which divided the two plantations, was a
wharf or landing, where our fishing-boats (for we
had a good fishery hard by) used to discharge their
cargoes, and where, also, small shallops, coming
with supplies to the plantation, put out their freight.
Here, one day, some seven or eight of the hands
were engaged removing a cargo of timber, which
had just been discharged by a small vessel; my
master having bought it for the express purpose of
repairing the negro-houses, and building a new one
for a fellow that was to be married; for it seems,
his crops of corn and tobacco had turned out unusually
well, and when that happened the slaves
were the first who received the benefit.
Hither I strolled, having nothing better to do, to
take a position on the side of the bluff, where I
could both bask in the sunshine, which was very
agreeable (for it was now the end of October,
though fine weather), and overlook the hands working—which
was still more agreeable; for I had uncommon
satisfaction to look at others labouring
while I myself was doing nothing.
Having selected a place to my liking, I lay down
on the warm clay, enjoying myself, while the others
intermitted their labour to abuse me, crying,
“Cuss' lazy nigga, gigglin' Tom dah! why you no
come down work?” having employed themselves
at which for a time, they resumed their labours;
and I, turning over on my back and taking a twig
that grew nigh betwixt my teeth, began to think to
myself what an agreeable thing it was to be a slave
and have nothing to do.
By-and-by, hearing a great chattering and laughing
among the men below, I looked down and beheld
one of them diverting himself with a ludicrous
sport, frequently practised by slaves to whom the
lash is unknown. He was frisking and dodging
about pretty much as aunt Phœbe had done when
endeavouring to show me how the whip was handled
in Mississippi; and, like her, he rubbed his
back, now here, now there, now with the right,
now with the left hand; now ducking to the earth,
now jumping into the air, as though some lusty
overseer were plying him, whip in hand, with all
his might. The wonder of the thing was, however,
that Governor (for that was the fellow's name) had
in his hand a pamphlet, or sheet of printed paper,
the contents of which he was endeavouring both to
convey to his companions and to illustrate by those
ridiculous antics. The contents of the paper were
varied, for varied also was the representation.
“Dah you go, nigga!” he cried, leaping as if
from a blow; “slap on'e leg, hit right on'e shin!
yah, yah, yah—chah, chah, ch-ch-ch-ch-ah! chah,
chah, massa!—oh de dam overseeah! dat de way
he whip a nigga!” Then pausing a moment and
turning a leaf of the book, he fell to leaping again,
crying—“What
dat? dat
you, Rose? what you
been doin? stealin' sugah?
“Jump! you nigga gal!
Hab a hard massa!
So much you git for stealin' sugah!
So much for lickin' lassa!
“Dem hard massa, licky de gals!
“Ole Vaginnee, nebber ti-ah!
what 'e debbil's de use ob floggin' like fia-ah!”
Then came another scene. “Yah, yah, yah!—
what dat? Massa Maja kickin' de pawson! I say,
whaw Pawson Jim? you Jim pawson, he-ah you
git'em!” And then another—“Lorra-gorry, what
he-ah? He-ah a nigga tied up in a gum—
“Oh! de possum up de gum-tree,
'Coony in de hollow:
Two white men whip a nigga,
How de nigga holla!
“Jump, nigga, jump! yah, yah, yah! did you ebber
see de debbil? jump, nigga, jump! two white
men whip a nigga? gib a nigga fay-ah play!
When de white man comes to sticky, sticky,
Lorra-gorr! he licky, licky!
“Gib a nigga fay-ah play!”
And so he went on, describing and acting what
he affected to read, to the infinite delight of his
companions, who, ceasing their work, crowded
round him, to snatch a peep at the paper, which, I
observed, no one got a good look at without jumping
back immediately, rubbing his sides, and
launching into other antics, in rivalry with Governor.
