G.A. Henty ...............................................................................................................................................1

The Great War between the Northern and Southern States of America possesses a peculiar interest for us, not

only because it was a struggle between two sections of a people akin to us in race and language, but because

of the heroic courage with which the weaker party, with illfed, illclad, illequipped regiments, for four

years sustained the contest with an adversary not only possessed of immense numerical superiority, but

having the command of the sea, and being able to draw its arms and munitions of war from all the

manufactories of Europe. Authorities still differ as to the rights of the case. The Confederates firmly believed

that the States having voluntarily united, retained the right of withdrawing from the Union when they

considered it for their advantage to do so. The Northerners took the opposite point of view, and an appeal to

arms became inevitable. During the first two years of the war the struggle was conducted without inflicting

unnecessary hardship upon the general population. But later on the character of the war changed, and the

Federal armies carried widespread destruction wherever they marched. Upon the other hand, the moment

the struggle was over the conduct of the conquerors was marked by a clemency and generosity altogether

unexampled in history, a complete amnesty being granted, and none, whether soldiers or civilians, being

made to suffer for their share in the rebellion. The credit of this magnanimous conduct was to a great extent

due to Generals Grant and Sherman, the former of whom took upon himself the responsibility of granting

terms which, although they were finally ratified by his government, were at the time received with anger and

indignation in the North. It was impossible, in the course of a single volume, to give even a sketch of the

numerous and complicated operations of the war, and I have therefore confined myself to the central point of

the great strugglethe attempts of the Northern armies to force their way to Richmond, the capital of

Virginia and the heart of the Confederacy. Even in recounting the leading events in these campaigns, I have

burdened my story with as few details as possible, it being my object now, as always, to amuse as well as to

Chapter 1. A Virginian Plantation. Chapter 2. Buying a Slave. Chapter 3. Aiding a Runaway. Chapter 4.

Safely Back. Chapter 5. Secession. Chapter 6. Bull Run. Chapter 7. The Merrimac and the Monitor. Chapter

8. McClellan's Advance. Chapter 9. A Prisoner. Chapter 10. The Escape. Chapter 11. Fugitives. Chapter 12.

The BushWackers. Chapter 13. Laid Up. Chapter 14. Across the Border. Chapter 15. Fredericksburg.

Chapter 16. The Search for Dinah. Chapter 17. Chancellorsville. Chapter 18. A Perilous Undertaking.

"I WON'T have it, Pearson; so it's no use your talking. If I had my way you shouldn't touch any of the field

hands. And when I get my waythat won't be so very longI will take good care you sha'n't. But you sha'n't

"He is not one of the regular house hands," was the reply; "and I shall appeal to Mrs. Wingfield as to whether

"You may appeal to my mother if you like, but I don't think that you will get much by it. I tell you you are a

deal too fond of that whip, Pearson. It never was heard of on the estate during my father's time, and it sha'n't

be again when it comes to be mine, I can tell you. Come along, Dan; I want you at the stables."

So saying, Vincent Wingfield turned on his heel, and followed by Dan, a negro lad of some eighteen years

old, be walked off toward the house, leaving Jonas Pearson, the overseer of the Orangery estate, looking after

Vincent Wingfield was the son of an English officer, who, making a tour in the States, had fallen in love with

and won the hand of Winifred Cornish, a rich Virginian heiress, and one of the belles of Richmond. After the

marriage he had taken her home to visit his family in England; but she had not been there many weeks before

the news arrived of the sudden death of her father. A month later she and her husband returned to Virginia, as

her presence was required there in reference to business matters connected with the estate, of which she was

The Orangery, so called from a large conservatory built by Mrs. Wingfield's grandfather, was the family seat,

and the broad lands around it were tilled by upward of two hundred slaves. There were in addition three other

properties lying in different parts of the State. Here Vincent, with two sisters, one older and one younger than

himself, had been born. When he was eight years old Major and Mrs. Wingfield had gone over with their

children to England, and had left Vincent there for four years at school, his holidays being spent at the house

of his father's brother, a country gentleman in Sussex. Then he had been sent for unexpectedly; his father

saying that his health was not good, and that he should like his son to be with him. A year later his father

Vincent was now nearly sixteen years old, and would upon coming of age assume the reins of power at the

Orangery, of which his mother, however, would be the actual mistress as long as she lived. The four years

Vincent had passed in the English school had done much to render the institution of slavery repugnant to him,

and his father had had many serious talks with him during the last year of his life, and had shown him that

"There are good plantations and bad plantations, Vincent; and there are many more good ones than bad ones.

There are brutes to be found everywhere. There are bad masters in the Southern States just as there are had

landlords in every European country. 'But even from selfinterest alone, a planter has greater reason for

caring for the health and comfort of his slaves than an English farmer has in caring for the comfort of his

laborers. Slaves are valuable property, and if they are overworked or badly cared for they decrease in value.

Whereas if the laborer falls sick or is unable to do his work the farmer has simply to hire another hand. It is as

much the interest of a planter to keep his slaves in good health and spirits as it is for a farmer to feed and

"Of the two, I consider that the slave with a fairly kind master is to the full as happy as the ordinary English

laborer. He certainly does not work so hard, if he is ill he is carefully attended to, he is well fed, he has no

cares or anxieties whatever, and when old and past work he has no fear of the workhouse staring him in the

face. At the same time I am quite ready to grant that there are horrible abuses possible under the laws

"The selling of slaves, that is to say, the breaking up of families and selling them separately, is horrible and

abominable. If an estate were sold together with all the slaves upon it, there would be no more hardship in the

matter than there is when an estate changes hands in England, and the laborers upon it work for the new

master instead of the old. Were I to liberate all the slaves on this estate tomorrow and to send them North, I

do not think that they would be in any way benefited by the change. They would still have to work for their

living as they do now, and being naturally indolent and shiftless would probably fare much worse. But

against the selling of families separately and the use of the lash I set my face strongly.

"At the same time, my boy, whatever your sentiments may be on this subject, you must keep your mouth

closed as to them. Owing to the attempts of Northern Abolitionists, who have come down here stirring up the

slaves to discontent, it is not advisable, indeed it is absolutely dangerous, to speak against slavery in the

Southern States. The institution is here, and we must make the best we can of it. People here are very sore at

the foul slanders that have been published by Northern writers. There have been many atrocities perpetrated

undoubtedly, by brutes who would have been brutes whenever they bad been born; but to collect a series of

such atrocities, to string them together into a story, and to hold them up, as Mrs. Beecher Stowe has, as a

picture of slavelife in the Southern States, is as gross a libel as if any one were to make a collection of all

the wifebeatings and assaults of drunken English ruffians, and to publish them as a picture of the average

"Such libels as these have done more to embitter the two sections of America against each other than

anything else. Therefore, Vincent, my advice to you is, be always kind to your slavesnot overindulgent,

because they are very like children and indulgence spoils thembut be at the same time firm and kind to

them, and with other people avoid entering into any discussions or expressing any opinion with regard to

slavery. You can do no good and you can do much harm. Take things as you find them and make the best of

them. I trust that the time may come when slavery will be abolished; but I hope, for the sake of the slaves

themselves, that when this is done it will be done gradually and thoughtfully, for otherwise it would inflict

There were many such conversations between father and son, for feeling on the subject ran very high in the

Southern States, and the former felt that it was of the utmost importance to his son that he should avoid

taking any strong line in the matter. Among the old families of Virginia there was indeed far less feeling on

this subject than in some of the other States. Knowing the good feeling that almost universally existed

between themselves aid their slaves, the gentry of Virginia regarded with contempt the calumnies of which

they were the subject. Secure in the affection of their slaves, an affection which was afterward abundantly

proved during the course of the war, they scarcely saw the ugly side of the question. The worst masters were

the smallest ones; the man who owned six slaves was far more apt to extort the utmost possible work from

them than the planter who owned three or four hundred. And the worst masters of all were those who, having

made a little money in trade or speculation in the towns, purchased a dozen slaves, a small piece of land, and

In Virginia the life of the large planters was almost a patriarchal one; the indoor slaves were treated with

extreme indulgence, and were permitted a far higher degree of freedom of remark and familiarity than is the

case with servants in an English household. They had been the nurses or companions of the owners when

children, had grown up with them, and regarded themselves, and were regarded by them, as almost part of the

family. There was, of course, less connection between the planters and their field hands; but these also had

for the most part been born on the estate, had as children been taught to look up to their white masters and

They had been cared for in sickness, and knew that they would be provided for in old age. Each had his little

allotment, and could raise fruit, vegetables, and fowls for his own use or for sale in his leisure time. The fear

of loss of employment or the pressure of want, ever present to English laborers, had never fallen upon them.

