e. I thought nothing of this, but went into the kitchen,
without suspecting any thing wrong. As I was turning about amongst the
pots and kettles, I thought suddenly of my Dougal. I threw down what I
had in my hand, and ran to the door. Cesy came to meet me:" "Missi," said
he, "Dougal is gone!"

"Dougal is gone!" cried I. "Where is he gone to, Cesy?"

"Don't know," said Cesy; "gone away with a man on horseback."

"With a man on horseback?" said I. "In God's name, where can he be gone
to? What does all this mean, Cesy?"

"Don't know," said Cesy.

"And who was the man? Did he go willingly?"

"No! he didn't go willingly!" said Cesy: "but the man got off his horse,
put Dougal upon it, and then jumped up behind him, and rode away."

"And you don't know the man?"

"No, missi!"

"Think again, Cesy," cried I; "for God's sake, remember. Don't you know
the man?"

"No," said the child, "I don't know him."

"Didn't you see what he looked like? Was he black or white?"

"I don't know," said Cesy, crying; "he had a red flannel shirt over his
face!"

"Was it neighbour Syms, or Banks, or Medling, or Barnes?"

"No!" whined Cesy.

"Gracious God!" cried I. "What is this? What is become of my poor
child?" I ran backwards and forwards into the forest, through the
fields. I called out. I looked every where. At last I ran to where the
people were at work, and fetched Cesy's mother. I thought she would be
able to make him tell something more about my child. She ran to the
house with me, promised him cakes, new clothes, every thing in the
world; but he could tell nothing more than he had already told me. At
last Mister Clarke came.

Here the woman paused, and looked at her husband.

"When I came home," continued the latter, "the woman was nearly
distracted; and I saw directly that some great misfortune had happened.
But I should never have guessed what it really was. When she told me, I
said, to comfort her, that one of the neighbours must have taken the
child away, though I didn't think it myself; for none of the neighbours
would have allowed themselves such a freedom with my only child. I
shouldn't have thanked 'em for it, I can tell you. I called Cesy, and
asked him again what the man was like; if he had a blue or a black coat?
He said it was blue. 'What sort of horse?' 'A brown one.' 'What road he
had taken?' 'That road!' answered the boy, pointing to the swamp. I sent
all my niggers, men, women, and children, round to t