University of Virginia Library

3. CHAPTER III.
THE AFRICAN.

Captain Freemantle accompanied his host along the gallery to its
extremity and entered with him through one of those long Venetian
windows which serve as doors, into a small apartment, curiously furnished
with swords crossed upon the wall; chapaux and plumes hanging
above them; military coats and buff waistcoats garnishing one side
of the mantle-piece, and maps of fortifications with a spy-glass or two,
suspended upon the other. Battle-pieces also adorned the room, and

in one corner was a small book-case, filled with works on military tactics.
One window looked upon the woods and lawns to the north of
the villa, and the other commanded a bold prospect of the bay, upon
the waters of which the scenes described in the novel preceding this,
were enacted.

There was in the room a side-board ancient and nearly black with
age, on which stood decanters sparkling with wines. Near the side-board,
with his elbow leaning upon it, stood, as they entered, Mr. Forrest
gazing upon a fine painting, representing a battle field.

`This is what I call my marquee, Captain Freemantle,' said Colonel
Hood, as he ushered his guest into the room. `You see it looks quite
war-like! I suppose your cabin has something of the same air, only
more nautical! A fine picture, my dear Forrest,' continued the
Colonel observing how his friend was engaged. `It was painted for me
by a very deserving young artist who was in the battle.'

`What battle does it represent?' asked Freemantle.

`Plattsburg.'

`Where you lost your arm?' remarked Mr. Forrest, turning round
and regarding his friend with a look of mingled sorrow and pride.

`Yes, I left part of myself there, but many a brave fellow left his
whole body upon the field.'

`I beard of the battle in India. Captain Freemantle, I am glad you
have re-joined us,' he said, taking the hand of the young privateersman
and pressing it warmly. `I have not yet been able to begin to express
to you my deep thankfulness for your gallant services to me and mine.'

`Do not express them, my dear sir, and you will most gratify me! I
do not relish thanks! I have but done my duty.'

`You are a noble young fellow, Captain,' cried Colonel Hood with
animation. `I like your spirit. No truly generous man wishes to be
thanked. To wish for or to expect and wait for gratitude is a mean
sentiment. A man who accuses me of being ungrateful because I am
not always thanking him for a service he has done me, is destitute of
true nobility of soul. He expects that the one he has benefited must
always be the slave to his vanity. But this is moralizing, and we don't
allow that in the army, and I am sure they won't in the navy. So gentlemen
let us take seats by the table before the open window. Here
is black Juba who will serve us with wine, and let us take a bumper to
our meeting, and discuss the times as we quaff the grape! Juba,' called
the Colonel as the gentlemen seated themselves at the table.

`Massa!' answered a tall gentlemanly looking black who entered
the room at the call. He was dressed in a sort of military livery of
green cloth laced with silver, and his wooley locks profusely powdered.
By some process, inconceivable, he had prolonged his hair behind and
shaped it into a quene or pig-tail, that stuck out as stiff and strait
as the Colonel's. And what was a singular concidence, he had but
one arm like his master. In his air and general bearing, he was his
ludicrous imitator.

`Get glasses, and set on both Madeira and Port.'

`Yes, massa,' answered the black with a polite military bow.

`Why how happens it, my dear Colonel, that your man has lost an

arm,' said Mr. Forrest. `He looks for all the world like your full-length
done in lamp-black.'

`Why the truth is, Juba is myself in his own opinion,' said the
Colonel laughing and glancing at his servant, who with a grave aspect
and with great ceremony placed the wine upon the green cloth between
them.

`How came he to lose an arm also? Not in battle surely?' asked
Mr. Forrest.

`Not exactly in the battle. You must know that Juba is very closely
attached to me! Is it not so, Juba?'

`Yes, massa! But please, massa, if you please Juba go out if massa
colonel talk about Juba!'

`See the honest fellow's modesty!' said the colonel. `Go, Juba, and
wait outside till I call you!'

`Massa Colonel werry kind,' answered the negro; and bowing with
a military stiffness to each person present, he quitted the room.

`There goes a fellow, black as his skin is, who has a heart of pure
gold!' said the colonel. `I will tell you how he happens to be without
an arm! But first let us fill our glasses round and drink to our country,
and the success of its arms.'

This toast being duly drank in the usual form, Colonel Hood turned
to Mr. Forrest; and said,

`You have not forgotten the black boy who used to live in Governor
Hancock's family!'

`No I have reason to remember him,' answered Mr. Forrest. `He
saved me from drowning when my boat was upset by a squall in the
Back-cove, by springing in after me!'

`That boy and Juba are the same!'

`But his name was not Juba!'

