Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-12-22
WHOLE NO. 223.

dliSUiR IsOn tile stones ana
stumps was greatly increased by deem runs
in the road, caused by the rush of waters
down them in rainy seasons, carrying away
the soil of which the road was composed.-
We had sometimes stumps or stones on one
side OF the road, and n run a foot or even two
feet deep on the other side. You would
have fancied you were going to throw over
a hundred times, if you had been with us.
Never, never since | was born, did | either
see or dream of such roads before. We
however got safely along. We had a steady
horse, and a sober and wakeful driver.
The scenery as we went along was quito
exciting. AT one time II was exquisi ely
beautiful at another terribly sublime. More
than once we travelled along the almost per-
pendicular side of a high hill, with the top
of the bill towering high above us, and the
river flowing some hundred and fifty feet be-
low. Again we passed over the tops Of some
of those high hills, and had n view of the
river and the Ohio country for many, many
miles. But il is vain attempting TO describe
our journey. 1t was the most perfect mix
ture of the rough and terrible with the grand
and beautiful ] over experienced. 1t was ex-
citing every way. But it got exceedingly
wearisome at length. l was quite exhaust
ed,-exhausted both in mind and body. l
was tired and felt myself getting terribly
oNiSSo uDh tNhlOSo ~ ObC bhfNs AOu Ndh-
not keep yourself awake amid exciting
scenes for ever. You cannot fix your mind
%intently on any object or business Tor n long
succession of hours, without cXlaustion.-
My mind had been kept so long at full stretchj
that it began to flag, aud l was in danger
more than once, in my listlessncss, of allow
ing the carriage to be turned over.
And there was no Inn or place of public
accommodation along the road. And tlIere
seemed to be no such privete houses as we
had met with in Ohio. We called at a pri-
vate house and asked for n little food, and
the master seemed disposed to
date us; but on consulting the females, no
found that they had nothing to eat in the
house. They had eaten up their bread
s%tuffs, he said. So, hungry and thirsty and
faint, we pressed OH farther. AT length we
came TO a large farm house, about twenty
five miles from Williams Port, belonging to
a man of tho name of Ben Wells. Here wo
succeeded. We put up the horse and gavo
him some corn, and then sat down to din
ner ourselves. But what a different rerast
from what we had been accustomed to IN
Ohio. Cold kidney beans, fat cold pork,
bread and butter aud milk, with q few in
differently cooked apples, were all that they
could muster for lis. 1t was plenty,--it was
as much perhaps as we cared for; but it was
little and poor compared with what we had
been accustomed to in Ohio. We alto and
were satisfied. On looking around we saw
some negroes about. and my brother suspec-
ted that we had got into tho house of a slave
holder. / thought he was mistaken. IL
seemed hardly likely that people could keep
slaves close up to the side of the river, with
the houses, fields, and woods of free Ohio,
full in view. But my brother was right
Ben Wells tgere Shareholders; and the ne
groes we saw were slaves, as we discovered
before we left. The way | found it out was
US follows. When We came out from our
dinner, the negro man was cutting wood
lie used his axe very lazily and carclessIy,
as q slave might he expected to do; still, |
could hardly Imagine that he uns a slave. l
went up TO him and spoke to him. | said,
There are not any slaves in this part Of
Virginia, ] supposeY Some : he replied
But you are not n slave, are you? yes SIR
Who is your master? ben Wells And
are these other colored persons slaves p
'Yes, sir we IRE all slaves. There wero
many slaves h%erealrouts formerly; but most
of them ran off, i cannot describe how I
felt. ] had never seen n slave, properly
speaking, before; and u strange, indescriba-
BILE feeling thrilled my whole soul. l should
have liked to have asked him the reason
why he did not run away; but the mistress
and daughters were just by in sight; and
had an impression,-I had been told in fact
, that shareholders did not like strangers to
+ talk to their slaves; so l drew the CONVERSE
ton rather hastily towards n close. The
poor slave seemed wishiul for me to talk = to
him q little longer, and appeared to say, by
: his looks, you have an interest in my wei
@ fare ; is there nothing you can do for my de
liverance? i greatly mistook the meaning
9 of his looks, If this was not his language bul
what could | do? His legal owners were in
sight, not twenty yards off; and to speak tc
q slave about escape was Imprisonment foI
o life. Besides the poor slave had a wife an6
children; and might find it impossible to es
cape. So ! changed the subject of CONVEX
n sation. at is very warm / said. 'Vcry
. warm, sir, for the time of the year. Ineve
. knew it so warm before so late in the sea
son. This season is generally the season
Q for travelling. 1t is generally very cool a
' this season. What is all this wood for
said / is it for sale p no. said he, 1T /
2 all for the house. They will hurn all thi
r and twice as much more during the winter
i was afraid to stay longer; Tor the slav
Q seemed TO forget 10 use his axe while / wa
5 talking TO him; and / fancied the youn
danes were looking at us uncasily. Til
r eyes of the slave still looked at me in a wa
u that seemed to say, is thern nothing yo
can do for meT Either my tones, my look
or my manner had made him think that
took some interest in him; and he SCENE
as though he would fam have detained m
g longer. But it was timc for us to he goin
d on our way. So | said God boss you, au
1t reluctantly LEFT him.
The slave and his family had a little houl
: to live in, in the yard, just opposite the fro
Ie of his masters house. Tho master wal II
Id at home.
As soon as our horse was ready, We staI
n, ed on our way for Sistersville. l told n
" brother what Ind passed between ne a