The climate was a lovely one, and their work far less severe than that of men forced to toil in cold and wet,

winter and summer. The institution of slavery assuredly was capable of terrible abuses, and was marked in

many instances by abominable cruelty and oppression; but taken all in all, the negroes on a wellordered

estate, under kind masters, were probably a happier class of people than the laborers upon any estate in

Jonas Pearson had been overseer in the time of Major Wingfield, but his authority had at that time been

comparatively small, for the major himself personally supervised the whole working of the estate, and was

greatly liked by the slaves, whose chief affections were, however, naturally bestowed upon their mistress,

who had from childhood been brought up in their midst. Major Wingfield had not liked his overseer, but he

had never had any ground to justify him making a change. Jonas, who was a Northern man, was always

active and energetic; all Major Wingfield's orders were strictly and punctually carried out, and although he

After the major's death, Jonas Pearson had naturally obtained greatly increased power and authority. Mrs.

Wingfield had great confidence in him, his accounts were always clear and precise, and although the profits

of the estate were not quite so large as they had been in her husband's lifetime, this was always satisfactorily

explained by a fall in prices, or by a part of the crops being affected by the weather. She flattered herself that

she herself man. aged the estate, and at times rode over it, made suggestions, and issued orders, but this was

only in fits and starts; and although Jonas came up two or three times a week to the house nominally to

receive her orders, he managed her so adroitly that while she believed that everything was done by her

directions, she in reality only followed out the suggestions which, in the first place, came from him.

She was aware, however, that there was less content and happiness on the estate than there had been in the

old times. Complaints had reached her from time to time of overwork and harsh treatment. But upon

inquiring into these matters, Jonas had always such plausible reasons to give that she was convinced he was

in the right, and that the fault was among the slaves themselves, who tried to take advantage of the fact that

they had no longer a master's eye upon them, and accordingly tried to shirk work, and to throw discredit upon

the man who looked after the interests of their mistress; and so gradually Mrs. Wingfield left the management

of affairs more and more in the hands of Jonas, and relied more implicitly upon him.

The overseer spared no pains to gain the goodwill of Vincent. When the latter declared that the horse he

rode had not sufficient life and spirit for him, Jonas had set inquiries on foot, and had selected for him a horse

which, for speed and bottom, had no superior in the State. One of Mrs. Wingfleld's acquaintances, however,

upon hearing that she had purchased the animal, told her that it was notorious for its vicious temper, and she

spoke angrily to Jonas on the subject in the presence of Vincent. The overseer excused himself by saying that

he had certainly heard that the horse was high spirited and needed a good rider, and that he should not have

thought of selecting it had he not known that Mr. Vincent was a firstclass rider, and would not care to have

The praise was not undeserved. The gentlemen of Virginia were celebrated as good riders; and Major

Wingfield, himself a cavalry man, had been anxious that Vincent should maintain the credit of his English

blood, and had placed him on a pony as soon as he was able to sit on one. A pony had been kept for his use

during his holidays at his uncle's in England, and upon his return Vincent had, except during the hours he

spent with his father, almost lived on horseback, either riding about the estate, or paying visits to the houses

For an hour or more every day he exercised his father's horses in a paddock near the house, the major being

wheeled down in an easychair and superintending his riding. As these horses had little to do and were full of

spirit, Vincent's powers were often taxed to the utmost, and he had many falls; but the soil was light, and he

had learned the knack of falling easily, and from constant practice was able at the age of fourteen to stick on

firmly even without a saddle, and was absolutely fearless as to any animal he mounted.

In the two years which had followed he had kept up his riding. Every morning after breakfast he rode to

Richmond, six miles distant, put up his horse at some stable there, and spent three hours at school; the rest of

the day was his own, and he would often ride off with some of his schoolfellows who had also come in from

a distance, and not return home till late in the evening. Vincent took after his English father rather than his

Virginian mother both in appearance and character, and was likely to become as tall and brawny a man as the

He was full of life and energy, and in this respect offered a strong contrast to most of his schoolfellows of the

same age. For although splendid riders and keen sportsmen, the planters of Virginia were in other respects

inclined to indolence; the result partly of the climate, partly of their being waited upon from childhood by

attendants ready to carry out every wish. He had his father's cheerful disposition and good temper, together

with the decisive manner so frequently acquired by a service in the army, and at the same time be had

Good rider as he was he was somewhat surprised at the horse the overseer had selected for him. It was

certainly a splendid animal, with great bone and power; but there was no mistaking the expression of its

turnedback eye, and the ears that lay almost flat on the head when any one approached him.

"It is a splendid animal, no doubt, Jonas," he said the first time lie inspected it; "but he certainly looks as if lie

had a beast of a temper. I fear what was told my mother about him is no exaggeration; for Mr. Markham told

me today, when I rode down there with his son, and said that we had bought Wildfire, that a friend of his

had had him once, and only kept him for a week, for he was the most vicious brute he ever saw."

"I am sorry I have bought him now, sir," Jonas said. "Of course I should not have done so if I had heard these

things before; but I was told he was one of the finest horses in the country, only a little tricky, and as his price

was so reasonable I thought it a great bargain. But I see now I was wrong, and that it wouldn't be right for

you to mount him; so I think we had best send him in on Saturday to the market and let it go for what it will

fetch. You see, sir, if you had been three or four years older it would have been different; but naturally at

"I sha'n't give it up without a trial," Vincent said shortly. "It is about the finest horse I ever saw; and if it

hadn't been for its temper, it would be cheap at five times the sum you gave for it. I have ridden a good many

badtempered horses for my friends during the last year, and the worst of them couldn't get me off."

"Well, sir, of course you will do as you please," Jonas said; "but please to remember if any harm comes of it

that I strongly advised you not to have anything to do with it, and I did my best to dissuade you from trying."

"Jake, get out that cavalry saddle of my father's, with the high cantle and pommel, and the rolls for the knees.

It's like an armchair, and if one can't stick on on that, one deserves to be thrown."

While the groom was putting on the saddle, Vincent stood patting the horse's head and talking to it, and then

"No, I don't want the whip, " he said, as Jake offered him one. "I have got the spurs, and likely enough the

horse's temper may have been spoiled by knocking it about with a whip; but we will try what kindness will do

"I don't think he has a nice temper, Jake; but people learn to control their temper, and I don't see why horse

shouldn't. At any rate we will have a try at it. He looks as if he appreciates being patted and spoken to

already. Of course if you treat a horse like a savage he will become savage. Now, stand out of the way."

Gathering the reins together, and placing one hand upon the pommel, Vincent sprang into the saddle without

touching the stirrups; then he sat for a minute or two patting the horse's neck. Wildfire, apparently disgusted

at having allowed himself to be mounted so suddenly, lashed out viciously two or three times, and then

refused to move. For half an hour Vincent tried the effect of patient coaxjug, but in vain.

"Well, if you won't do it by fair means you must by foul," Vincent said at last, and sharply pricked him with

Wildfire sprang into the air, and then began a desperate series of efforts to rid himself of his rider, rearing and

kicking in such quick succession that he seemed half the time in the air. Finding after awhile that his efforts

were unavailing, he subsided at last into sulky immovability. Again Vincent tried coaxing and patting, but as

no success attended these efforts, he again applied the spur sharply. This time the horse responded by

springing forward like an arrow from a bow, dashed at the top of his speed across the inclosure, cleared the

He had attempted to take the bit in his teeth, but with a sharp jerk as he drove the spurs in, Vincent had

defeated his intention. He now did not attempt to check or guide him, but keeping a light hand on the reins let

him go his own course. Vincent knew that so long as the horse was going full speed it could attempt no trick

For six miles Wildfire continued his course, clearing every obstacle without abatement to his speed, and

delighting his rider with his power and jumping qualities. Occasionally, only when the course he was taking

would have led him to obstacles impossible for the best jumper to surmount, Vincent attempted to put the

slightest pressure upon one rein or the other, so as to direct it to an easier point.

At the end of six miles the horse's speed began slightly to abate, and Vincent, abstaining from the use of his

spurs, pressed it with his knees and spoke to it cheerfully urging it forward. He now from time to time bent

forward and patted it, and for another six miles kept it going at a speed almost as great as that at which it had

started Then he allowed it gradually to slacken its pace, until at last first the gallop and then the trot ceased,

"You have had a fine gallop, old fellow," Vincent said, patting it; "and so have I. There's been nothing for

you to lose your temper about, and the next road we come upon we will turn our face homeward. Half a

The journey home was performed at a walk, Vincent talking the greater part of the time to the horse. It took a

good deal more than six lessons before Wildfire would start without a preliminary struggle with his master,

but in the end kindness and patience conquered. Vincent often visited the horse in the stables, and, taking

with him an apple or some pieces of sugar, spent some time there talk. mg to and petting it. He never carried

Had the horse been naturally illtempered Vincent would probably have failed, but, as he happened afterward

to learn, its first owner had been a hottempered and passionate young planter, who, instead of being patient

with it, had beat it about the head, and so rendered it restive and badtempered. Had Vincent not laid aside

his whip before mounting it for the first time, he probably would never have effected a cure. It was the fact

that the animal had no longer a fear of his old enemy the whip as much as the general course of kindness and

