im by the company, which mule
I had the honor of riding at a tournament at Suffolk, Va., in 1860.
How old he was no one could tell at that time. No account is given of
any mules being in the Ark at the time that she settled on dry land,
and where that mule came from will never be known. It is very certain
that he appeared on this mundane sphere at some period after the
flood. If he is dead I have heard nothing of it. He may be wandering
about the Dismal Swamp. Old Uncle Alek and his mule were great
curiosities, and whenever he came to town on his mule they attracted a
great deal of attention. He was an exhorter in the Methodist Churches
for colored people, and always had in his pocket a Testament or hymn
book. He was perfectly conversant with the Bible, and could refer
readily to any passage of Scripture that you might mention. He was
born in 1783, and died a few years ago, having attained the age of one
hundred years, his mind being as vivid and active as at any time. We
shall never forget Uncle Alek and his mule. They were things of our
earliest recollection, and, like many of the landmarks at the "Lake of
the Dismal Swamp," have been washed away. I have been to it frequently
since my first visit, and would notice the changes made by the rude
hand of time.

I have examined several writers that have written about "Uncle Alek's
Mule," and am satisfied that it was the same one that "Nat Turner"
rode when on his raid of murder in Southampton county, Va., in 1831.
Looking over the diary of Colonel Godfrey for thirty years, we notice
that he said "Nat Turner," when he appeared in the avenue of Dr.
Blount, on that fatal night, he rode at the head of the column,
mounted on a sorrel mule, with flax mane and tail. But the question
arises, how that mule got into the Dismal Swamp, and how he came in
possession of the Dismal Swamp Land Company. Col. Godfrey states that
there were several guns in the house of Dr. Blount, and several
visitors there at the time; that the young Blount loaded the guns, and
that a strong fire was kept up on the advancing column. Nat Turner was
thrown from his mule, then they became panic-stricken, and were
dispersed. For the bravery displayed by young Blount on that occasion,
he received a midshipman's warrant in the United States Navy. I will
now quote from G. P. R. James' book, called the "Old Dominion," in
which he states that a "young mother with her infant fled to the
Dismal Swamp for safety." It