.'

'Then you pick the negroes up round the country, and send them to a
rendezvous, where you put them in jail till you make up your number?'

'Yes, the boys takes 'em down ter the pen. I'm pickin' sum up round har,
now, ye see, and I send 'em ter Goldsboro'. When I've toted these down
thar, the boys and I'll go up ter Virginny.'

'Why don't you send them on by stage? I should think it would hurt them
to camp out at this season.'

'Hurt 'em! Lord bless ye, fresh air never hurt a nig; they're never so
happy as sleepin' on the groun', with nothin' over 'em, and thar heels
close ter a light-wood fire.'

'But the delicate house women and the children, can they bear it?'

'It do come a trifle hard on them, but it doan't last long. I allers
takes ter the railroad when I gets a gang together.'

'Well, come; I want a woman. Show me all you have.'

'Do ye mean so, raally, Mr. Kirke? I thort ye wus a comin' it on me, and
I swar ye does do the Suthern like a native. I'm blamed ef I didn't
s'pose ye b'longed round har. Ha! ha! How the ole man would larf ter
hear it!'

'But I _am_ a native, Larkin; born within sight of Bunker Hill.'

'Yes, thet kind o' native; and them's the sort, too. They make all-fired
smart spec'lators. I knows a dozen on 'em, thet hev made thar pile, and
haint older'n I am, nother.'

'Is it possible! Yankees in this business?'

'Yes, lots on 'em. Some on yer big folks up ter York and Bostin are in
it deep; but they go the 'portin' line, gin'rally, and thet--d--d if
_I'd_ do it, anyhow.'

'Well, about the woman. None of these will do; are they all you have?'

'No, I've got one more, but I've sort o' 'lotted har ter a young feller
down ter Orleans. He told me ter git him jest sech a gal. She's 'most
white, and brought up tender like, and them kind is high prized, ye
knows.'

'Yes, I know; but where is she--let me see her?'

'She's in the store;' and rising, he led the way to the shanty.

When we arrived at the part of the ground where the marksmen were
stationed, we found an altercation going on between Tom and a young
planter. It appeared that the young man had paid for a shot, and
insisted on his body servant taking his place in the lists. To that Tom,
and the stout yeomen who had entered for the turkey, objected, on
account of the yellow man's station and complexion.

The young gentleman was dressed in the highest style of fashion, and,
though not more than nineteen, was evidently a 'bloo