University of Virginia Library

6. CHAPTER VI.
DISCOVERY.

Mr. and Mrs. Shelby, after their protracted discussion of
the night before, did not readily sink to repose, and, in
consequence, slept somewhat later than usual, the ensuing
morning.

“I wonder what keeps Eliza,” said Mrs. Shelby, after
giving her bell repeated pulls, to no purpose.

Mr. Shelby was standing before his dressing-glass, sharpening
his razor; and just then the door opened, and a colored
boy entered, with his shaving-water.

“Andy,” said his mistress, “step to Eliza's door, and tell
her I have rung for her three times. Poor thing!” she
added, to herself, with a sigh.

Andy soon returned, with eyes very wide in astonishment.

“Lor, Missis! Lizy's drawers is all open, and her things
all lying every which way; and I believe she 's just done
clared out!”

The truth flashed upon Mr. Shelby and his wife at the
same moment. He exclaimed,

“Then she suspected it, and she 's off!”

“The Lord be thanked!” said Mrs. Shelby. “I trust
she is.”

“Wife, you talk like a fool! Really, it will be something
pretty awkward for me, if she is. Haley saw that I hesitated
about selling this child, and he 'll think I connived at it, to

get him out of the way. It touches my honor!” And Mr.
Shelby left the room hastily.

There was great running and ejaculating, and opening and
shutting of doors, and appearance of faces in all shades of color
in different places, for about a quarter of an hour. One
person only, who might have shed some light on the matter,
was entirely silent, and that was the head cook, Aunt
Chloe. Silently, and with a heavy cloud settled down over
her once joyous face, she proceeded making out her breakfast
biscuits, as if she heard and saw nothing of the excitement
around her.

Very soon, about a dozen young imps were roosting, like
so many crows, on the verandah railings, each one determined
to be the first one to apprize the strange Mas'r of his ill luck.

“He 'll be rael mad, I 'll be bound,” said Andy.

“Won't he swar!” said little black Jake.

“Yes, for he does swar,” said woolly-headed Mandy. “I
hearn him yesterday, at dinner. I hearn all about it then,
'cause I got into the closet where Missis keeps the great jugs,
and I hearn every word.” And Mandy, who had never in
her life thought of the meaning of a word she had heard,
more than a black cat, now took airs of superior wisdom, and
strutted about, forgetting to state that, though actually coiled
up among the jugs at the time specified, she had been fast
asleep all the time.

When, at last, Haley appeared, booted and spurred, he was
saluted with the bad tidings on every hand. The young
imps on the verandah were not disappointed in their hope of
hearing him “swar,” which he did with a fluency and fervency
which delighted them all amazingly, as they ducked
and dodged hither and thither, to be out of the reach of his
riding-whip; and, all whooping off together, they tumbled, in

a pile of immeasurable giggle, on the withered turf under the
verandah, where they kicked up their heels and shouted to
their full satisfaction.

“If I had the little devils!” muttered Haley, between his
teeth.

“But you ha'nt got 'em, though!” said Andy, with a
triumphant flourish, and making a string of indescribable
mouths at the unfortunate trader's back, when he was fairly
beyond hearing.

“I say now, Shelby, this yer 's a most extro'rnary business!”
said Haley, as he abruptly entered the parlor. “It
seems that gal 's off, with her young un.”

“Mr. Haley, Mrs. Shelby is present,” said Mr. Shelby.

“I beg pardon, ma'am,” said Haley, bowing slightly, with
a still lowering brow; “but still I say, as I said before, this
yer 's a sing'lar report. Is it true, sir?”

“Sir,” said Mr. Shelby, “if you wish to communicate
with me, you must observe something of the decorum of a
gentleman. Andy, take Mr. Haley's hat and riding-whip.
Take a seat, sir. Yes, sir; I regret to say that the young
woman, excited by overhearing, or having reported to her,
something of this business, has taken her child in the night,
and made off.”

“I did expect fair dealing in this matter, I confess,” said
Haley.

