ht miles from St. Michael's, Master Thomas
came out with a profession of religion. He had long been an object
of interest to the church, and to the ministers, as I had seen by the
repeated visits and lengthy exhortations of the latter. He was a fish
quite worth catching, for he had money and standing. In the community
of St. Michael's he was equal to the best citizen. He was strictly
temperate; _perhaps_, from principle, but most likely, from interest.
There was very little to do for him, to give him the appearance of
piety, and to make him a pillar in the church. Well, the camp-meeting
continued a week; people gathered from all parts of the county, and
two steamboat loads came from Baltimore. The ground was happily chosen;
seats were arranged; a stand erected; a rude altar fenced in, fronting
the preachers' stand, with straw in it for the accommodation of{151}
mourners. This latter would hold at least one hundred persons. In front,
and on the sides of the preachers' stand, and outside the long rows of
seats, rose the first class of stately tents, each vieing with the
other in strength, neatness, and capacity for accommodating its inmates.
Behind this first circle of tents was another, less imposing, which
reached round the camp-ground to the speakers' stand. Outside this
second class of tents were covered wagons, ox carts, and vehicles of
every shape and size. These served as tents to their owners. Outside of
these, huge fires were burning, in all directions, where roasting, and
boiling, and frying, were going on, for the benefit of those who were
attending to their own spiritual welfare within the circle. _Behind_
the preachers' stand, a narrow space was marked out for the use of the
colored people. There were no seats provided for this class of persons;
the preachers addressed them, _"over the left,"_ if they addressed them
at all. After the preaching was over, at every service, an invitation
was given to mourners to come into the pen; and, in some cases,
ministers went out to persuade men and women to come in. By one of these
ministers, Master Thomas Auld was persuaded to go inside the pen. I
was deeply interested in that matter, and followed; and, though colored
people were not allowed either in the pen or in front of the preachers'
stand, I ventured to take my stand at a sort of half-way place between
the blacks and whites, where I could distinctly see the movements of
mourners, and especially the progress of Master