“Didn’t you have plenty of chance to ask? Wasn’t Mr. —— out among you all yesterday afternoon? Why didn’t you ask him whether it wasn’t time for your payment?”
“Well, sah, we dono Missah ——; we hired ou’selves to Missah ——, (naming the New Orleans factor,) and we’s afeard we git no money. We nebber heern o’ dis man.”
The agent read over their contract; and explained to them how, being busy, the proprietor had simply sent an agent to attend to the business for him. All professed themselves satisfied at once, save one lank, shriveled, oldish-young fellow, who said, in a very insolent way, that “He’d done been cheated las’ yeah, and he wanted his money now, straight down. He was as good as any other man; but tree o’ four time now dis yeah new man, wat pretended to be boss had passed him in de fiel’ without ever lookin’ at him, much less speakin’ to him fren’ly-like; and he was’n’ agoin’ to stand no sich ways.” The agent sharply rebuked him for such language; and finally told him that he had already broken his contract, by refusing to work without sufficient cause, and that if he gave a particle more trouble, he would arrest him for breach of contract, and throw him into jail. The rest seemed ashamed of his manner. As it subsequently appeared, he had been the leader in the whole matter. The plowmen had gone to the stable in the morning, as usual, for their mules. This fellow met them there, persuaded them that they were going to be cheated out of their money, and induced them to return to the quarters. Several of them wanted to go to work; and took good care to inform the proprietor that, “Dey didn’t want to quit, but dere was no use in deir wuckin’ by demselves, cause de rest’d say dey was a turnin’ gin deir own color an’ a sidin’ wid de wite folks.”
By one o’clock, half an hour earlier than the required time, every man, woman, and child of the working force was in the field. Since then there has not been the slightest trouble on the plantation.
In all such cases the Freedman’s Bureau seemed invaluable. The negroes had confidence in its officers; and, in general, obeyed them implicitly. I knew that but for this very agent not less than a dozen heavy planters would have been compelled to suspend operations. All availed themselves of his services. Rebel generals, and men whose families carefully stepped aside into the street lest they should pass under the United States flag, were equally ready to call on the agent on the occasion of the slightest misunderstanding with their negroes. His authority was never disputed.
Some negroes on a plantation which I visited in February, were determined to wheedle or extort permission from the new lessee to plant cotton on their own account. There were about forty men on the plantation, each one of whom insisted upon at least an acre of land for this purpose, besides his half acre for a garden, and an acre more for corn and pumpkins. One Saturday afternoon, when they were up in Natchez, they met the lessee on the streets, and at once began preferring their claims.
“Boys;” said he, “I have never thought of the matter at all. I don’t know how much land I could spare you; and I don’t know whether there would be objections to your growing cotton for yourselves or not. I’ll look into the matter; and the first time I’m down there will give you my conclusion about it.”
“No, sah; one time’s juss as good as anoder. You can tell us now juss as well’s any time.”
“Can’t you wait till I look into the matter?”