“Well, sir,” said Mr. Shelby, turning sharply round upon
him, “what am I to understand by that remark? If any
man calls my honor in question, I have but one answer for
him.”

The trader cowered at this, and in a somewhat lower tone
said that “it was plaguy hard on a fellow, that had made a
fair bargain, to be gulled that way.”

“Mr. Haley,” said Mr. Shelby, “if I did not think you
had some cause for disappointment, I should not have borne
from you the rude and unceremonious style of your entrance
into my parlor this morning. I say thus much, however,
since appearances call for it, that I shall allow of no insinuations
cast upon me, as if I were at all partner to any unfairness
in this matter. Moreover, I shall feel bound to give
you every assistance, in the use of horses, servants, &c., in
the recovery of your property. So, in short, Haley,” said he,
suddenly dropping from the tone of dignified coolness to his
ordinary one of easy frankness, “the best way for you is to
keep good-natured and eat some breakfast, and we will then
see what is to be done.”

Mrs. Shelby now rose, and said her engagements would
prevent her being at the breakfast-table that morning; and,
deputing a very respectable mulatto woman to attend to the
gentlemen's coffee at the side-board, she left the room.

“Old lady don't like your humble servant, over and
above,” said Haley, with an uneasy effort to be very familiar.

“I am not accustomed to hear my wife spoken of with such
freedom,” said Mr. Shelby, dryly.

“Beg pardon; of course, only a joke, you know,” said
Haley, forcing a laugh.

“Some jokes are less agreeable than others,” rejoined
Shelby.

“Devilish free, now I 've signed those papers, cuss him!”
muttered Haley to himself; “quite grand, since yesterday!”

Never did fall of any prime minister at court occasion
wider surges of sensation than the report of Tom's fate among
his compeers on the place. It was the topic in every mouth,
everywhere; and nothing was done in the house or in the
field, but to discuss its probable results. Eliza's flight — an

unprecedented event on the place — was also a great accessory
in stimulating the general excitement.

Black Sam, as he was commonly called, from his being
about three shades blacker than any other son of ebony on the
place, was revolving the matter profoundly in all its phases
and bearings, with a comprehensiveness of vision and a strict
look-out to his own personal well-being, that would have done
credit to any white patriot in Washington.

“It 's an ill wind dat blows nowhar, — dat ar a fact,” said
Sam, sententiously, giving an additional hoist to his pantaloons,
and adroitly substituting a long nail in place of a missing
suspender-button, with which effort of mechanical genius
he seemed highly delighted.

“Yes, it 's an ill wind blows nowhar,” he repeated.
“Now, dar, Tom 's down — wal, course der 's room for some
nigger to be up — and why not dis nigger? — dat 's de idee.
Tom, a ridin' round de country — boots blacked — pass in
his pocket — all grand as Cuffee — who but he? Now, why
should n't Sam? — dat 's what I want to know.”

“Halloo, Sam — O Sam! Mas'r wants you to cotch Bill
and Jerry,” said Andy, cutting short Sam's soliloquy.

“High! what 's afoot now, young un?”

“Why, you don't know, I s'pose, that Lizy's cut stick,
and clared out, with her young un?”

“You teach your granny!” said Sam, with infinite contempt;
“knowed it a heap sight sooner than you did; this
nigger an't so green, now!”

“Well, anyhow, Mas'r wants Bill and Jerry geared right
up; and you and I's to go with Mas'r Haley, to look arter
her.”

“Good, now! dat 's de time o' day!” said Sam. “It 's
Sam dat 's called for in dese yer times. He 's de nigger.

See if I don't cotch her, now; Mas'r 'll see what Sam can
do!”

“Ah! but, Sam,” said Andy, “you 'd better think twice;
for Missis don't want her cotched, and she 'll be in yer wool.”

“High!” said Sam, opening his eyes. “How you know
dat?”

