when de
time comes to die, I reckon I'll take jist as much out of de world as he
will.'

"'Poor benighted soul,' sez he, liftin' up his hands again, mighty
solemn, 'so they've really learn't you to talk so, eh? To think ob
perwerting a human soul in dis way! Drefful! drefful!'

"'Now,' sez I, 'massa, nobody told me to say dat at all. Don't you
'spect brack man's got sum common sense, and can see as fur into a
cane-brake as anybody else? A brack man's nebber a fool 'cept when he's
coaxed to run away from a good master, sah! Better bleeb dat.'

"'But only to tink,' sez he, 'ob bein' whipped like a hoss when you do
anyting wrong, and all dat.'

"'Well,' sez I, 'I 'spect if you've got any chillen, you puts de gad on
to dem when dey do wrong, too. I'se got a kind Master, and one ob de bes
young Mistresses in de world. Fur my part, I'm happy as de day is long.'

"'But,' sez the ole feller, 'if you get away, and go North, see how much
happier you'll be. You'll have all you earn to yourself, and can buy
your own clothes, and can have your own hum, and be out ob de chains of
slavery--be a free man, tink ob dat! Cum, if you want to go, I'll help
you to run away.'

"'Tank you, massa,' sez I, 'but I'd rather stay, and hab ebery ting
provided fur me, to trying to be free, and habbin' to dig like a dog to
airn my living, an' den not half live. But if you want to set me free so
bery bad, and feel so 'stremely bad 'bout my sitiation, if you'll jist
walk into de house, an' offer to buy me ob my Master, you can get me, I
'spect, because I ain't one ob de best niggers in the world, an' I'll
jist try dis freedom you talk ob, for awhile.'

"'Buy you!' sez he, wavin' of his white hand at an orful rate, 'nebber!
'Spose I'll lay out my money to buy a nigger free? Be dem, no! Go free!
you've a right to be free; jist cut, and run 'cross de line, an' be
happy."

"'Cross de line, and go to de debbil!' sez I. 'No, sah! I'se got too
much respect for my Master to leeb him in dat style; 'side dat, I'd
never 'spec to go to Hebben in de wurld, 'cause I might jist as well rob
him ob so much money, fur he paid a good price for me, I tell you. No,
sah! I say. I'll stay where I am as long as I can, fur, 'cording to my
idee, dar's nuffin meaner in all creation dan a free nigger, 'cept it's
a hypercritical abolitionist.'

"Lord! I had to run den, as if de ole scratch was at my heels, fur he
flung his cane at me so hard, dat when it struck, it stoo