`No. It was Sam; he has only had the name of Juba since he has
been in the army. It was given him by the soldiers! He has been in
my employ for the past eighteen years. He has no equal. If I were
a sculptor, and were called upon to model a statue to represent Fidelity
I would make Juba sit for it. He loves me better than he ever did
his own father and mother! The rogne loves me better than he loves
himself, as I will show you! When I lost my arm you would have
thought the poor fellow would have died of grief. His love grew seven
inches longer; his eyes sunk deep into his head and his bones wore
through his clothes which hung on him as they would have hung upon
a skeleton. He watched by me with the tenderness of a mother over a
child! He would sigh heavily, till I thought the poor fellow would die
of grief. He was constantly lamenting, that while he had two good
arms I should have but one. One afternoon as I lay thinking about
the poor fellow, and deliberating with myself what I should do with him
to keep him from pining away from pure sympathy for me, he entered
the room. I had not seen him for five hours, and was really beginning
to feel alarmed lest his melancholy should have driven him to suicide,
when he entered, as I have said, such a change you never beheld! His
face was covered with smiles—absolutely shown with grins. He seemed
ready to laugh with some secret sense of happiness. His
countenance struck me, nevertheless, as being unusually pale (for negroes

can look pale, gentlemen!) and his step less firm—tottering as it
were! At first I thought he was tipsy; but as I never knew him to
take too much unless I had been taking too much myself, in which case
he was sure to get tipsy, I looked closely to see what could be the cause
of this extravagant joy. As I did so my eyes rested with horror and astonishment
upon the naked and empty sleeve of his left arm!'

`Juba, what in Heaven's name have you done?' I cried scarcely believing
my eyes.

`Hab my arm cut off, massa,' answered the faithful foolish fellow
with an air of the most perfect self-satisfaction.

`Had your arm cut off?' I exclaimed.

`Yes, massa! Juba nebber lib and hab two arms when Massa hab only
one! now Juba like massa once more and Juba happy.'

On questioning the noble fellow I got from him that he had first
broken his arm above the elbow by placing it in a crevice and wrenching
it; and then went with it dangling to a surgeon who amputated it.
I saw the surgeon afterwards who said the fracture was a confoundedly
ugly one, and Juba bore the amputation without a word or a flinch!—
The poor fellow had to take his bed, however, with all his courage as
it was a month before he got to his feet again! `Juba!'

`Massa!'

`You've been listening, you rascal or you would'nt, have popped in
here so quickly,' said the Colonel laughing and speaking in the kindliest
manner while tears glistened in his eyes.

`Nebber hear one word, massa!'

`Juba here is your health!' said Colonel Hood with an air of respect.
`Mr. Forrest and Captain Freemantle I know will join me!'

`I shall drink to Juba most readily,' said the young privateersman
regarding the negro with interest.

`And I shall not refuse, be assured,' answered Mr. Forrest. `Juba
you do not recollect me?'

`Yes, I does, massa Forrest!'

`You do, hey! Then you know I owe you a debt! Here is a diamond
ring, wear it for my sake.'

`No, Massa! God pay Juba, such debt as you owe him. He no
want no pay in dis world.'

`You see Juba is a good Christian,' said the Colonel; we might all,
perhaps, take lessons from him in faith! But Juba here is your health!
God bless you, and in Heaven may he give you wings of gold in place
of the arm you have sacrificed here for your love of me!'

Never was `a health' drank more sincerely than Juba's. He placed
his hand upon his breast and bowed with grateful acknowledgement.
For the moment each gentleman, as he gazed upon the black
man felt a sentiment of involuntary respect for him.

`Now, Captain Freemantle,' said Colonel Hood as he set down his
empty glass, `will you be so kind as to promise to remain a week with
me! as to your departure in the morning I shant listen to it! I mean
to keep my recovered friend Forrest as long as he lives. I will invite the
neighboring gentleman and some few friends from the city to a dinner party.
I want them to see you and thank you, too, for the service you have
done the whole country. Many too will join a ball and you will be a

lion amongst the belies! Miss Forrest too has attractions enough to
keep half a dozen gallant fellows like you chained to her car for a
month. No, no! you can't leave us!'

`I have duties, colonel that render my return to Boston on the morrow
imperative!' answered Freemantle, who presrved the expression
of his countenance with admirable self-possession as he alluded to his
lovely wife. I will, however, soon return to share your hospitality.'

`I shall hold you to that promise.'

`I will redeem it.'

`Captain Freemantle,' said Mr. Forrest whose eyes had for some
seconds been resting on the face of the young privateersman, `I have
been struck with the resemblance of your features to those of a young
Indian Prince I saw in the East.'

In spite of the commanding self-possession of the young man, the
quick blood leaped to his brow at these words. He bent his face over
his wine for a moment and then replied, calmly,

`I am happy to remind you of any of your friends, sir! We will
drink to his health!' This was spoken with admirable firmness. The
toast was drank and after a little farther conversation they retired to
smoke their cigars upon the verandah.