It was just when Vincent had established a good under standing between himself and Wildfire that he had the

altercation with the overseer, whom he found about to flog the young negro Dan. Pearson had sent the lad

half an hour before on a message to some slaves at work at the other end of the estate, and had found him

sitting on the ground watching a tree in which he had discovered a possum. That Dan deserved punishment

was undoubted. He had at present no regular employment upon the estate Jake, his father, was head of the

stables, and Dan had made himself useful in odd jobs about the horses, and expected to become one of the

regular stable hands. The overseer was of opinion that there were already more negroes in the stable than

could find employment, and had urged upon Mrs. Wingfield that one of the hands there and the boy Dan

"I know you are quite right, Jonas, in what you say. But there were always four hands in the stable in my

father's time, and there always have been up to now; and though I know they have an easy time of it, I

certainly should not like to send any of them out to the fields. As to Dan, we will think about it. When his

father was about his age he used to lead my pony when I first took to riding, and when there is a vacancy Dan

must come into the stable. I could not think of sending him out as a field hand, in the first place for his

father's sake, but still more for that of Vincent. Dan used to be told off to see that he did not get into mischief

when he was a little boy, and he has run messages and been his special boy since he came back. Vincent

wanted to have him as his regular house servant; but it would have broken old Sam's heart if, after being my

And so Dan had remained in the stable, but regarding Vincent as his special master, carrying notes for him to

his friends, or doing any odd jobs he might require, and spending no small portion of his time in sleep. Thus

he was an object of special dislike to the overseer; in the first place because he had not succeeded in having

his way with regard to him, and in the second because he was a useless hand, and the overseer loved to get as

much work as possible out of every one on the estate. The message had been a somewhat important one, as

he wanted the slaves for some work that was urgently required; and he lost his temper, or he would not have

He was well aware that the lad did not really like him, and that his efforts to gain his goodwill had failed,

and he had foreseen that sooner or later there would be a struggle for power between them. However, he

relied upon his influence with Mrs. Wingfield, and upon the fact that she was the lifeowner of the Orangery,

and believed that he would be able to maintain his position even when Vincent came of age. Vincent on his

side objected altogether to the overseer's treatment of the hands, of which he heard a good deal from Dan, and

bad already remonstrated with his mother on the subject. He, however, gained nothing by this. Mrs.

Wingfield had replied that he was too young to interfere in such matters, that his English ideas would not do

in Virginia, and that naturally the slaves were set against the overseer; and that now Pearson had no longer a

master to support him, he was obliged to be more severe than before to enforce obedience. At the same time

it vexed her at heart that there should be any severity on the Orangery estate, where the best relations had

always prevailed between the masters and slaves, and she had herself spoken to Jonas on the subject.

He had given her the same answer that she had given her son: "The slaves will work for a master, Mrs.

Wingfield, in a way they will not for a stranger. They set themselves against me, and if I were not severe with

them I should get no work at all cut of them. Of course, if you wish it, they can do as they like; but in that

case they must have another overseer. I cannot see a fine estate going to ruin. I believe myself some of these

Abolition fellows have been getting among them and doing them mischief, and that there is a bad spirit

growing up among them. I can assure you that I am as lenient with them as is possible to be. But if they won't

And so the overseer had had his way. She knew that the man was a good servant, and that the estate was kept

in excellent order. After all, the seventies of which she had heard complaints were by no means excessive;

and it was not to he expected that a Northern overseer could rule entirely by kindness, as the owner of an

estate could do. A change would be most inconvenient to her, and she would have difficulty in suiting herself

so well another time. Besides, the man had been with her sixteen years, and was, as she believed, devoted to

She had always been somewhat opposed to his being left in England at school, urging that he would learn

ideas there that would clash with those of the people among whom his life was to be spent; and she still

The overseer was the first to give his version of the story shout Dan's conduct; for on going to the house

Vincent found his sisters, Rosa and Annie, in the garden, having just returned from a two days' visit to some

friends in Richmond, and stayed chatting with them and listening to their news for an hour, and in the

"I think, Mrs. Wingfield," he said when he had finished, "that it will be better for me to leave you. It is quite

evident that I can have no authority over the hands if your son is to interfere when I am about to punish a

slave for an act of gross disobedience and neglect. I found that all the tobacco required turning, and now it

will not be done this afternoon owing to my orders not being carried out, and the tobacco will not improbably

be injured in quality. My position is difficult enough as it is; but if the slaves see that instead of being

supported I am thwarted by your son, my authority is gone altogether. No overseer can carry on his work

"I will see to the matter, Jonas," Mrs. Wingfield said decidedly. "Be assured that you have my entire support,

When, therefore, Vincent entered the house and began his complaint he found himself cut short.

"I have heard the story already, Vincent. Dan acted in gross disobedience, and thoroughly deserved the

punishment Jonas was about to give him. The work of the estate cannot be carried on if such conduct is to be

tolerated; and once for all, I will permit no interference on your part with Jonas. If you have any complaints

to make, come to me and make them; but you are not yourself to interfere in any way with the overseer. As

for Dan, I have directed Jonas that the next time he gives cause for complaint he is to go into the fields."

"Very well, mother. Of course you can do as you like; but at any rate I will not keep my month shut when I

see that fellow illtreating the slaves. Such things were never done in my father's time, and I won't see them

done now. You said tile other day you would get me a nomination to West Point as soon as I was sixteen. I

should be glad if you would do so. By the time I have gone through the school, you will perhaps see that I

So saying, he turned and left the room and again joined his sisters in the drawingroom.

"I have just told mother that I will go to West Point, girls," he said. "Father said more than once that he

"But I thought you had made up your mind that you would rather stop at home, Vincent?"

"So I had, and so I would have done, but mother and I differ in opinion That fellow Jonas was going to flog

Dan, and I stopped him this morning, and mother takes his part against me. You know, I don't like the way he

goes on with the slaves. They are not half so merry and happy as they used to be, and I don't like it. We shall

have one of them running away next, and that will be a nice thing on what used to be considered one of the

happiest plantations in Virginia. I can't make mother out; I should have thought that she would have been the

"I am sure we don't like Jonas more than you do, Vincent; but you see mamma has to depend upon him so

much. No, I don't think she can like it; but you can't have everything you like in a man, and I know she thinks

Vincent said he thought that there could not be much difficulty about getting an overseer.

"There might be a difficulty in getting one she could rely on so thoroughly," Rosa said. "You see a great deal

must be left to him. Jonas has been here a good many years now, and she has learned to trust him. It would be

a long time before she had the same confidence in a stranger; and you may be sure that he would have his

faults, though, perhaps, not the same as those of Jonas. I think you don't make allowance enough for mamma,

Vincent. I quite agree with you as to Jonas, and I don't think mamma can like his harshness to the slaves any

more than you do; but every one says what a difficulty it is to get a really trustworthy and capable overseer,

and, of course, it is all the harder when there is no master to look after him."

"You might do so, of course, Vincent, if you liked; but unless you change a good deal, I don't think your

supervision would amount to much. When you are not at school you are always on horseback and away, and

we see little enough of you, and I do not think you are likely for a long time yet to give up most of your time

"Perhaps you are right," Vincent said, after thinking for a minute; "hut I think I could settle down too, and

give most of my time to the estate, if I was responsible for it. I dare say mother is in a difficulty over it, and I

Vincent found his mother sitting as he had left her. Although she had sided with Jonas, it was against her

will; for it was grievous to her to hear complaints of the treatment of the slaves at the Orangery. Still, as Rosa

had said, she felt every confidence in her overseer, and believed that he was an excellent servant. She was

conscious that she herself knew nothing of business, and that she must therefore give her entire confidence to

her manager. She greatly disliked the strictness of Jonas; but if, as he said, the slaves would not obey him

"I think I spoke too hastily, mother," Vincent said as he entered; "and I am sure that you would not wish the

slaves to be illtreated more than I should. I dare say Jonas means for the best."

"I feel sure that he does, Vincent. A man in his position cannot make himself obeyed like a master. I wish it

could be otherwise, and I will speak to him on the subject; but it will not do to interfere with him too much. A

good overseer is not easy to get, and the slaves are always ready to take advantage of leniency. An easy

master makes bad work, but an easy overseer would mean ruin to an estate. I am convinced that Jonas has our

interests at heart, and I will tell him that I particularly wish that he will devise some other sort of punishment,

such as depriving men who won't work of some of their privileges instead of using the lash."

"Thank you, mother. At any rate, he might he told that the lash is never to be used without first appealing to

"I will see about it, Vincent, and talk it over with him." And with that Vincent was satisfied.

MRS. WINGFIELD did talk the matter over with the overseer, and things went on in consequence more

smoothly. Vincent, however, adhered to his wish, and it was arranged that as soon as he could get a

nomination he should go to West Point, which is to the American army what Sandhurst and Woolwich are to

England. Before that could he done, however, a great political agitation sprang up. The slaves States were

greatly excited over the prospect of a Republican president being chosen, for the Republicans were to a great

extent identified with the abolition movement; and public feeling, which had for some time run high, became

intensified as the time approached for the election of a new president, and threats that if the Democrats were

beaten and a Republican elected the slave States would secede from the Union, were freely indulged in.

