?Though the dogs might damage the gal, if they come on her unawars,? said Haley ?That ar?s a consideration,? said Marks?Our dogs tore a feller half to pieces, once, down in Mobile, ?fore we could get ?em off ?Well, ye see, for this sort that?s to be sold for their looks, that ar won?t answer, ye see,? said Haley ?I do see,? said Marks?Besides, if she?s got took in, ?tan?t no go, neitherDogs is no ?count in these yer up states where these critters gets carried; of course, ye can?t get on their trackThey only does down in plantations, where niggers, when they runs, has to do their own running, and don?t get no help ?Well,? said Loker, who had just stepped out to the bar to make some inquiries, ?they say the man?s come with the boat; so, Marks?? That worthy cast a rueful look at the comfortable quarters he was leaving, but slowly rose to obeyAfter exchanging a few words of further arrangement, Haley, with visible reluctance, handed over the fifty dollars to Tom, and the worthy trio separated for the night If any of our refined and Christian readers object to the society into which this scene introduces them, let us beg them to begin and conquer their prejudices in timeThe catching business, we beg to remind them, is rising to the dignity of a lawful and patriotic professionIf all the broad land between the Mississippi and the Pacific becomes one great market for bodies and souls, and human property retains the locomotive tendencies of this nineteenth century, the trader and catcher may yet be among our aristocracy While this scene was going on at the tavern, Sam and Andy, in a state of high felicitation, pursued their way home Sam was in the highest possible feather, and expressed his exultation by all sorts of supernatural howls and ejaculations, by divers odd motions and contortions of his whole systemSometimes he would sit backward, with his face to the horse?s tail and sides, and then, with a whoop and a somerset, come right side up in his place again, and, drawing on a grave face, begin to lecture Andy in high-sounding tones for laughing and playing the foolAnon, slapping his sides with his arms, he would burst forth in peals of laughter, that made the old woods ring as they passedWith all these evolutions, he contrived to keep the horses up to the top of their speed, until, between ten and eleven, their heels resounded on the gravel at the end of the balconyShelby flew to the railings ?Is that you, Sam? Where are they?? ?Mas?r Haley ?s a-restin? at the tavern; he?s drefful fatigued, Missis ?And Eliza, Sam?? ?Wal, she?s clar ?cross JordanAs a body may say, in the land o? Canaan ?Why, Sam, what do you mean?? said MrsShelby, breathless, and almost faint, as the possible meaning of these words came over her ?Wal, Missis, de Lord he persarves his ownLizy?s done gone over the river into ?Hio, as ?markably as if de Lord took her over in a charrit of fire and two hosses Sam?s vein of piety was always uncommonly fervent in his mistress? presence; and he made great capital of scriptural figures and images ?Come up here, Sam,? said MrShelby, who had followed on to the verandah, ?and tell your mistress what she wantsCome, come, Emily,? said he, passing his arm round her, ?you are cold and all in a shiver; you allow yourself to feel too much ?Feel too much! Am not I a woman,?a mother? Are we not both responsible to God for this poor girl? My God! lay not this sin to our charge ?What sin, Emily? You see yourself that we have only done what we were obliged to ?There?s an awful feeling of guilt about it, though,? said Mrs?I can?t reason it away ?Here, Andy, you nigger, be alive!? called Sam, under the verandah; ?take these yer hosses to der barn; don?t ye hear Mas?r a callin??? and Sam soon appeared, palm-leaf in hand, at the parlor door ?Now, Sam, tell us distinctly how the matter was,? said Mr?Where is Eliza, if you know?? ?Wal, Mas?r, I saw her, with my own eyes, a crossin? on the floatin? iceShe crossed most ?markably; it wasn?t no less nor a miracle; and I saw a man help her up the ?Hio side, and then she was lost in the dusk ?Sam, I think this rather apocryphal,?this miracleCrossing on floating ice isn?t so easily done,? said shop Mr

But these things are no proof, for they may have been evidences that my mind was not as usual, and, for some cause or another, I had certainly been much upsetI must watch for proofOf one thing I am gladIf it was that the Count carried me here and undressed me, he must have been hurried in his task, for my pockets are intactI am sure this diary would have been a mystery to him which he would not have brookedHe would have taken or destroyed itAs I look round this room, although it has been to me so full of fear, it is now a sort of sanctuary, for nothing can be more dreadful than those awful women, who were, who are, waiting to suck my blood-I have been down to look at that room again in daylight, for I must know the truthWhen I got to the doorway at the top of the stairs I found it closedIt had been so forcibly driven against the jamb that part of the woodwork was splinteredI could see that the bolt of the lock had not been shot, but the door is fastened from the insideI fear it was no dream, and must act on this surmise-I am surely in the toilsLast night the Count asked me in the suavest tones to write three letters, one saying that my work here was nearly done, and that I should start for home within a few days, another that I was starting on the next morning from the time of the letter, and the third that I had left the castle and arrived at BistritzI would fain have rebelled, but felt that in the present state of things it would be madness to quarrel openly with the Count whilst I am so absolutely in his powerAnd to refuse would be to excite his suspicion and to arouse his angerHe knows that I know too much, and that I must not live, lest I be dangerous to himMy only chance is to prolong my opportunitiesSomething may occur which will give me a chance to escapeI saw in his eyes something of that gathering wrath which was manifest when he hurled that fair woman from himHe explained to me that posts were few and uncertain, and that my writing now would ensure ease of mind to my friendsAnd he assured me with so much impressiveness that he would countermand the later letters, which would be held over at Bistritz until due time in case chance would admit of my prolonging my stay, that to oppose him would have been to create new suspicionI therefore pretended to fall in with his views, and asked him what dates I should put on the letters He calculated a minute, and then said, "The first should be June 12, the second June 19, and the third June 29 I know now the span of my lifeGod help me! 28 May-There is a chance of escape, or at any rate of being able to send word homeA band of Szgany have come to the castle, and are encamped in the courtyardI have notes of them in my bookThey are peculiar to this part of the world, though allied to the ordinary gipsies all the world overThere are thousands of them in Hungary and Transylvania, who are almost outside all lawThey attach themselves as a rule to some great noble or boyar, and call themselves by his nameThey are fearless and without religion, save superstition, and they talk only their own varieties of the Romany tongue I shall write some letters home, and shall try to get them to have them postedI have already spoken to them through my window to begin acquaintanceshipThey took their hats off and made obeisance and many signs, which however, I could not understand any more than I could their spoken language? I have written the lettersMina's is in shorthand, and I simply ask MrHawkins to communicate with herTo her I have explained my situation, but without the horrors which I may only surmiseIt would shock and frighten her to death were I to expose my heart to shop her

My watch was still unwound, and I am rigorously accustomed to wind it the last thing before going to bed, and many such detailsBut these things are no proof, for they may have been evidences that my mind was not as usual, and, for some cause or another, I had certainly been much upsetI must watch for proofOf one thing I am gladIf it was that the Count carried me here and undressed me, he must have been hurried in his task, for my pockets are intactI am sure this diary would have been a mystery to him which he would not have brookedHe would have taken or destroyed itAs I look round this room, although it has been to me so full of fear, it is now a sort of sanctuary, for nothing can be more dreadful than those awful women, who were, who are, waiting to suck my blood-I have been down to look at that room again in daylight, for I must know the truthWhen I got to the doorway at the top of the stairs I found it closedIt had been so forcibly driven against the jamb that part of the woodwork was splinteredI could see that the bolt of the lock had not been shot, but the door is fastened from the insideI fear it was no dream, and must act on this surmise-I am surely in the toilsLast night the Count asked me in the suavest tones to write three letters, one saying that my work here was nearly done, and that I should start for home within a few days, another that I was starting on the next morning from the time of the letter, and the third that I had left the castle and arrived at BistritzI would fain have rebelled, but felt that in the present state of things it would be madness to quarrel openly with the Count whilst I am so absolutely in his powerAnd to refuse would be to excite his suspicion and to arouse his angerHe knows that I know too much, and that I must not live, lest I be dangerous to himMy only chance is to prolong my opportunitiesSomething may occur which will give me a chance to escapeI saw in his eyes something of that gathering wrath which was manifest when he hurled that fair woman from himHe explained to me that posts were few and uncertain, and that my writing now would ensure ease of mind to my friendsAnd he assured me with so much impressiveness that he would countermand the later letters, which would be held over at Bistritz until due time in case chance would admit of my prolonging my stay, that to oppose him would have been to create new suspicionI therefore pretended to fall in with his views, and asked him what dates I should put on the letters He calculated a minute, and then said, "The first should be June 12, the second June 19, and the third June 29 I know now the span of my lifeGod help me! 28 May-There is a chance of escape, or at any rate of being able to send word homeA band of Szgany have come to the castle, and are encamped in the courtyardI have notes of them in my bookThey are peculiar to this part of the world, though allied to the ordinary gipsies all the world overThere are thousands of them in Hungary and Transylvania, who are almost outside all lawThey attach themselves as a rule to some great noble or boyar, and call themselves by his nameThey are fearless and without religion, save superstition, and they talk only their own varieties of the Romany tongue I shall write some letters home, and shall try to get them to have them postedI have already spoken to them through my window to begin acquaintanceshipThey took their hats off and made obeisance and many signs, which however, I could not understand any more than I could their spoken language? I have written the lettersMina's is in shorthand, and I simply ask MrHawkins to communicate with herTo her I have explained my situation, but without the horrors which I may only shop surmise

