at at another it was at
low tide. It was no great difficulty, under the circumstances, for a man
like Denmark Vesey to forecast with reasonable accuracy these recurrent
movements, and natural enough that he should have planned his attack with
reference to them. And this was exactly what he did when he appointed July
14th as the original date for beginning the insurrection. At that time the
city was less capable than at an earlier date to cope with a slave
uprising, owing to the departure in large numbers from it, for summer
resorts, of its wealthier classes.

Again his selection of the first day of the week in both instances was
equally the result of careful calculation on his part, as on that day
large bodies of slaves from the adjacent plantations and islands were
wont to visit the town without molestation, whereas on no other day
could this have been done. Thus, without exciting alarm, did Vesey plan
to introduce his Trojan horse or country bands into the city, where they
were to be concealed until the hour for beginning the attack.

But the attack, carefully planned as it was, did not take place. For the
thing which Peter Poyas feared, and had vainly endeavored to provide
against, came to pass. One of those very "waiting men," for whom Peter
entertained such deep distrust, and against whom he had raised his voice
in sharp warning, betrayed to his master the plot, the secret of which
had been communicated to him by an overzealous convert, whose discretion
was shorter than his tongue. All this happened on the morning of the
30th of May, and by sunset of that day the secret was in possession of
the authorities of the city. Precautionary measures were quickly taken
by them to guard against surprise, and to discover the full extent of
the intended uprising.

Luckily for the conspirators the information given by the traitor was
vague and general. Nor was the city able to elicit from the informant of
this man, who had been promptly arrested and subjected to examination,
any disclosures of a more specific or satisfactory character. He was, in
truth, in possession of but few particulars of the plot, and was therefore
unable to give any greater definiteness to the government's stock of
knowledge relative to the subject. Suspicion, however, lighted on Peter
Poyas and Mingo Harth, one of Vesey's minor leaders. They were, thereupon
apprehended, and their personal effects searched, but nothing was found to
inculpate either, exc