In Virginia, which was one of the most northern of the slave States, opinion was somewhat divided, there

being a strong minority against any extreme measures being taken. Among Vincent's friends, however, who

were for the most part the sons of planters, the Democratic feeling was very strongly in the ascendant, and

their sympathies were wholly with the Southern States. That these had a right to secede was assumed by them

But in point of fact there was a great deal to be said on both sides. The States which first entered the Union in

1776 considered themselves to be separate and sovereign States, each possessing power and authority to

manage its own affairs, and forming only a federation in order to construct a central power, and so to operate

with more effect against the mother country. Two years later the constitution of the United States was framed,

each State giving up a certain portion of its authority, reserving its own selfgovernment and whatever rights

No mention was made in the constitution of the right of a State to secede from the Union, and while those

who insisted that each State had a right to secede if it chose to do so declared that this right was reserved,

their opponents affirmed that such a case could never have been contemplated. Thus the question of absolute

Early in November, 1860, it became known that the election of Mr. Lincoln, the Republican candidate, was

assured, and on the ninth of that month the representatives of South Carolina met at Charleston, and

unanimously authorized the holding of a State convention to meet in the third week in December. The

announcement caused great excitement, for it was considered certain that the convention would pass a vote of

secession, and thus bring the debated question to an issue. Although opinion in Virginia was less unanimous

than in the more southern States, it was generally thought that she would imitate the example of South

On the day following the receipt of the news, Vincent, who had ridden over to the plantations of several of

his friends to talk the matter over, was returning homeward, when he heard the sound of heavy blows with a

whip and loud curses, and a moment later a shrill scream in a woman's voice rose in the air.

Vincent checked his horse mechanically with an exclamation of auger. He knew but too well what was going

on beyond the screen of shrubs that grew on the other side of the fence bordering the road. For a moment he

hesitated, and then muttering, "What's the use!" was about to touch the horse with the whip and gallop on,

when the shriek again rose louder and more agonizing than before. With a cry of rage Vincent leaped from

his horse, threw the reins over the top of the fence, climbed over it in a moment, and burst his way through

Close by a negro was being held by four others, two having hold of each wrist and holding his arms extended

to full length, while a white lad, some two years Vincent's senior, was showering blows with a heavy whip

upon him. The slave's back was already covered with weals, and the blood was flowing from several places.

A few yards distant a black girl, with a baby in her arms, was kneeling on the ground screaming for mercy for

the slave. Just as Vincent burst through the bushes, the young fellow, irritated at her cries, turned round and

This time no cry came from her lips, but the slave, who had stood immovable while the punishment was

being inflicted upon himself, made a desperate effort to break from the men who held him. He was

unsuccessful, but before the whip could again fall on the woman's shoulders, Vincent sprang forward, and

seizing it, wrested it from the hands of the striker. With an oath of fury and surprise at this sudden

"You are a coward and a blackguard, Andrew Jackson!" Vincent exclaimed, white with auger. "You are a

Without a word the young planter, mad with rage at this interference, rushed at Vincent; but the atter had

learned the use of his fists at his English school, and riding exercises had strengthened his muscles, and as his

opponent rushed at him, he met him with a blow from the shoulder which sent him staggering back with the

blood streaming from his lips. He again rushed forward, and heavy blows were exchanged; then they closed

and grappled. For a minute they swayed to and from but although much taller, the young planter was no

stronger than Vincent, and at last they came to the ground with a crash, Vincent uppermost, Jackson's head as

The contest had been so sudden and furious that none had attempted to interfere. Indeed the negroes were so

astonished that they had not moved from the moment when Vincent made his appearance upon the scene. The

"You had better carry him up to the house and throw some water on him," he said to the negroes, and then

turned to go away. As he did so, the slave who had been flogged broke from the others, who had indeed

loosened their hold, and ran up to Vincent, threw himself on his knees, and taking the lad's hand pressed it to

"I am afraid I haven't done you much good," Vincent said. "You will be none the better off for my

interference; but I couldn't help it." So saying he made his way through the shrubbery, cleared the fence,

"I have been a fool," he said to himself as he rode along. "It will be all the worse for that poor beggar

afterward; still I could not help it. I wonder will there be any row about it. I don't much expect there will, the

Jacksons don't stand well now, and this would not do them any good with the people round; besides I don't

think Jackson would like to go into court to complain of being thrashed by a fellow a head shorter than

himself. It's blackguards like him who give the Abolitionists a right to hold up the slaveowners as being

The Jacksons were newcomers in Virginia. Six years before, the estate, of which the Cedars, as their place

was called, formed a part, was put up for sale. It was a very large one, and having been divided into several

portions to suit buyers, the Cedars had been purchased by Jackson, who, having been very successful as a

storekeeper at Charleston, had decided upon giving up the business and leaving South Carolina, and settling

down as a landowner in some other State. His antecedents, however, were soon known at Richmond, and

Had he been a man of pleasant manners, he would gradually have made his way; but he was evidently not a

gentleman. The habits of trade stuck to him, and in a very short time there were rumors that the slaves, whom

he had bought with the property, found him a harsh and cruel master. This in itself would have been sufficient

to bring him disrepute in Virginia, where as a rule the slaves were treated with great kindness, and indeed

considered their position to be infinitely superior to that of the poorer class of whites. Andrew Jackson had

been for a few months at school with Vincent; lie was unpopular there, and from the rumors current as to the

treatment of the slaves on the estate, was known by the nickname of the "slavedriver."

Had Vincent been the son of a white trader, or a small cultivator, he knew well enough that his position

would he a very serious one, and that he would have bad to ride to the border of the State with all speed. He

would have been denounced at once as an Abolitionist, and would have been accused of stirring up the slaves

to rebellion against their masters; a crime of the most serious kind in the Southern States. But placed as he

was, as the heir of a great estate worked by slaves, such a cry could hardly be raised against him. He might

doubtless be filled and admonished for interfering between a master and his slave; but the sympathy of the

better classes in Virginia would be entirely with him. Vincent, therefore, was but little concerned for himself;

but he doubted greatly whether his interference had not done much more harm than good to the slave and his

wife, for upon them Andrew Jackson would vent his fury. He rode direct to the stables instead of alighting as

usual at the door. Dan, who had been sitting in the veranda waiting for him, ran down to the stables as he saw

"Give the horse to one of the others, Dan; I want to speak to you. Dan," he went on when he had walked with

him a short distance from the stables, "I suppose yen know some of the bands on Jackson's plantation."

Dan grinned, for although there was not supposed to be any communication between the slaves on the

different estates, it was notorious that at night they were in the habit of slipping out of their huts and visiting

"I know some oh dem, Massa Vincent. What you want ob dem? Berry bad master, Massa Jackson. Wust

"Now, Dan," he went on, "I am afraid that after my interference they will treat that poor fellow and his wife

worse than before. I want yen to find out for me what is going on at Jackson's. I do not know that I can do

anything, however badly they treat them; but I have been thinking that if they illtreat them very grossly, I

will get together a party of fifteen or twenty of my friends and we will go in a body to Jackson's, and warn

him that if he behaves with cruelty to his slaves, we will make it so hot for him that he will have to leave the

state. I don't say that we could do anything; but as we should represent most of the large estates round here, I

don't think old Jackson and his son would like being sent to Coventry. The feeling is very strong at present

against illtreatment of the slaves. If these troubles lead to war almost all of us will go into the army, and we

do not like the thought of the possibility of troubles among the hands when the whites are all away."

"I will find out all about it for you tonight, sah. I don't suspect dat dey will do nuffin today. Andrew

"Well, Dan, you go over tonight and find out all about it. I expect I had better have left things alone, but

Mrs. Wingfield was much displeased when Vincent told her at dinner of his incident at Jackson's plantation

and even his sisters were shocked at this interference between a master and his slave.

"You will get yourself into serious trouble with these fanciful notions of yours," Mrs. Wingfield said angrily.

"You know as well as I do how easy it is to get up a cry against any one as an Abolitionist and how difficult

to disprove the accusation; and just at present, when the passions of every man in the South are inflamed to

the utmost, such an accusation will be most serious. In the present instance there does not seem that there is a

shadow of excuse for your conduct. You simply heard cries of a slave being flogged. You deliberately leave

the road and enter these people's plantation and interfere without, so far as I can see, the least reason for

doing so. You did not inquire what the man's offense was; and he may for aught you know have half

murdered his master. You simply see a slave being flogged and you assault his owner. if the Jackson a lay

complaints against you it is quite probable that you may have to leave the state. What on earth can have

"I did not interfere to prevent his flogging the slave, mother, but to prevent his flogging the slave's wife,

which was pure wanton brutality. It is not a question of slavery one way or the other. Any one has a right to

interfere to put a stop to brutality. If I saw a man brutally treating a horse or a dog I should certainly do so;

and if it is right to interfere to save a dumb animal from brutal illtreatment surely it must be justifiable to

save a woman in the same case. I am not an Abolitionist. That is to say, I consider that slaves on a properly

managed estate, like ours, for instance, are just as well off as are the laborers on an estate in Europe; but I

should certainly like to see laws passed to protect them from illtreatment. Why, in England there are laws

against cruelty to animals; and a man who brutally flogged a dog or a horse would get a month's

imprisonment with hard labor. I consider it a disgrace to us that a man may here illtreat a human being

"You know, Vincent," his mother said more quietly, "that I object as much as you do to the illtreatment of

the slaves, and that the slaves here, as on all wellconducted plantations in Virginia, are well treated; but this

is not a time for bringing in laws or carrying out reforms. It is bad enough to have scores of Northerners

doing their best to stir up mischief between masters and slaves without a Southern gentleman mixing himself

up in the matter. We have got to stand together as one people and to protect our State rights from

"I am just as much in favor of State rights as any one else, mother; and if, as seems likely, the present quarrel

is to be fought out, I hope I shall do my best for Virginia as well as other fellows of my own age. But just as I

protest against any interference by the Northerners with our laws, I say that we ought to amend our laws so as

not to give them the shadow of an excuse for interference. It is brutes like the Jacksons who have afforded the

materials for libels like 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' upon us as a people; and I can't say that I am a bit sorry for

"Well, I hope there will be no trouble come of it," Mrs. Wingfield said. "I shouldn't think the Jacksons would

like the exposure of their doings which would be caused by bringing the matter into court; but if they do, you

may be quite sure that a jury in Richmond at the present time would find against you."

