No. 25. George, the valorous, 26 years old, strong enough to be a rival to his celebrated namesake, the dragon-killing knight of the middle ages. At least, he is able to kill two alligators in five minutes. George (not the knight) is sold for $1400.
No. 26. Etienne, carter and plowman, 29, sold for $1150.
No. 27. Quacco, plowman and carpenter, a young man of 23, brings $1275.
No. 28. Bob, blind of one eye, plowman and carter, aged 35, brings $850. Why only $850? Because he has but one eye. How did he lose the other? When he was a little boy, he had a sister, a very kind and gentle little girl, whom he dearly loved. One Sunday, they were walking together near the plantation to which they belonged. Beneath an orange tree, covered with red, beautiful, juicy fruits, they sat down upon the grass. Nancy, which was the name of the little girl, dropped silently her head; not a word came from her lips, but large drops fell from her eyes upon the grass. Bob took her hands in his, asking her tenderly, ‘Sis, what is the matter with you? Why will you cry?’ ‘O Bob,’ sobbed she, ‘I am very unhappy—I wish to die.’ ‘Why, Nancy?’ But Nancy gave no answer—all her limbs trembled—her eyes stared in agony towards the sugar-house. A big white boy came running towards them, holding in his hand a large whip. It was Peter, the overseer’s oldest son—the most malicious and cruel young rascal in the parish—the terror of the poor slaves on the plantation.
‘Ay! you black little grasshopper, have I caught you at last!’ cried the young loafer, grasping her by the neck, and throwing her upon the grass. ‘You shall know that I am master, and you are my slave.’ The terror-struck girl made no reply; she only uttered a long, painful groan. Bob, in great excitement, placed himself between his sister and the boy, crying, ‘Oh, master Peter, don’t hurt my sister! No! you shall not hurt my sister!’ At once, the young overseer got into a terrible rage, and crying, ‘Hie, dog of a nigger!’ he struck Bob with the heavy handle of his whip in the face, and the poor boy fell with a single piercing cry to the ground. From that day, Bob had but one eye, and the stripes made by the whip of the overseer upon Bob’s back can be still seen to-day.
No. 29. Charles Yellabusha, field hand, 24 years old, price $1525.
No. 30. Allrick, field hand, age 45. He looks very good-natured; twenty years ago, he was worth $2100, but is sold now for $1025.
No. 31. Jake, good cooper, sugar-maker, and vacuum boiler, 32 years of age. His color is a mingling of yellow and white. His forehead is high, his face intelligent. There is no mistake—plenty of Anglo-Saxon blood is running through his veins. If he had been born in Massachusetts, or in one of the other Free States, in Canada or in Europe, I would bet a hundred dollars against one, he would be a professor, a minister, a doctor, or some kind of a savan, now. If his star had cast him into the empire of France, I should by no means be surprised to see in him a second Alexander Dumas; and if, in that case, he would not be able to write as admirable a story as is ‘The Count of Monté Christo,’ I should despair of finding any sense in a Gall or a Lavater. Well, this second Alexander Dumas is sold at auction for $2625, a sum which he could realize for himself in less than one year, if he were not born in a Slave State.
Who was Jake’s mother? Of course, a mulatto woman, and a slave. Most probably, she has gone to that land where the master and the slave enjoy ‘equal rights.’
But who was her father? There we have a problem, which even the discoverer of the quadrature of the circle can never solve. Perhaps Jake’s grandfather was a ‘rising man,’ and his white grand-children are now celebrated senators and lawgivers.