“Heard her say so, my own self, dis blessed mornin', when
I bring in Mas'r's shaving-water. She sent me to see why
Lizy did n't come to dress her; and when I telled her she
was off, she jest ris up, and ses she, `The Lord be praised;'
and Mas'r, he seemed rael mad, and ses he, `Wife, you talk
like a fool.' But Lor! she 'll bring him to! I knows well
enough how that 'll be,— it 's allers best to stand Missis'
side the fence, now I tell yer.”

Black Sam, upon this, scratched his woolly pate, which, if
it did not contain very profound wisdom, still contained a
great deal of a particular species much in demand among
politicians of all complexions and countries, and vulgarly
denominated “knowing which side the bread is buttered;”
so, stopping with grave consideration, he again gave a hitch
to his pantaloons, which was his regularly organized method
of assisting his mental perplexities.

“Der an't no sayin' — never — 'but no kind o' thing in
dis yer world,” he said, at last.

Sam spoke like a philosopher, emphasizing this — as if he
had had a large experience in different sorts of worlds, and
therefore had come to his conclusions advisedly.

“Now, sartin I 'd a said that Missis would a scoured the
varsal world after Lizy,” added Sam, thoughtfully.

“So she would,” said Andy; “but can't ye see through a
ladder, ye black nigger? Missis don't want dis yer Mas'r
Haley to get Lizy's boy; dat 's de go!”

“High!” said Sam, with an indescribable intonation,
known only to those who have heard it among the negroes.

“And I 'll tell yer more 'n all,” said Andy; “I specs
you 'd better be making tracks for dem hosses, — mighty sudden,
too, — for I hearn Missis 'quirin' arter yer, — so you 've
stood foolin' long enough.”

Sam, upon this, began to bestir himself in real earnest, and
after a while appeared, bearing down gloriously towards the
house, with Bill and Jerry in a full canter, and adroitly
throwing himself off before they had any idea of stopping, he
brought them up alongside of the horse-post like a tornado.
Haley's horse, which was a skittish young colt, winced, and
bounced, and pulled hard at his halter.

“Ho, ho!” said Sam, “skeery, ar ye?” and his black
visage lighted up with a curious, mischievous gleam. “I 'll
fix ye now!” said he.

There was a large beech-tree overshadowing the place, and
the small, sharp, triangular beech-nuts lay scattered thickly
on the ground. With one of these in his fingers, Sam
approached the colt, stroked and patted, and seemed apparently
busy in soothing his agitation. On pretence of adjusting
the saddle, he adroitly slipped under it the sharp little
nut, in such a manner that the least weight brought upon the
saddle would annoy the nervous sensibilities of the animal,
without leaving any perceptible graze or wound.

“Dar!” he said, rolling his eyes with an approving grin;
“me fix 'em!”

At this moment Mrs. Shelby appeared on the balcony,
beckoning to him. Sam approached with as good a determination
to pay court as did ever suitor after a vacant place at
St. James' or Washington.

“Why have you been loitering so, Sam? I sent Andy to
tell you to hurry.”

“Lord bless you, Missis!” said Sam, “horses won't be
cotched all in a mimit; they 'd done clared out way down to
the south pasture, and the Lord knows whar!”

“Sam, how often must I tell you not to say `Lord bless
you, and the Lord knows,' and such things? It 's wicked.”

“O, Lord bless my soul! I done forgot, Missis! I won't
say nothing of de sort no more.”

“Why, Sam, you just have said it again.”

“Did I? O, Lord! I mean — I did n't go fur to say it.”

“You must be careful, Sam.”

“Just let me get my breath, Missis, and I 'll start fair.
I 'll be berry careful.”

“Well, Sam, you are to go with Mr. Haley, to show him
the road, and help him. Be careful of the horses, Sam; you
know Jerry was a little lame last week; don't ride them too
fast.”

Mrs. Shelby spoke the last words with a low voice, and
strong emphasis.

“Let dis child alone for dat!” said Sam, rolling up his
eyes with a volume of meaning. “Lord knows! High!
Did n't say dat!” said he, suddenly catching his breath, with
a ludicrous flourish of apprehension, which made his mistress
laugh, spite of herself. “Yes, Missis, I 'll look out for de
hosses!”

“Now, Andy,” said Sam, returning to his stand under the
beech-trees, “you see I would n't be 't all surprised if dat
ar gen'lman's crittur should gib a fling, by and by, when he
comes to be a gettin' up. You know, Andy, critturs will do
such things;” and therewith Sam poked Andy in the side,
in a highly suggestive manner.

“High!” said Andy, with an air of instant appreciation.

“Yes, you see, Andy, Missis wants to make time, — dat
ar 's clar to der most or'nary 'bserver. I jis make a little
for her. Now, you see, get all dese yer hosses loose, caperin'
permiscus round dis yer lot and down to de wood dar, and I
spec Mas'r won't be off in a hurry.”

Andy grinned.

“Yer see,” said Sam, “yer see, Andy, if any such thing
should happen as that Mas'r Haley's horse should begin to
act contrary, and cut up, you and I jist lets go of our'n to
help him, and we'll help him — oh yes!” And Sam and
Andy laid their heads back on their shoulders, and broke into
a low, immoderate laugh, snapping their fingers and flourishing
their heels with exquisite delight.

At this instant, Haley appeared on the verandah. Somewhat
mollified by certain cups of very good coffee, he came
out smiling and talking, in tolerably restored humor. Sam
and Andy, clawing for certain fragmentary palm-leaves,
which they were in the habit of considering as hats, flew to
the horse-posts, to be ready to “help Mas'r.”

Sam's palm-leaf had been ingeniously disentangled from all
pretensions to braid, as respects its brim; and the slivers starting
apart, and standing upright, gave it a blazing air of freedom
and defiance, quite equal to that of any Fejee chief;
while the whole brim of Andy's being departed bodily, he
rapped the crown on his head with a dexterous thump, and
looked about well pleased, as if to say, “Who says I have n't
got a hat?”

“Well, boys,” said Haley, “look alive now; we must lose
no time.”

“Not a bit of him, Mas'r!” said Sam, putting Haley's

rein in his hand, and holding his stirrup, while Andy was
untying the other two horses.

The instant Haley touched the saddle, the mettlesome creature
bounded from the earth with a sudden spring, that threw
his master sprawling, some feet off, on the soft, dry turf.
Sam, with frantic ejaculations, made a dive at the reins, but
only succeeded in brushing the blazing palm-leaf afore-named
into the horse's eyes, which by no means tended to allay the
confusion of his nerves. So, with great vehemence, he overturned
Sam, and, giving two or three contemptuous snorts,
flourished his heels vigorously in the air, and was soon prancing
away towards the lower end of the lawn, followed by Bill
and Jerry, whom Andy had not failed to let loose, according
to contract, speeding them off with various direful ejaculations.
And now ensued a miscellaneous scene of confusion.
Sam and Andy ran and shouted, — dogs barked here
and there, — and Mike, Mose, Mandy, Fanny, and all the
smaller specimens on the place, both male and female, raced,
clapped hands, whooped, and shouted, with outrageous officiousness
and untiring zeal.

Haley's horse, which was a white one, and very fleet and
spirited, appeared to enter into the spirit of the scene with
great gusto; and having for his coursing ground a lawn of
nearly half a mile in extent, gently sloping down on every
side into indefinite woodland, he appeared to take infinite
delight in seeing how near he could allow his pursuers to
approach him, and then, when within a hand's breadth, whisk
off with a start and a snort, like a mischievous beast as he
was, and career far down into some alley of the wood-lot.
Nothing was further from Sam's mind than to have any one
of the troop taken until such season as shoul seem to him
most befitting, — and the exertions that he made were certainly

most heroic. Like the sword of Cœur De Lion, which
always blazed in the front and thickest of the battle, Sam's
palm-leaf was to be seen everywhere when there was the
least danger that a horse could be caught; — there he would
bear down full tilt, shouting, “Now for it! cotch him! cotch
him!” in a way that would set everything to indiscriminate
rout in a moment.