"I don't suppose that they will do anything, mother. But if they must, they must; and I don't suppose anything

The next morning Vincent went down early to the stables. As he approached them Dan came out to meet him.

"Berry great bobbery ober at Jackson's last night, Massa Vincent. Fust of all I crept round to de huts ob de

field hands. Dey all know nullin bout it; but one of dem he goes off and gets to hab a talk with a gal

employed in do house who was in do habit of slipping out to see him. She say when do young un war carried

in de old man go on furious; he bring suit against you, he hab you punished berry muchno saying what he

not going to do. After a time do young un come round, he listen to what the ould man say for some time; den

he answer: 'No use going on like dat. Set all de county families against us if we have suit. As to dat infernal

young villain, me pay him out some other way.' Den de old man say he cut de flesh off de bones ob dat

nigger; but do young one say: 'Mustn't do dat. You sure to hear about it, and make great bobbery. Find some

odor way to punish him.' Den dey talk together for some time, but girl not hear any more."

"Well, then, there will be no suit anyhow," Vincent said. "As to paying me out some other way, I will look

after myself, Dan. I believe that follow Jackson is capable of anything, and I will be on the lookout for him."

"Be sure you do, Massa Vincent. You ride about a great deal, dat fellow bery like take a shot at you from

"I will look out, Dan. There is one thing, I always ride fast; and it wants a very good shot to hit one at a

gallop. I don't think they will try that; for if he missed, as he would be almost sure to do, it would be a good

deal worse for him than this affair would have been had he brought it into court. You keep your ears open,

Dan, and find out how they are thinking of punishing that poor follow for my interference on his behalf."

After breakfast a negro arrived with a note for Mrs. Wingfield from Mr. Jackson, complaining of the

unwarrantable and illegal interference by her son on behalf of a slave who was being very properly punished

for gross misconduct; and of the personal assault upon his son. The writer said that ho was most reluctant to

take legal proceedings against a member of so highly respected a family, but that it was impossible that ho

Although Mrs. Wingfield had expressed her disapproval of Vincent's conduct on the evening before, there

was no trace of that feeling in her reply to this letter. She wrote in the third person, coldly acknowledging the

receipt of Mr. Jackson's letter, and saying that she had heard from her son of his interference to put a stop to

one of those brutal scenes which brought discredit upon the Southern States, and that she considered he had

most rightly punished Mr. Jackson, jun., for his inhuman and revolting conduct; that she was perfectly aware

the interference had been technically illegal, but that her son was fully prepared to defend his conduct if

called upon to do so in the courts, and to pay any fine that might be inflicted for his suffering himself to be

carried away by his righteous indignation. She ended by saying that as Mr. Jackson was a stranger in

Virginia, he was perhaps not aware that the public sentiment of that State was altogether opposed to such acts

"What have you been doing to that fellow Andrew Jackson?" one of Vincent's friends, a young fellow two

years older than himself, said to him a few days later. "There wore a lot of us talking over things yesterday, in

Richmond, and he came up and joined in. Something was said about Abolitionists, and he said that he should

like to see every Abolitionist in the State strung up to a tree. He is always pretty violent, as you know; but on

the present occasion he went further than usual, and then went on to say that the worst and most dangerous

Abolitionists were not Northern men but Southerners, who were traitors to their State.

He said: 'For example, there is that young Wingfield. He has been to England, and has come back with his

heart filled with Abolitionist notions;' and that such opinions at the present time were a danger to the State.

"Two or three of us took the matter up, as you might guess, and told him he had better mind what he was

saying or it would be the worse for him. Harry Furniss went so far as to tell. him that he was a liar, and that if

he didn't like that he would have satisfaction in the usual way. Master Jackson didn't like it, but muttered

"I should not have said anything about it," Vincent replied, "if Jackson had chosen to hold his tongue; but as

he chooses to go about attacking me, there is no reason why I should keep the matter secret." And he then

"I don't say I blame you, Wingfield; but I tell you, you might have got yourself into an awful mess if the

Jacksons had chosen to take it up. You know how hot the feeling is at present, and it is a serious matter at any

time to interfere between a master and his slaves in the Southern States. Of course among us our feelings

would be all against Jackson; but among the poorer class of whites, who have been tremendously excited by

the speeches, both in the North and here, the cry of Abolitionist at the present moment is like a red rag to a

"None of us ever liked him when ho was at school with us. He is an eviltempered brute, and I am afraid you

may have some trouble with him. If ho goes about talking as he did to us, he would soon get up a feeling

against you. Of course it would be nonsense to openly accuse a member of an old Virginian family of being

an Abolitionist; but it would be easy enough to set a pack of the rough classes of the town against you, and

you might get badly mauled if they caught you alone. The follow is evidently a coward or he would have

taken up what Furniss said; but a coward who is revengeful is a good deal more dangerous than an open foe.

However, I will talk it over with some of the others, and we will see if we can't stop Andrew Jackson's

The result of this was that the next day half a dozen of Vincent's friends wrote a joint letter to Andrew

Jackson, saying that they regarded his statements respecting Vincent as false and calumnious, and that if he

repeated them they would jointly and severally hold him responsible; and that if, as a result of such

accusations, any harm happened to Vincent, they should know where to look for the originator of the

"You should be more careful, Andrew," his father said, as white with fury, he showed him his letter. "It was

you who were preaching prudence the other day, and warning me against taking steps that would set all the

whole country against us; and now, you see, you have been letting your tongue run, and have drawn this upon

yourself. Keep quiet for the present, my son; all sorts of things may occur before long, and you will get your

A day or two later when Vincent went down to the stables ho saw that Dan had something to tell him, and

"I heard last night, Massa Vincent, that old man Jackson is going to sell Dinah; dat de wife ob do man day

"They are going to sell her!" Vincent repeated indignantly. "What are they going to do that for?"

"To punish Tony, sah. Dar am no law against dar selling her. I hear dat day are going to sell two oder boys,

so dat it cannot be said dat day do it on purpose to spite Tony. I reckon, sah, day calculate dat when dey sell

his wife Tony get mad and run away, and den when day catch him again day flog him pretty near to death.

Folk always do dat with runaway slaves; no one can say nuffin agin dem for dat."

"It's an infamous shame that it should be lawful to separate man and wife," Vincent said. "However, we will

see what we can do. You manage to pass the word to Tony to keep up his spirits, and not let them drive him

to do anything rash. Toll him I will see that his wife does not get into bad hands. I suppose they will sell the

Vincent watched the list of advertisements of slaves to be sold, and a day or two later saw a notice to the

effect that Dinah Morris, age twentytwo, with a male baby at her breast, would be sold on the following

Saturday. Ho mounted his horse and rode into Richmond. He had not liked to speak to his mother on the

subject, for she had not told him of the letter she had written to Jackson; and he thought that she might

disapprove of any interference in the matter, consequently ho went down to Mr. Renfrew, the family solicitor.

"You want money," the solicitor said in surprise. "What on earth do you want money for? and if you want it,

"I don't know exactly. About eight hundred dollars, I should think; though it may be a thousand. I want to buy

"You want to buy a slave!" repeated Mr. Renfrew. "What on earth do you want to buy a slave for? You have

"It's a slave that man Jackson is going to sell next Saturday, on purpose to spite the poor creature's husband

and drive him to desperation," and Vincent then repeated the whole story of the circumstances that had led up

"It is all very abominable on the part of these Jacksons," Mr. Renfrew said, "but your interference was most

imprudent, my young friend; and, as you see, it has done harm rather than good. If you are so quixotic as to

become the champion of every illtreated slave in the State, your work is pretty well cut out for you."

"I know that, sir," Vincent replied, smiling, "and I can assure you I did not intend to enter upon any such

crusade; but, you see, I have wrongly or rightly mixed myself up in this, and I want to repair the mischief

which, as you say, I have caused. The only way I can see is to buy this negress and her baby."

