The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-02-03

snow upon the deep mud Of the prairies, and
their horses could not go beyond . walk. Il
was harder yet for the negro. who waded
along by their side, keeping up, or seeming
the villain Ito keep up with them with
great difficulty. They. couldn't make him 90
any faster, and they couldn't leave him be-
hind. 1t was dilemma which even now
the narrator. in the full blaze Of that cheer
full fire, contrasting so strongly with the
keen, sweeping wind Of the wide prairie,
paused to turn over again in his mind.--
Here also the black heap in the corner moved
restlessly, and raising his head slightly,
gave quick, intelligent glance. e.around the
listening circle. So they proposed, the mas
ter continued, to go "nip and tuck"--to walk
and ride alternately with the negro. The
plan succeeded admirably, They got on
rapidly. 1t was rather relief to themselves
to stir their blood now and then with walk,
and the black rascal seemed less morose and
sullen, and more willing to go, now that the
four legs of horse, instead of his own, carri-
cd him part Of the way. .... .,... ....,f, s.,
At length they approached ''piecs Of
timber" They had hardly entered the wood,
when the master observed that the boy who
was on the horse, had somehow got some
little distance. ahead Of him, and had left his
companion still farther in the rear He had
hardly noticed these relative positions, when
.-s. -
he saw the rascal look over his shoulder, and
then, driving his heels into the horses sides,
lashing him with his whip, and urging shim
with his voice, break into gallop. It was
plain he ment t. run for it And it was
not only man, this time, but horse also, that
was becoming fugitive property. 1t was no
time for consideration, but for action, 50 with
out waiting for the rider to come up, he took
to his own legs in pursuit 1t was wise that
he did so. Horse against horse in such .
race, and the foremost would have won it.
But horse against man in that deep, tenacious
mud stood no chance whatever. He gained
rapidly upon the negro, as the boy knew,
without turning to look behind him, by shout
and eXecration which came nearer and nearer.
Pushing his horse through the trees with all
the speed he could get out of him, he made
for the bluff which overhung creek iust
ahead of him. His pursuer had nearly over.
taken him befor. he reached it, when seeing.
what he should have seen before, that bis
only chance of escape was to trust to his own
speed, he threw himself from the saddle and
sprung over the bluff 1t was precipitous,
almost perpendicular decent Of nearly forty
feet, and to go down it was at the risk Of
neck and limb. But the slave did not hesitate:
neitherdid his master One was ..in pursuit
OF happiness" the other in pursuit Of his
"nigger." The love of natural right was
strong in one the love Unconstitutional right
was strong in the other. They jumped, they
scrambled, they rolled, they tunbled, and
came together to the bottom, sorcly bruised
and breathless, but not quite stunned. and
with no bones broken. Then the master fell
| upon the man, and the man upon the master.
| each bent upon doing for the other what .
forty feet fall had failed to accomplish
They fought desperately, but briefly, for nat,
'rai right was stronger than constitutional
| right, and the black man soon got the white
man under. But mind will triumph over
matter, and brute, black force is no match
| for the reinements OF white civilization. The
master contriyed to get out his bowie-knife,
and the slave succulnbed. Had he not been
slave the instrument Of civilization would
have been sheathed in his body; but even in
that moment Of desperate conflict and terrible
passion, the stakeholder remembered that
nigger sound in wind and limb is worth fif.
teen hundred dollars. So the combatants
stood up conquerer and conquered, and tho
master tied his slaves hands behind him,
and they went on their journey. But twas
mp and tuck" no longer. The captor led
his captive by the rope at his saddle bow.
New, arnt you ashamed of yourself, Jimv
said the man, when he had finished his story.
NO, nassa," said the slave quietly but
firmly a'"I+s''>s 77sE 7aI 'i11t
7,''Do you mean to say you're not sorry for
what you've done, you black rascai." ex.
clalned the master. + T.....-.
IN doit again, massa, if get chance"
returned The other, in the same subdued,
firm tone ,- - a2 sasG t.Tns
''NNnat do you want? said the white man
ansriiy, ..Haye not always treated you
Well Didn't you have enough to eat,
and enough to wear, when you were in old
kcntuck."
iaHsIes, massa." t1Enr hgs.Ia3 adT
T Nv hat the mischief do you want thenf'
The black man raised his head erect. A
visible change came over his swarthy face
Out OF his large eyes shot a gleam of light,
and he said :rU isis snsNii.S epe b tsJ
II want my LIBERTY, and ,csll hare it."
That night he was lodged in jail for, safe
keeping. Perhaps his scaptors saw something
in the looks Of those about them that warned
them it would not be well To trust him in
any less secure lodging. The next morning
he was led away with his hands tied behind
MIN, as before, his master kerping tight hold
Of the other end of the rope t'A7'1ie9
On the evening of that day there. arrived
at the next village, thirty miles south. two
kentuckians, with an empty rope hanging at
the saddle-bow of one Of them. They cursed
and raved like madmen, for they had lost
''nigger." They had him tied, they said,
fast enough till toward night, when he begged
that the knot might be loosened . little to
give him some ease in walking, for he seemed
nearly beat out. They were wading through
terrible bit of road in the timber, the "boy'
hardly six feet from them, when suddenly
he broke" and was out OF sight before they
could dismount IRON their horses. They
searched for him that night till it was too dark
to look any longer. They continued the hunt
for davs and ,ifarp<l lartr. rcsravsl. g. ~: