Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-04-24

MY neighbors tell me it is because | never
fog them. ! believe they are in the right
II is a hard case, too, to force a man TO be a
tyrant, whether he will or no."
A third time he rang the bell more loudly;
but waited in vain for the sound of coming
footsteps. Then it occurred to him that he
had given every one of his slaves a pass TO
go TO the Methodist meeting. This was in
stantly followed by the remembrance, that
the same thing had occurred a few days be-
fore.
We were then at war with Great Britain;
and though Mr.. Duncan, in conversation with
New England relatives and friends, often
boosted the attachment Of his slaves, and de-
clared them to be the most contented and
happy laborers in the world, yet, by some
strange coincidence of thought. the frequen-
cy of Methodist meetings suddenly suggested
the common report, that British troops were
near the coast, and about to land in Charles
ton. AS suddenly came the remembrance of
Big-boned Dick, who many months before
had absconded from a neighboring planter,
and was suspected of holding a rendezvous
for runaways in the swampy depths of some
dark forest. Tho existence Of such a gang
young corn, sweet potatoes, fat hogs, &C.,
| VI thO PlottotiObo vi lluiy lilCo lOuiiu'
"The black rascal !" exclaimed he "If
my boys are in league with him'-
The coming threat was arrested by a voice
within, which, like a strain of music from
some invisible choir, all at once struck up
the lively ballad of Robin Hood and thus
brought Big-boned Dick, like Banquo's
Ghost, unbidden and unwelcome, into incon-
gruous association with his spontaneous sym
pathy for Saxon serfs, his contempt Of base
| Saxon churls," who tamely submitted to
their fate, and his admiration of the bold out
laws, who lived by plumber in the wild free
dom of Saxon forests.
His republican sympathies, and the /" sys-
tenn entailed on him by his ancestors" were
obviously out of joint with each other; and
| the skilfullest soldering of c~asuistry could by
no means make them adhere together. Clear
as the tones of a cathedral bell above the
hacks and drays ola city, the voice of Reason
rose above all the pretexts of selfshness, and
the apologies of sophisiry, and loudly pro-
claimed that his sympathies were right, and
his practice wrong. Had there been at his
elbow some honest John Woolman, or fear
less Elias Hicks, that hour might perhaps
have seen him a freeman, in giving freedom
to his serfs. But he was alone; and the
prejudices of education, and the habits Of his
WHolo liles ConJuTtu up d iedIiui dlIdy Vi ilUno
in his path and he visit not that they were
phantoms. The admonitions Of awakened
conscience gradually gave place to conside-
rations Of personal safety, and plans for ascer-
tanning the real extent of his danger.
The next morning he asked his slaves, with
assumed nonchaIence, whether they had a
good meeting.
"Oh, yes, massa; berry good meeting"
"Where did you meet?"
sin the woods behind Birch Grove, massa.'
The newspaper was brought, and found 10
contain a renewal of the report that British
troops were providing about the coast. Mr..
Duncan slowly paced the room for some time,
apparently studying the figures of the carpet,
yet utterly unconscious whether he trod on
canvass or the greensward. At length he
ordered his horse and drove to the next plan
tation. Seeing a gang at work in the fields,
he stopped, and after some questions con-
corning the crop, said to one of the most in
telligent, $50 you had a fine meeting last
night?"
"Oh, yes, massa, berry nice meeting"
"Where was il"
The slave pointed far east of Birch Gre We.
The white mans eye followed the direction
of his finger, and a deeper cloud gathered on
his brow. Without comment, he rode on in
another direction, and with apparent indiffer-
ence made similar inquiries Of another gang
of laborers. They pointed north of Birch
Grove, and replied, " In the Hugonot woods,
massa."
With increasing disquietude, he slowly
turned his horse toward the city. He endea-
vered to conceal his anxiety undo cheerful
brow for he was afraid to ask counsel even
of his most familiar friends, in a community
CO nrOna 70 ho hlipdaI hu ipcapo f,rr nd.
the excitement of such suspicious. Having
purchased a complete suit of negro clothes,
and a black mask well fitted to his face, he
returned home, and awaited the next request
for passes to a Methodist meeting.
In a few days, the sable faces again APP
peared before him, one after another, asking
permission to hear Tom preach. The passes
were promptly given, accompanied by the
cool observation, " 1t seems to me, boys, that
you are all growing wonderfully religious of
late"
To which they eagerly replied, "Ah, if
massa could hear Top preach, it make his
hair stand up. Tom make cherry body tink
weder he hab a SOUL"
When the last one had departed, the master
hastily assumed his disguise, and hurried after
them. Keeping them within sight, he fol-
lowed over field and meadow, through woods
and swamps. AS he went on, the number of
dark figures, all tending toward the same
point, continually increased. Now and then,
some one spoke to him; but he answered
briefly and with an effort to disguise his voice.
Az last they arrived at one of those swamp
ISLANDS, so common at the South, insulated
oy a broad, deep belt of water, and effectual-
y scIt ened from the main land by a luxuriant
growth Of forest trees, matted together bv a
rich entanglement Of vines and nndnrmS