"But I do not see that you will carry out your object if you do, Vincent. She will be separated just as much

from her husband if you buy her as if any one else does. He is at one plantation and she is at another, and

"I quite see that, Mr. Renfrew; but, at least, she will be kindly treated, and his mind will be at rest on that

score. Perhaps some day or other the Jacksons may put him up for sale, and then I can buy him, and they will

be reunited. At any rate, the first step is to buy her. Can you let me have the money? My mother makes me a

"Well, yes, I generally spend it; but then, you see, when I come of age I come in for the outlying estates."

"And if you die before, or get shot, or any other accident befalls you," Mr. Renfrew said, "they go to your

sisters. However, one must risk something for a client, so I will lend you the money. I had better put

somebody up to bid for you, for after what has happened the Jacksons would probably not let her go if they

"Thank you very much," Vincent said warmly; "it will be a great weight off my mind," and with a light heart

Vincent said nothing during the next two days to any of his friends as to the course the Jacksons wore taking

in selling Tony's wife; for he thought that if the news got about, some of his friends who had heard the

circumstances might go down to the auction and make such a demonstration that Jackson would be obliged to

withdraw Dinah from the sale, in which case he would no doubt dispose of her privately. On the Saturday he

mounted his horse and rode into Richmond, telling Dan to meet him there. At the hour the sale was

This was a somewhat quiet and secluded place; for although the sale of slaves was permitted by law in

Virginia, at any rate these auctions were conducted quietly and with as little publicity as possible. For

although the better classes still regarded slavery as a necessary institution, they were conscious that these

sales, involving as they did the separation of families, were indefensible, and the more thoughtful would

gladly have seen them abolished, and a law passed forbidding the sale of negroes save as part and parcel of

the estate upon which they worked, an exception only being made in the case of gross misconduct. Many of

the slaveowners, indeed, forbade all flogging upon their estates, and punished refractory slaves, in the first

place, by the cutting off of the privileges they enjoyed in the way of holidays, and if this did not answer,

threatened to sell thema threat which was, in the vast majority of cases, quite sufficient to ensure good

behavior; for the slaves were well aware of the difference between life in the wellmanaged establishments in

Virginia and that in some of the other Southern States. Handing his horse to Dan, Vincent joined a knot of

There were some thirty or forty men in the yard, a few of whom had come in for the purpose of buying; but

the great majority had only attended for the sake of passing an idle hour. Slaves had fallen in value; for

although all in the South professed their confidence that the law would never attempt by force of arms to

prevent their secession, it was felt that slave property would in future be more precarious, for the North

would not improbably repeal the Jaws for the arrest of fugitive slaves, and consequently all runaways who

Upon the other side of the yard Vincent saw Andrew Jackson talking to two or three men who were strangers

to him, and who, he guessed, were buyers from some of the more southern States There were in all twelve

lots to be disposed of. Of these two or three were hands who wore no longer fit for field work, and who were

bought at very low prices by men who owned but a few acres of land, and who could utilize them for odd

jobs requiring but little strength. Then there was a stir of attention. Dinah Moore took her stand upon the

platform, with her baby in her arms. The message which Dan had conveyed from Vincent to her husband had

given her some hope, and though she looked scared and frightened as she clasped her babe to her breast, she

The auctioneer stated the advantages of the lot in the same businesslike tone as if he had been selling a

"Lot 6. Negro wench, Dinah; ago twentytwo; with male child. Strong and well made, as you see, gentlemen;

fit for field work, or could be made a useful hand about a house; said to be handy and goodtempered. Now,

One of the men standing by Andrew Jackson bid a hundred dollars. The bid was raised to a hundred and fifty

by a roughlooking fellow standing in front of the platform. For some time the bidding was confined to these

two, and it rose until it reached seven hundred and fifty, at which point the man near the platform retired, and

Vincent felt uncomfortable. He had already been round to Mr. Renfrew, who had told him that he had

deputed an agent to buy; and until the man near the platform stopped ho had supposed that he was the

"Now, gentlemen," the auctioneer said, "surely you are not going to let this desirable piece of property go for

seven fifty? She would be cheap at double the price. I have sold worse articles for three thousand."

"I will go another twentyfive dollars," a tall man in homespun and a broad planter's straw hat said quietly.

The contest now recommenced, and by bids of twentyfive dollars at a time the amount was raised to twelve

"That's enough for me," the man standing by Andrew Jackson said; "he may have her at twelve fifty, and dear

Will any one else make an offer?" the auctioneer asked. There was no response, and the hammer fell.

"Nathaniel Forster," the tall man said; and advancing to the table he counted out a roll of notes and gave them

to the auctioneer, who handed to him a formal note certifying to his having duly and legally purchased Dinah

Moore and her infant, late the property of Andrew Jackson, Esquire, of the Cedars, State of Virginia.

The purchaser had evidently made up his mind beforehand to secure the lot, for he handed a parcel he had

The poor girl, who had before been simply attired in the scantiest of petticoats, retired to a corner of the yard,

and speedily came forward again dressed in a neat cotton gown. There were several joking remarks made by

the bystanders, but Dinah's new master took no notice of them, but with a motion of his hand to her to follow

A minute later Vincent followed, and although he had no doubt that the man was the agent Mr. Renfrew had

employed, he did not feel thoroughly satisfied until he saw them enter the lawyer's office. He quickly

"That's right, Wingfield," the lawyer said. "You see we have settled the business satisfactorily, and I think

you have got a fairly cheap bargain. Just wait a moment and we will complete the transaction."

Dinah gave a start as Vincent entered, but with the habitual selfrepression of a slave she stood quietly in the

The lawyer was busy drawing up a document, and touching the bell ordered a clerk to go across to Mr.

"I want you to witness a deed of sale of a slave," Mr. Renfrew said. "Here are the particulars: 'Nathaniel

Forster sells to Vincent Wingfield his slave, Dinah Moore and her male infant, for the sum of fourteen

The man did so. The justice put his signature as witness to the transaction, dropped into his pocket the fee of

five dollars that the lawyer handed to him, and without a word strolled out again.

The girl ran forward, fell on her knees before Vincent, seized his hand and kissed it, sobbing out her thanks as

"There, that will do, Dinah," the lawyer said, seeing that Vincent was confused by her greeting. "I think you

are a lucky girl, and have made a good exchange for the Orangery instead of the Cedars. I don't suppose you

will find Mr. Wingfield a very hard master. What he is going to do with you I am sure I don't know."

Vincent now went to the door and called in Dan and told him to take Dinah to the Orangery, then mounting

his horse he rode off home to prepare his mother for the reception of his new purchase.

"WELL, you are an extraordinary boy, Vincent," Mrs. Wingfield said as her son told her the story, while his

sisters burst into fits of laughter at the idea of Vincent owning a female slave with a baby. "Why did you not

tell me that you wanted the money instead of going to Mr. Renfrew? I shall tell him I am very angry with him

"I was not sure whether you would let me have it, mother; and if you had refused, and I had got it afterward

"That would have been fun," Annie said. "Fancy Vincent's troubles with a female slave on his hands and

"I suppose I could have got a home for her somewhere," Vincent said quietly. "I don't think there would have

been any difficulty about that. Still I am glad I didn't have to do so, and one slave more or less can make no

"Not at all," Mrs. Wingfleld said; "I dare say Chloe will find something for her to do in the way of washing,

and such other light work that she is fit for about the house. It is not that, but it is years since a slave was

brought into the Orangery; never since I can remember. We raise more than we want ourselves; and when I

see all those children about, I wonder sometimes what on earth we are to find for them all to do. Still, it was a

scandalous thing of that man Jackson selling the girl to punish her husband; and as you say it was your

foolish interference in the matter that brought it about, so I do not know that I can blame you for doing what

you can to set the matter straight. Still, except that the knowledge that she is here and will be well treated will

be a comfort to the man, I do not see that he will be much the better off, unless indeed the Jacksons should try

"I am afraid they won't' do that, mother. Still, somehow or other, in time they may come together again.

"I don't see how they can, Vincent. However we need not think of that now. At any rate I hope there will he

no further opportunity for your mixing yourself up in this business. You have made two bitter enemies now,

and although I do not see that such people as these can do you any harm, it is always well not to make

enemies, especially in times like these when no one can foresee exactly what may occur."

And so Dinah Moore became an inmate of the Orangery; and though the girls had laughed at their brother,

they were very kind to her when she arrived with Dan, and made much of her and of her baby. The same

night Dan went over to the Cedars, and managed to have an inter view with Tony, and to tell him that his

wife had been bought by Vincent. The joy of the negro was extreme. The previous message had raised his

hopes that Vincent would succeed in getting her bought by some one who would be kind to her, hut he knew

well that she might nevertheless fall to the lot of some higher bidder and be taken hundreds of miles away,

and that he might never again get news of her whereabouts. He had then suffered terrible anxiety all day, and

the relief of learning that Vincent himself had bought her, and that she was now installed as a house servant at

the Orangery, but a few miles away, was quite overpowering, and for some minutes he could only gasp out

his joy and thankfulness. He could hope now that when better times came he might be able to steal away

some night and meet her, and that some day er other, though how he could not see, they might be reunited.

The Jacksons remained in ignorance that their former slave was located so near to them.

