“Silence!”
Humpy gave his mouth a slap, as if to shut it, and the settler turned to Nic.
“Look here, young man,” he said; “I have only your word for your story, and it seems likely enough to be as your fellow-prisoner says, something hatched up from fear. You are sent out here for your good.”
“You don’t believe me, sir?” cried Nic, wildly.
“Not a word of it,” replied the settler. “We get too much of that sort of thing out here. Every man, according to his own account, is as innocent as a lamb. You were sent out of your country, and came in a king’s ship. You are assigned to me for a labourer, and if you—and all of you,” he cried, turning to the others, “behave well, and work well, you’ll find me a good master. You shall be well fed, have decent quarters and clothes, and though you are slaves I won’t make slaves of you, but treat you as well as I do my blacks. Look at them; they’re as healthy a set of men as you can see.”
The blacks grinned and seemed contented enough.
“That’s one side of the case—my part,” continued the settler; “now for the other. I’ve had a deal of experience with such men as you are, and I know how to treat them. If you play any pranks with me, there’s the lash. If you attack me I’ll shoot you down as I would a panther. If you try to escape: out north there are the mountains where you’ll starve; out south and east there is the swamp, where the ’gators will pull you down and eat you, if you are not drowned or stifled in the mud; if you take to the open country those bloodhounds will run you to earth in no time. Do you hear?” he said meaningly, “run you to earth; for when they have done there’ll be nothing to do but for some of my blacks to make a hole for you and cover you up. Now, then, you know what’s open to you. Your country has cast you out; but we want labour here; and, rough and bad as you are, we take you and make better men of you.”
“Thank ye, master,” cried Humpy; “that’s fair enough, mates.”
The settler gave him a look which made the man lower his eyes.
“Now then,” said the settler, “I am going to begin, and begin fairly with you.—Samson.”