He had my children;?whenever I resisted his will anywhere, he would talk about selling them, and he made me as submissive as he desiredO, what a life it was! to live with my heart breaking, every day,?to keep on, on, on, loving, when it was only misery; and to be bound, body and soul, to one I hatedI used to love to read to Henry, to play to him, to waltz with him, and sing to him; but everything I did for this one was a perfect drag,?yet I was afraid to refuse anythingHe was very imperious, and harsh to the childrenElise was a timid little thing; but Henry was bold and high-spirited, like his father, and he had never been brought under, in the least, by any oneHe was always finding fault, and quarrelling with him; and I used to live in daily fear and dreadI tried to make the child respectful;?I tried to keep them apart, for I held on to those children like death; but it did no goodHe sold both those childrenHe took me to ride, one day, and when I came home, they were nowhere to be found! He told me he had sold them; he showed me the money, the price of their bloodThen it seemed as if all good forsook meI raved and cursed,?cursed God and man; and, for a while, I believe, he really was afraid of meBut he didn?t give up soHe told me that my children were sold, but whether I ever saw their faces again, depended on him; and that, if I wasn?t quiet, they should smart for itWell, you can do anything with a woman, when you?ve got her childrenHe made me submit; he made me be peaceable; he flattered me with hopes that, perhaps, he would buy them back; and so things went on, a week or twoOne day, I was out walking, and passed by the calaboose; I saw a crowd about the gate, and heard a child?s voice,?and suddenly my Henry broke away from two or three men who were holding the poor boy screamed and looked into my face, and held on to me, until, in tearing him off, they tore the skirt of my dress half away; and they carried him in, screaming ?Mother! mother! mother!? There was one man stood there seemed to pity meI offered him all the money I had, if he?d only interfereHe shook his head, and said that the boy had been impudent and disobedient, ever since he bought him; that he was going to break him in, once for allI turned and ran; and every step of the way, I thought that I heard him screamI got into the house; ran, all out of breath, to the parlor, where I found ButlerI told him, and begged him to go and interfereHe only laughed, and told me the boy had got his desertsHe?d got to be broken in,?the sooner the better; ?what did I expect?? he asked ?It seemed to me something in my head snapped, at that momentI felt dizzy and furiousI remember seeing a great sharp bowie-knife on the table; I remember something about catching it, and flying upon him; and then all grew dark, and I didn?t know any more,?not for days and days ?When I came to myself, I was in a nice room,?but not mineAn old black woman tended me; and a doctor came to see me, and there was a great deal of care taken of meAfter a while, I found that he had gone away, and left me at this house to be sold; and that?s why they took such pains with me ?I didn?t mean to get well, and hoped I shouldn?t; but, in spite of me the fever went off and I grew healthy, and finally got upThen, they made me dress up, every day; and gentlemen used to come in and stand and smoke their cigars, and look at me, and ask questions, and debate my priceI was so gloomy and silent, that none of them wanted meThey threatened to whip me, if I wasn?t gayer, and didn?t take some pains to make myself agreeableAt length, one day, came a gentleman named StuartHe seemed to have some feeling for me; he saw that something dreadful was on my heart, and he came to see me alone, a great many times, and finally persuaded me to tell himHe bought me, at last, and promised to do all he could to find and buy back my childrenHe went to the hotel where my Henry was; they told him he had been sold to a planter up on Pearl river; that was the last that I ever heardThen he found where my daughter was; an old woman was keeping herHe offered an immense sum for her, but they would not sell herButler found out that it was for me he wanted her; and he sent me word that I should never have shop her

