while I drove the sulky alone in my glory. But it was too late
for us to think of driving ten miles farther, so we laid our beds down
and prepared for another halt. The next morning Mr. Pierce sent us
home in his carriage.

We reached here not long before two, and went to work to try and
muster up some dinner. I had a cup and saucer, tumbler and three
knives and forks, and the rennet, which soon supplied one dish; the
negroes brought china in limited quantities; we opened a box of
sardines, and coffee, and, with the army bread we brought from
Beaufort, fried eggs, and hominy, made a most excellent meal; a
tablecloth, napkins, and silver spoons forming some of the
appointments. Joe, the carpenter, young and handy, made a very good
waiter, but when he went out and cut a bough of sycamore and began to
brush the flies as we ate, it was almost more than I could stand. Then
we went to work to put what things we had to rights, H. got her
servant, and moreover we had to receive and shake hands with any
number of negroes, who came flocking round us at once, following the
carriage as we drove up in true Southern style, and coming into the
house to satisfy their curiosity.

W. G---- was here and aided us with a will, and about five o'clock I
went with him to the praise-house,[22] where he has his school. The
children were all assembled by Cuffy, and he was teaching them when we
went in. Mr. G---- read in the Bible, substituting words that they
could understand, made a very simple prayer, all kneeling, and then
heard them their letters and words for an hour, with a great deal of
tact and ability--strange words, you may think, to use in such a
connection, but you have little idea how much it needs of both. We
are not used to these people--it is even very difficult to understand
what they say. They have been born and brought up just here, in the
most isolated way, for generations, with no chance of improvement, and
there is not a single mulatto[23] on the place--they are black as the
blackest, and perfect children--docile, and with "faith enough to live
by," W---- G---- says. I find I have no shrinking from them, and hope
I shall be able to do my part. I take this school off his hands--he
has two other plantations to teach on and has been working like a
beaver. I made my first attempt this afternoon and got along
comfortably. Flora, the house-servant (that is, ours,--she is a field
hand), took me on my way to see the old mammas, an