'Lor bress me, massa K——, am dat you?' exclaimed the astonished negro, hastily opening the door, and coming to me. 'Whar did you cum from? I'se mighty glad to see you;' at the same time giving my hand a hearty shaking. I must here say, in justice to the reputation of South Carolina, that no respectable Carolinian refuses to shake hands with a black man, unless—the black happens to be free.
'I thought I wouldn't wait for you,' I replied. 'But how did you expect to get on? the "runs" have swollen into rivers.'
'We got a "flat" made for dis one,—it's down dar by dis time,—de oders we tought we'd get ober sumhow.'
BLACK FREEMASONRY.
'Jim, this is Scip,' I said, seeing that the darkies had taken no notice of each other.
'How d'ye do, Scipio?' said Jim, extending his hand to him. A look of singular intelligence passed over the faces of the two negroes as their hands met; it vanished in an instant, and was so slight that none but a close observer would have detected it, but some words that Scip had previously let drop put me on the alert, and I felt sure it had a hidden significance.
'Won't you get into de carriage, massa?' inquired Jim.
'No, thank you, Jim. I'll ride on with Scip. Our horse is jaded, and you had better go ahead.'
Jim mounted the driver's seat, turned the carriage, and drove off at a brisk pace to announce our coming at the plantation, while Scip and I rode on at a slower gait.
'Scip, did you know Jim before?' I asked.