Haley ran up and down, and cursed and swore and stamped
miscellaneously. Mr. Shelby in vain tried to shout directions
from the balcony, and Mrs. Shelby from her chamber window
alternately laughed and wondered, — not without some inkling
of what lay at the bottom of all this confusion.

At last, about twelve o'clock, Sam appeared triumphant,
mounted on Jerry, with Haley's horse by his side, reeking
with sweat, but with flashing eyes and dilated nostrils, showing
that the spirit of freedom had not yet entirely subsided.

“He 's cotched!” he exclaimed, triumphantly. “If 't
had n't been for me, they might a bust theirselves, all on 'em;
but I cotched him!”

“You!” growled Haley, in no amiable mood. “If it
had n't been for you, this never would have happened.”

“Lord bless us, Mas'r,” said Sam, in a tone of the deepest
concern, “and me that has been racin' and chasin' till the
swet jest pours off me!”

“Well, well!” said Haley, “you 've lost me near three
hours, with your cursed nonsense. Now let 's be off, and
have no more fooling.”

“Why, Mas'r,” said Sam, in a deprecating tone, “I
believe you mean to kill us all clar, horses and all. Here we
are all just ready to drop down, and the critters all in a reek
of sweat. Why, Mas'r won't think of startin' on now till
arter dinner. Mas'r's hoss wants rubben down; see how he

splashed hisself; and Jerry limps too; don't think Missis
would be willin' to have us start dis yer way, no how. Lord
bless you, Mas'r, we can ketch up, if we do stop. Lizy
never was no great of a walker.”

Mrs. Shelby, who, greatly to her amusement, had overheard
this conversation from the verandah, now resolved to
do her part. She came forward, and, courteously expressing
her concern for Haley's accident, pressed him to stay to
dinner, saying that the cook should bring it on the table
immediately.

Thus, all things considered, Haley, with rather an equivocal
grace, proceeded to the parlor, while Sam, rolling his eyes
after him with unutterable meaning, proceeded gravely with
the horses to the stable-yard.

“Did yer see him, Andy? did yer see him?” said Sam,
when he had got fairly beyond the shelter of the barn, and
fastened the horse to a post. “O, Lor, if it warn't as good
as a meetin', now, to see him a dancin' and kickin' and
swarin' at us. Did n't I hear him? Swar away, ole fellow
(says I to myself); will yer have yer hoss now, or wait till
you cotch him? (says I). Lor, Andy, I think I can see him
now.” And Sam and Andy leaned up against the barn, and
laughed to their hearts' content.

“Yer oughter seen how mad he looked, when I brought the
hoss up. Lord, he 'd a killed me, if he durs' to; and there I
was a standin' as innercent and as humble.”

“Lor, I seed you,” said Andy; “an't you an old hoss,
Sam?”

“Rather specks I am,” said Sam; “did yer see Missis up
stars at the winder? I seed her laughin'.”

“I 'm sure, I was racin' so, I did n't see nothing,” said
Andy.

“Well, yer see,” said Sam, proceeding gravely to wash
down Haley's pony, “I'se 'quired what yer may call a habit
o' bobservation, Andy. It 's a very 'portant habit, Andy;
and I 'commend yer to be cultivatin' it, now yer young.
Hist up that hind foot, Andy. Yer see, Andy, it 's bobservation
makes all de difference in niggers. Did n't I see
which way the wind blew dis yer mornin'? Did n't I see
what Missis wanted, though she never let on? Dat ar 's
bobservation, Andy. I 'spects it 's what you may call a faculty.
Faculties is different in different peoples, but cultivation
of 'em goes a great way.”

“I guess if I had n't helped your bobservation dis mornin',
yer would n't have seen your way so smart,” said Andy.

“Andy,” said Sam, “you 's a promisin' child, der an't no
manner o' doubt. I thinks lots of yer, Andy; and I don't
feel no ways ashamed to take idees from you. We oughtenter
overlook nobody, Andy, cause the smartest on us gets
tripped up sometimes. And so, Andy, let 's go up to the
house now. I 'll be boun' Missis 'll give us an uncommon
good bite, dis yer time.”