The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1867-05-03
A Negro Family.

One day we came upon q negro
family, who We're living near what had
once been almost palatial mansion !;
the cabin was of logs, the interstices
being filed with clay, covered with a
roof Of thatch, Drowned by the action
Of the atmosphere. A broken rail fence,
which inclosed the hut, and a dilapi-
dated pig-sty, within which four young
grunters and their maternal parient
were industriously roofing up the mud,
comprised the little domain of the ven
cradle darkey who was the presiding
genius. We engaged him in CONVEX
sation, who was nothing 10th % con-
verse with any one, leaning on his
stick, apparently about eighty years
of age, bent nearly double. As he
stood beside his hut, we asked him af-
ter while, if he was slave. He said,
"No, dey KEEP de ole man as long as
dere was any good i'll him, and work
ed him like a beast; and now they've
turned him out to Craze, and de ole
mans a-grazing cher since"
There was much pathos in the
mournful tone of the old man as he
said this, and he shook his head and
moved slowly away. We thought as
we stood musing, what terrible thing
to have to pass eighty long years in
slavery; and, when the sap an vigor OF
manhood's usefulness had been wrung
from him, Like the withered trunk oil
the once stalwart tree, become useless
then, and only then, in the expressive
words Of the poor old darkey, to be
turned out, like a broken-down horse
'to graze" and die. Such was the deo
that crossed our crude, free, northern
mind, and we felt, more than ever, in
heart and principle, an uncompromis-
ing enmity to human slavery.
OF his family was one Of the queer
est specimens of a negro boy we evel
saw. He was SHINY built, from ten
to twelve years old, with huge mis-
shappen head set loosely on his shout
ders, and countenance of the droll-
est description it is possible to con
ceive. AS we first saw him, he was
partly concealed by some logs Of tim.
Der, with his head thrust forward, anc
his large eyes rolling at us with pc
culiar expression of drollery. One o.
"ours" seized him by the scalp an
drew him forth from his Kidding place
he stood for moment on his feet, and
then bounded away on all fours, with
uncommon rapidity. On reaching the
foot of large tree, he scrambled VI
with the agility of monkey, and ran
far on branch at dizzy height above
us, and sat there, seeming to enjoy ON
amazement. After little while b,
came down; at bound leaped upon
the back of our horse; but, before VIZ
could catch him, he was gone, ano
had cleared the fence and WAS out o
sight. The next time we saw him, b'
was perched upon the branch of a tree
squatting upon his launches, eating
some corn cake, which he dexterouslJ
extracted from his pocket while in that
position. When he came down, h,
remained seated at the bottom for {
moment, and then, with an extraordin
AIRY effort, sprang from the ground
and clutching branch more than
twelve feet above him, adroitly swung
himself up into the tree. When W,
saw the old man, we said;
That's smart boy of yours.
"Smart yes, he's smart too smart
too smart was the old mans reply
at the Same time directing our atten
ton to heap Of some ten or twelve
corn cobs which the youngster haC
Just polished off for his lunch, not ex
actly to the old mans satisfactian. -
We stuck a greenback high up on t
pine, close by, for the boy, and rode
away. On looking round, ere we hat
gone far to our surprise he was upon
our horses launches, examining tho
note attentiyoly; upon seeing our as
stonished look, he sprang to thu
ground and bounded away. Many o
the officers saw much more Of hi
gymnastic feats, and expressed theii
astonishment at the drollery of his an
ties That boy reminded us very
much of Barnum's "What is it, only
he was "more So" The Irish Ninth
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