It was for this reason that Mr. Renfrew had instructed his agent to buy her in his own name instead of that of

Vincent; and the Jacksons, having no idea of the transfer that had subsequently taken place, took no further

interest in the matter, believing that they had achieved their object of torturing Tony, and avenging upon him

the humiliation that Andrew had suffered at Vincent's hands. Had they questioned their slaves, and had these

answered them truly, they would have discovered the facts. For although Tony himself said no word to any

one of what he had learned from Dan, the fact that Dinah was at the Orangery was speedily known among the

slaves; for the doings at one plantation were soon conveyed to the negroes on the others by the occasional

visits which they paid at night to each other's quarters, or to some common rendezvous far removed from

Occasionally Tony and Dinah met. Dan would come up late in the evening to the house, and a nod to Dinah

would be sufficient to send her flying down the garden to a clump of shrubs, where he would be waiting for

her. At these stolen meetings they were perfectly happy; for Tony said no word to her of the misery of his

lifehow he was always put to the hardest work and beaten on the smallest pretext, how in fact his life was

made so unendurable that the idea of running away and taking to the swamps was constantly present to him.

As to making his way north, it did not enter his mind as possible. Slates did indeed at times succeed in

traveling through the Northern States and making their way to Canada, but this was only possible by means

of the organization known as the underground railway, an association consisting of a number of good people

who devoted themselves to the purpose, giving shelter to fugitive slaves during the day, and then passing

them on to the next refuge during the night. For in the Northern States as well as the Southern any negro

unprovided with papers showing that be was a free man was liable to be arrested and sent back to the South a

As he was returning from one of these interviews with his wife, Tony was detected by the overseer, who was

scrolling about round the slaves' quarters, and was next morning flogged until he became insensible. So

terrible was the punishment that for some days he was unable to walk. As soon as he could get about he was

again set to work, but the following morning he was found to be missing. Andrew Jackson at once rode into

Richmond, and In half an hour placards and handbills were printed offering a reward for his capture. These

were not only circulated in the neighborhood, but were sent off to all the towns and villages through which

Tony might be expected to pass in the endeavor to make his way north. Vincent soon learned from Dan what

"Me suppose, massa, dat most likely he gone and hidden in de great woods by de James River. Berry difficult

"Difficult to find him, no doubt," Vincent agreed. "But he could not stop there longhe would find nothing to

eat in the woods; and though he might perhaps support himself for a time on corn or roots from the clearings

scattered about through the James Peninsula, he must sooner or later be caught."

"Dar are runaways in de woods now, Massa Vincent," Dan said; "some ob dem hab been dar for month."

"Well, sar, you see dey hab friends on de plantations, and sometimes at night one of de slaves will steal away

wid a basket ob yams and corncakes and oder things and put dem down in a certain place in de forest, and

next morning, sure enough, dey will be gone. Dangerous work dat, massa; because if dey caught with food, it

known for sure dat dey carry it to runaway, and den you know dey pretty well flog the life out of dem."

"Yes, I know, Dan; it is a very serious matter hiding a runaway slave, and even a white man would be very

heavily punished, and perhaps lynched, if caught in the act. Well, make what inquiries you can among the

slaves, and find out if you can whether any of those Jacksons have an idea which way Tony has gone. But do

not go yourself on to Jackson's place; if you were caught there now it would be an awkward matter for both

"I will find out, Massa Vincent; but I don't s'pose Tony said a word to any of the others. He know well

enough dat de Jacksons question ebery one pretty sharp, and per haps flog dem all round to find out if dey

The Jacksons kept up a vigorous hunt after their slave and day after day parties of men ranged through the

woods but without discovering any traces of him. Bloodhounds were employed the first day, but before these

could be fetched from Richmond the scent had grown cold; for Tony had gone off as soon as the slaves had

been shut up for the night and had, directly he left the hut, wrapped leaves round his feet, therefore the

A week after Tony's escape, Vincent returned late one evening from a visit to some friends. Dan, as he took

his horse, whispered to him: "Stop a little on your way to house, Massa Vincent; me hab something to tell

"What is it, Dan?" Vincent asked, as the lad, after putting up his horse in the stable, came running up to him.

"Me have seen Tony, sah. He in de shrubs ober dar. He want to see Dinah, but me no take message till me tell

"I will see him, Dan. If I can help him in any way I will do so. Unfortunately I do not know any of the people

who help to get slaves away, so I can give him no advice as to the best way to proceed. Still I might talk it

over with him. When I have joined him, do you go up to the house and tell Chloe from me to give you a pile

of corncake it's no use giving him flour, for he would be afraid to light a fire to cook it. Tell her to give

you, too, any cold meat there may be in the house. Don't tell Dinah her husband is here till we have talked the

The bushes parted and Tony came out into the full moonlight. He looked haggard and worn; his clothes were

"De Lord bress you, sah, for your goodness and for saving Dinah from do hands of dose debils! Now she safe

wid you and de child, Tony no care berry much what come to himdo sooner he dead de better. He wish dat

one day when dey flog him dey had kill him altogether; den all de trouble at an end. Dey hunt him ebory day

with dogs and guns, and soon they catch him. No can go on much longer like dis. Today me nearly gib

myself up. Den me thought me like to see Dinah once more to say goodby, so make great effort and ran a bit

"I have been thinking whether it would be possible to plan some way for your escape, Tony."

"Dar never escape, sah, but to get to Canada; dat too far any way. Not possible to walk all dat way and get

"No, I do not think it will be possible to escape that way, Tony. The only possible plan would be to get you

"Ships not dare take negro on board," Tony said. "Me heard dat said many timesdat against de law."

"Yes, I know it's against the law," Vincent said, "and it's against the law my talking to you here, Tony; but

you see it's done. The difficulty is how to do it. All vessels are searched before they start, and an officer goes

down with them past Fortress Monroe to see that they take no one en board. Still it is possible. Of course

there is risk in the matter; but there is risk in everything. I will think it over. Do not lose heart. Dan will be

back directly with enough food to last you for some days. If I were you I would take refuge this time in White

Oak Swamp. It is much nearer, and I hear it has already been searched from end to end, so they are not likely

to try again; and if yon hear them you can, if you are pressed, cross the Chickahominy and make down

through the woods. Do you come again on Saturday eveningthat will give me four days to see what I can do.

I may not succeed, you know; for the penalty is so severe against taking negroes on board that I may not be

"De Lord bless you, sah!" Tony said. "I will do juss what you toll me; but don't you run no risks for me, my

"I think you had better not," Vincent replied. "You see the Jacksons might at any moment learn that she is

here, and then she might be questioned whether she had seen you since your escape; and it would be much

better for her to be able to deny having done so. But you shall see her next time you come, whether I am able

to make any arrangements for your escape or not. I will let he! know tomorrow morning that I have seen

The next morning Vincent rode over to City Point, where ships with a large draught of water generally

brought up, either transferring their goods into smaller craft to be sent up by river to Richmond, or to be

carried on by rail through the town of Petersburg. Leaving his horse at a house near the river, ho crossed the

James in a boat to City Point. There were several vessels lying here, and for some hours ho hung about the

wharf watching the process of discharging. By the end of that time ho had obtained a view of all the captains,

and had watched them as they gave their orders, and had at last come to the conclusion as to which would be

the most likely to suit his purpose. Having made up his mind, he waited until the one he had fixed upon came

ashore. Ho was a man of some fiveandthirty years old, with a pleasant face and goodnatured smile. He

first went into some offices on the wharf, and half an hour later came out and walked toward the

"Certainly," the sailor said with some surprise. "The train for Petersburg does not go for another half hour.

"My name is Vincent Wingfield. My father was an English officer, and my mother is the owner of some large

estates near Richmond. I am most anxious to get a person in whom I am interested on board ship, and I do not

"There's no difficulty about that," the captain said smiling; "you have only to go to an office and pay for his

"I can't do that," Vincent replied; "for unfortunately it is against the law for any captain to take him."

"You mean he is a negro?" the captain asked, stopping short in his walk and looking sharply at Vincent.

"Yes, that is what I mean," Vincent said. "He is a negro who has been brutally illtreated and has run away

from his master, and I would willingly give five hundred dollars to get him safely away."

This is a very serious business in which you are meddling, young sir," the sailor said. "Putting aside the

consequences to yourself, you are asking me to break the law and to run the risk of the confiscation of my

ship. Even if I were willing to do what you propose it would be impossible, for the ship will be searched from

end to end before the hatches are closed, and an official will be on board until we discharge the pilot after

"Yes, I know that," Vincent replied; "but my plan was to take a boat and go out beyond the sight of land, and

"That might be managed, certainly," the captain said. "It would be contrary to my duty to do anything that

would risk the property of my employers; but if when I am out at sea a boat came alongside, and a passenger

came on board, it; would be another matter. I suppose, young gentleman, that you would not interfere in such

a business, and run the risk that you certainly would run if detected, unless you were certain that this was a

deserving case, and that the man has committed no sort of crime; for I would not receive on board my ship a

"It is indeed a deserving case," Vincent said earnestly. "The poor fellow has the misfortune of belonging to

one of the worst masters in the State. He has been cruelly flogged on many occasions, and was finally driven

"The brutes!" the sailor said. "How you people can allow such things to be done is a mystery to me. Well,

lad, under those circumstances I will agree to do what you ask me, and if your boat comes alongside when I

am so far away from land that it cannot be seen, I will take the man to England."

