his family to remain in such an
out-of-the-way place, with such a gang of negroes about them, and no
white people near.'

'No, massa, not in dese times; but de missus and de young lady ain't dar
now.'

'Not there now? The Colonel said nothing to me about that. Are you
sure?'

'Oh yas, massa; I seed 'em go off on de boat to Charles'n most two weeks
ago. Dey don't mean to cum back till tings am more settled; dey'm 'fraid
to stay dar.'

'I should think it wouldn't be safe for even the Colonel there, if a
disturbance broke out among the slaves.'

''Twouldn't be safe den anywhar, sar; but de Cunnel am berry brave man.
He'm better dan twenty of _his_ niggas.'

'Why better than twenty of _his_ niggers?'

''Cause dem ugly niggas am gin'rally cowards. De darky dat is quiet,
'spectful, and does his duty, am de brave sort; _dey'll_ fight, massa,
till dey'm cut down.'

We had here reached a turn in the road, and passing it, came suddenly
upon a coach, attached to which were a pair of magnificent grays, driven
by a darky in livery.

'Hallo dar!' said Scipio to the driver, as we came nearly abreast of the
carriage. 'Am you Cunnel J----'s man?'

'Yas, I is dat,' replied the darky.

At this moment a woolley head, which I recognized at once as that of the
Colonel's man 'Jim,' was thrust out of the window of the vehicle.

'Hallo, Jim,' I said. 'How do you do? I'm glad to see you.'

'Lor bress me, massa K----, am dat you?' exclaimed the astonished negro,
hastily opening the door, and coming to me. 'Whar _did_ you cum from?
I'se mighty glad to see you;' at the same time giving my hand a hearty
shaking. I must here say, in justice to the reputation of South
Carolina, that no respectable Carolinian refuses to shake hands with a
black man, unless--the black happens to be free.

'I thought I wouldn't wait for you,' I replied. 'But how did you expect
to get on? the "runs" have swollen into rivers.'

'We got a "flat" made for dis one,--it's down dar by dis time,--de oders
we tought we'd get ober sumhow.'

BLACK FREEMASONRY.

'Jim, this is Scip,' I said, seeing that the darkies had taken no notice
of each other.

'How d'ye do, Scipio?' said Jim, extending his hand to him. A look of
singular intelligence passed over the faces of the two negroes as their
hands met; it vanished in an instant, and was so slight that none but a
close observer would have detected it, but some words that Scip had
previously let drop put me on