Indeed says Mrs Carter at Breakfast, the Lightning, Rain, & Thunder, disturbed me, & kept me padding from Room to Room all Night; I first had the Girls Beds removed as far as possible from the Chimneys—then had lights placed in the passage; and then but without rest or pleasure, I wandered through the house silent & lonely like a disturbed Ghost!—It has however effected an agreeable change in the Air; which is now cool & agreeable. I was invited this morning by Captain Fibbs [Gibbs] to a Barbecue: this differs but little from the Fish Feasts, instead of Fish the Dinner is roasted Pig, with the proper apendages, but the Diversion & exercise are the very same at both—I declined going and pleaded in ex[c]use unusual & unexpected Business for the School—By appointment is to be fought this Day near Mr Lanes two fist Battles between four young Fellows. The Cause of the battles I have not yet known; I suppose either that they are lovers, & one has in Jest or reality some way supplanted the other; or has in a merry hour call'd him a Lubber, or a thick-Skull, or a Buckskin, or a Scotchman, or perhaps one has mislaid the others hat, or knocked a peach out of his Hand, or offered him a dram without wiping the mouth of the Bottle; all these, & ten thousand more quite as triffling & ridiculous, are thought & accepted as just Causes of immediate Quarrels, in which every diabolical Stratagem for Mastery is allowed & practised, of Bruising, Kicking, Scratching, Pinching, Biting, Butting, Tripping, Throtling, Gouging, Cursing, Dismembring, Howling, &c. This spectacle, (so loathsome & horrible!) generally is attended with a crowd of People! In my opinion, (others may think for themselves) animals which seek after & relish such odious and filthy amusements are not of the human species, they are destitute of the remotest pretension to humanity; I know not how they came by their form, by the help of which they are permitted to associate with Men, unless it has been (unfortunate for the World!) by an intermixture of the meaner kind of Devils with prostitute Monkeys!—This however, I cannot determine; But I think all such should be deemed by the community infectious, & suspended at least any kind of intercourse, til, either the lineage be settled & recorded, or those shrew'd Characteristicks of a spurious, illegitimate claim to kindred with men be in a good Measure abated.
Sunday 4.
We had last night a flood of rain, the wind North East stormy—No Church to Day—Mr Carter sent down to his Mill-Dam, & channel all his people to try if they can secure them; he gives them Rum, & a Shilling a man—
I read Prayrs, by the desire of the Parents, at the Grave over the deceased Child Priscilla, Nanccy, Fanny, Betsy, Ben, Bob, Harry, & Myself, & about forty or fifty Negroes were present. Neither the Father nor the Mother of the Child went out; imitating the example they see in others, & stay from an affectation of overflowing Grief.
Monday 5.
There is wonderful To do, this morning among the Housekeeper & children, at the great house. They assert that a Man or a Spirit came into the Nursery about one o-Clock this morning—That if it was indeed a Spirit the Cause of his appearance is wholly unknown; but if it was Flesh & blood they are pretty confident that the design was either to rob the House, or commit fornication with Sukey, (a plump, sleek, likely Negro Girl about sixteen)—That the doors & windows were well secured, but that by some secret manner, unknown to all, the Thing opened the Cellar door, went through the Cellar, & up the narrow dark Stairs (which are used only on necessary occasions, as when the great Stair way is washing or on some such account)—That it left the said Cellar door standing open, & besides unbar'd, & threw open the East Window in the little Room, in order, as they wisely supposed, to have, if it should be hurried, a ready passage out—That it had previously put a small wedge in the Lock of the Nursery Door, where several of the young Ladies, & the said Sukey sleep, so that when they were going to Bed they could not Lock nor bolt the door, but this they all believed was done in mischief by the children, & went thereupon to bed, without suspicion of harm, with the door open—That Sukey some time in the Night discovered Something lying by her Side which she knew to be a Man by his having Breeches—That She was greatly surprised, & cry'd out suddenly to the others that a Man was among them, & that the Man tickled her, & said whish, whish—That on this She left the Bed & run & squeased herself in by the side of Miss Sally the House-keeper, but that by this time the Whole Room was awake & alarmed—That when the thing knew there was a discovery it stamped several times on the floor, shook the Bedstead by the side of which it lay, rattled the Door several Times & went down Stairs walking very heavy for one barefoot—That on its leaving the Room the Hous[e]Keeper went to Ben Carters Chamber, & that he rose & they all went down & found the Doors & window as I have mentioned—All this with many other material accidents is circulating through the family to Day; some conclude it was a Ghost because it would not speak—But, more probably it was one of the warm-blooded, well fed young Negroes, trying for the company of buxom Sukey—The Colonel however, at Breakfast gave out that if any one be caught in the House, after the family are at Rest, on any Pretence what ever, that Person he will cause to be hanged!—This Afternoon Nelson the Lad who waits in our School, was in the woods about half a mile off, where he met with & kill'd a Rattle-Snake having six Rattles—He cut off the head, & brought Home the remainder of the Body, which we have skin'd & stuff'd—Mrs Carter complains to Day of the Tooth-Ach, & a slight Fever.
Teusday 6.
The day fine—It is whispered to Day that B... is the Ghost that walk'd in the Nursery the other night, but I think the report is false, and arises from calumny. We had an expectation of company to day, but are disappointed. We dined on Fish & Crabs, which were provided for our company, to-morrow being Fish-Day—I begun a Sermon Job XXIII. 3. 4. We have too vagrant Tinkers with us mending several articles, one of whom is this afternoon violent sick with the Fever & Ague—I rode to my old spot, the Corn field, by chance met with Mr Taylor. I walked with him among the Tobacco Cotton &c. He gave me Directions for raising the latter.—Cotton must be planted about the middle of May in rich Land, prepared with Hills, & made very mellow. When up it must be weeded & kept clean, it must be top'd & suckered as Tobacco, otherwise it runs too much to vine. Towards the Fall it will begin to open, when the opened pods mut be gathered & laid by til dry, then the Cotton pick'd out & clean'd—
Mrs Carter not very well; is troubled with a small tooth-Ach Fever & a Cold—Every leisure minute I spend in writing at my Sermon—Dined with us Mr Sorrel, & Mr .... on Fish, Rock, Perch, fine Crabs, & a large fresh Mackerel. Yesterday & to day I have been a little pained & pretty much alarmed, at an unusual feeling in my right arm. Almost all the Summer I have felt an obstruction when I would lift up my arm. But now it is a trembling steady knawing down the under part of my arm & Wrist, without unless when I move it suddenly—Evening I walked throug the pasture to the River, the Hills are green, since the late rains, & look fine tip'd with the setting Sun.