And the old creature sat down, with streaming tears, as wholly overcome, while the whole circle struck up? ?O Canaan, bright Canaan I?m bound for the land of Canaan Mas?r George, by request, read the last chapters of Revelation, often interrupted by such exclamations as ?The sakes now!? ?Only hear that!? ?Jest think on ?t!? ?Is all that a comin? sure enough?? George, who was a bright boy, and well trained in religious things by his mother, finding himself an object of general admiration, threw in expositions of his own, from time to time, with a commendable seriousness and gravity, for which he was admired by the young and blessed by the old; and it was agreed, on all hands, that ?a minister couldn?t lay it off better than he did; that ??t was reely ?mazin?!? Uncle Tom was a sort of patriarch in religious matters, in the neighborhoodHaving, naturally, an organization in which the morale was strongly predominant, together with a greater breadth and cultivation of mind than obtained among his companions, he was looked up to with great respect, as a sort of minister among them; and the simple, hearty, sincere style of his exhortations might have edified even better educated personsBut it was in prayer that he especially excelledNothing could exceed the touching simplicity, the childlike earnestness, of his prayer, enriched with the language of Scripture, which seemed so entirely to have wrought itself into his being, as to have become a part of himself, and to drop from his lips unconsciously; in the language of a pious old negro, he ?prayed right up And so much did his prayer always work on the devotional feelings of his audiences, that there seemed often a danger that it would be lost altogether in the abundance of the responses which broke out everywhere around him While this scene was passing in the cabin of the man, one quite otherwise passed in the halls of the masterShelby were seated together in the dining room afore-named, at a table covered with papers and writing utensilsShelby was busy in counting some bundles of bills, which, as they were counted, he pushed over to the trader, who counted them likewise ?All fair,? said the trader; ?and now for signing these yerShelby hastily drew the bills of sale towards him, and signed them, like a man that hurries over some disagreeable business, and then pushed them over with the moneyHaley produced, from a well-worn valise, a parchment, which, after looking over it a moment, he handed to MrShelby, who took it with a gesture of suppressed eagerness ?Wal, now, the thing?s done!? said the trader, getting up ?It?s done!? said MrShelby, in a musing tone; and, fetching a long breath, he repeated, ?It?s done!? ?Yer don?t seem to feel much pleased with it, ?pears to me,? said the traderShelby, ?I hope you?ll remember that you promised, on your honor, you wouldn?t sell Tom, without knowing what sort of hands he?s going into ?Why, you?ve just done it sir,? said the trader ?Circumstances, you well know, obliged me,? said Shelby, haughtily ?Wal, you know, they may ?blige me, too,? said the trader?Howsomever, I?ll do the very best I can in gettin? Tom a good berth; as to my treatin? on him bad, you needn?t be a grain afeardIf there?s anything that I thank the Lord for, it is that I?m never noways cruel After the expositions which the trader had previously given of his humane principles, MrShelby did not feel particularly reassured by these declarations; but, as they were the best comfort the case admitted of, he allowed the trader to depart in silence, and betook himself to a solitary cigar Chapter 5 Showing the Feelings of Living Property on Changing Owners MrShelby had retired to their apartment for the nightHe was lounging in a large easy-chair, looking over some letters that had come in the afternoon mail, and she was standing before her mirror, brushing out the complicated braids and curls in which Eliza had arranged her hair; for, noticing her pale cheeks and haggard eyes, she had excused her attendance that night, and ordered her to bedThe employment, naturally enough, suggested her conversation with the girl in the morning; and turning to her husband, she said, carelessly, ?By the by, Arthur, who was that low-bred fellow that you lugged in to our dinner-table today?? ?Haley is his name,? said Shelby, turning himself rather uneasily in his chair, and continuing with his eyes fixed on a letter ?Haley! Who is he, and what may be his business here, pray?? ?Well, he?s a man that I transacted some business with, last time I was at Natchez,? said Mr ?And he presumed on it to make himself quite at home, and call and dine here, ay?? ?Why, I invited him; I had some accounts with him,? said Shelby ?Is he a negro-trader?? said MrsShelby, noticing a certain embarrassment in her husband?s manner ?Why, my dear, what put that into your head?? said Shelby, looking up ?Nothing,?only Eliza came in here, after dinner, in a great worry, crying and taking on, and said you were talking with a trader, and that she heard him make an offer for her boy?the ridiculous little goose!? ?She did, hey?? said MrShelby, returning to his paper, which he seemed for a few moments quite intent upon, not perceiving that he was holding it bottom upwards ?It will have to come out,? said he, mentally; ?as well now as ever ?I told Eliza,? said MrsShelby, as she continued brushing her hair, ?that she was a little fool for her pains, and that you never had anything to do with that sort of personsOf course, I knew you never meant to sell any of our people,?least of all, to such a fellow ?Well, Emily,? said her husband, ?so I have always felt and said; but the fact is that my business lies so that I cannot get on shop without