"Thank you very much indeed," Vincent said; "you will be doing a good action. Upon what day do you sail?"

"I shall drop down on Monday into Hampton Roads, and shall get up sail at daylight next morning. I shall

pass Fortress Monroe at about seven in the morning, and shall sail straight out."

"And how shall I know your ship?" Vincent asked. "There may be others starting just about the same time."

The sailor thought for a moment. "When I am four or five miles out I will hoist my owner's flag at the

foremasthead. It is a red flag with a white ball, so you will be able to make it out a considerable distance

away. Yon must not be less than ten or twelve miles out, for the pilot often does not leave the ship till she is

some miles past Fortress Monroe, and the official will not leave the ship till he does. I will keep a sharp

lookout for you, but I cannot lose my time in waiting. If you do not come alongside I shall suppose that you

"Thank you very much, sir. Unless something goes wrong I shall be alongside on Tuesday."

"That's settled, then," the captain said, "and I must be off, or else I shall lose my train. By the way, when you

come alongside do not 'rake any sign that you have met me before. It is just as well that none of my crew

should know that it is a planned thing, for if we ever happened to put in here again they might blab about it,

and it is just as well not to give them the chance. Goodby, my lad; I hope that all will go well. But, you

know, you are doing a very risky thing; for the assisting a runaway slave to escape is about as serious an

offense as you can commit in these parts. You might shoot half a dozen men and get off scot free, but if yen

were caught aiding a runaway to escape there is no saying what might come of it."

After taking leave of the captain, Vincent recrossed the river and rode home. He had friends whose fathers'

estates bordered some on the James and others on the York River, and all of these had pleasureboats. It was

obviously better to go down the York River, and thence round to the mouth of the James at Fortress Monroe,

as the traffic on the York was comparatively small, and it was improbable that he would be noticed either

going down or returning. He had at first thought of hiring a fishingboat from some of the free negroes who

made their living on the river. But he finally decided against this; for the fact of the boat being absent so long

would attract its owner's attention, and in case any suspicion arose that the fugitive had escaped by water, the

hiring of a boat by one who had already befriended the slave, and its absence for so long a time, would be

almost certain to cause suspicion to be directed toward him. He therefore decided upon borrowing a boat

from a friend, and next morning rode to the plantation of the father of Harry Furniss, this being situated on a

"Are you using that sailingboat of yours at present, Harry? Because, if not, I wish you would let me have the

"With pleasure, Vincent; and my fishinglines and nets as well, if you like. We very seldom use the boat. Do

you mean to keep it here or move it higher up the river, where it would be more handy for you, perhaps?"

"I think I would rather leave it here, Furniss. A mile or two extra to ride makes no difference. I suppose it's in

"Yes; at the foot of the boathouse stairs. There is a padlock and chain. I will give you the key, so you can go

off whenever you like without bothering to come up to the house. If you just call in at the stable as you ride

by, one of the boys will go down with you and take your horse and put him up till you come back again."

"That will do capitally," Vincent replied. "It is some time since I was on the water, and I seem to have a fancy

for a change at present. One is sick of riding into Richmond and hearing nothing but politics talked of all day.

Don't be alarmed if you hear at any time that the boat has not come hack at night, for if tide and wind are

"I have often had to do that," Furniss said. "Besides, if you took it away for a week, I don't suppose any one

would notice it; for no one goes down to the boathouse unless to get the boat ready for a trip."

The next day Vincent rode over to his friend's plantation, sending Dan off an hour beforehand to bale out the

boat and get the masts and sails into her from the boathouse. The greater part of the next two days was spent

on the water, sometimes sailing, sometimes fishing. The evening of the second of these days was that upon

which Vincent had arranged to meet Tony again, and an hour after dark he went down through the garden to

the stable; for that was the time the fugitive was to meet him, for he could not leave his place of concealment

until night fell. After looking at the horses, and giving some instructions to the negroes in charge, he returned

to the shrubbery, and, sending Dan up to summon Dinah, he went to the bushes where he had before met

"Much better dan I was, massa. I hab not been disturbed since I saw you, and, thanks to dat and to de good

food and to massa's kind words, I'm stronger and better now, and ready to do whatever massa think best."

"Well, Tony, I am glad to say that I think I have arranged a plan by which you will be got safely out of the

country. Of course, it may fail; but there is every hope of success. I have arranged for a boat, and shall take

"When you get there you will take another ship out to Canada, and as soon as I learn from you that you are

there, and what is your address, I will give Dinah her papers of freedom and send her on to you."

"Oh,! massa, it is too much," Tony said, with the tears running down his cheeks; "too much joy altogeder."

"Well, I hope it will all come right, Tony. Dinah will be here in a minute or two. Do not keep her long, for I

do not wish her absence from the house to be observed just now. Now, listen to my instructions. Do you

"No, you can't; because you can't see any one or ask questions. Very well, then, you must be here again

tomorrow night at the same hour. Dan will meet you here, and act as your guide. lie will presently bring you

provisions for tomorrow. Be sure you be careful, Tony, and get back to your hidingplace as soon as you

can, and lie very quiet tomorrow until it is time to start. It would be terrible if you were to be caught now,

On the following afternoon Vincent told his mother that he was going over that evening to his friend Furniss,

as an early start was to be made next morning; they intended to go down the river as far as Yorktown, if not

further; that be certainly should not be back for two days, and probably might be even longer.

"This new beating freak of yours, Vincent, seems to occupy all your thoughts. I wonder how long it will last."

"I don't suppose it will last much longer, mother," Vincent said with a laugh. "Anyhow, it will make a jolly

change for a week. One had got so sick of hearing nothing talked about but secession that a week without

hearing the word mentioned will do one lots of good, and I am sure I felt that if one had much more of it, one

would be almost driven to take up the Northern side just for the sake of a change."

"We should all disown you, Vin," Annie said, laughing; "we should have nothing to say to you, and you

"Well, you see, a week's sailing and fishing will save me from all that, Annie; and I be all be able to begin

"I believe you are only half in earnest in the cause, Vincent," his mother said gravely.

"I am not indeed, mother. I quite agree with what you and every one say as to the rights of the State of

Virginia, and if the North should really try to force us and the other Southern States to remain with them, I

shall be just' as ready to do everything I can as any one else; but I can't see the good of always talking about

it, and I think it's very wrong to illtreat and abuse those who think the other way. In England in the Civil

War the people of the towns almost all thought one way, and almost all those of the counties the other, and

even now opinions differ almost as widely as to which was right. I hate to hear people always laying down

the law as if there could not possibly be two sides of the case, and as if every one who differed from them

must be a rascal and a traitor. Almost all the fellows I know say that if it comes to fighting they shall go into

the State army, and I should be quite willing, if they would really take fellows of my age for soldiers, to enlist

too; but that is no reason why one should not get sick of hearing nothing but one subject talked of for weeks."

It was nearly dark when Vincent started for his walk of ten miles; for he had decided not to take his horse

with him, as he had no means of sending it back, and its stay for three days in his friend's stables would

After about three hours' walking he reached the boat. house, having seen no one as he passed through the

plantation. He took the oars and sails from the boathouse and placed them in the boat, and then sat down in

the stern to await the coming of the negroes. In 'an hour they arrived; Tony carrying a bundle of clothes that

Dan had by Vincent's orders bought for him in Richmond, while Dan carried a large basket of provisions.

Vincent gave an exclamation of thankfullness as he saw the two figures appear, for the day having been

Sunday he knew that a good many men would be likely to join the search parties in hopes of having a share in

"You sit in the bottom of the boat, Tony, and do you steer, Dan. You make such a splashing with your oar

that we should be heard a mile away. Keep us close in shore in the shadow of the trees; the less we are

Taking the sculls, Vincent rowed quietly away. He had often been out on boating excursions with his friends,

and had learned to row fairly. During the last two days he had diligently instructed Dan, and after two long

days' work the young negro had got over the first difficulties, but he was still clumsy and awkward. Vincent

did not exert himself. He knew he had a long night's row before him, and he paddled quietly along with the

stream. The boat was a goodsized one, and when not under sail was generally rowed by two strong negroes

Sometimes for half an hour at a time Vincent ceased rowing, and let the boat drift along quietly. There was

no hurry, for he had a day and two nights to get down to the month of the river, a distance of some seventy

miles, and out to sea far enough to intercept the vessel. At four o'clock they arrived at Cumberland, where the

Pamunky and Mattapony Rivers unite and form the York River. Here they were in tidal waters; and as the

tide, though not strong, was flowing up, Vincent tied the boat to the branch of a tree, and lay down in the

bottom for an hour's sleep, telling Dan to wake him when the tide turned, or if he heard any noise. Day had

The boat was rowed off to the middle of the river, as there could be no longer any attempt at concealment.