New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-11-28
MY FRIEND PHIL.
By GEORGE CARY EGGLEsToN.

To begin with, Phil was black; and tn
reader will please understand that the wor
black is here used in its literal not it's cor
ventional sense. Phil was actually as well a
| ethnologically black. There was no trac
of ligh tint anywhere in his complexion
Not a suspicion of brown appeared in hi
cheeks, and even his great thick lips, pre-
truding far beyond the OutpOsts of his nose
were MS sable as the rest Of his face. 1t wa
all dead black too, unaccompanied b.
that lustre which, by surface reflection, re
lieves the shadow upon commonplace Afr
can faces.
And NOBODY knew all this better thai
Phil did
"Phil amt none O. yer coffee -colore,
niggas,' be would say in moments of exul
tatiOn, when his mood was to straigb ten hi
broad shoulders and boast li,tle-"Phi
amt none o yer coffee -colored niggas, ne
none o. yer aldpacker nlggas nuther. 1,
black, lis. DaJs sho'. Amt got no bacon
r,nd shine in my skin; but i ,jes' tell yo,
what, mosta, Phil kin take de very shu
often dem shiny niggas an hoff an hotf mig
gas, when't comes to de wuk."
by shut" and "wuk" Phil meant shirt
and work, just as he meant "birdsn wher
he said "buds.')
If report Pulls bOastings, it is only be
cause they constituted too large a proper
ton of what he said to be omitted / do &C
to confirm, not to gainsay them, or to hold
them up to rdicule. He was my friend
the most faithful one ever knew-and he
sleeps now. 1t he boosted now and then
no one could have had a better right. His
was the pride of performance and not the
vanity OF pretensiCn.
Phil was Virgnian-a gentleman in his
way-and slave, though doubt if he ever
suspected his gentllity, or felt his bondage
az burden in the least. He had no aspira-
tions for freedom or for anything else, |
think, except jollity and comfort. | do not
say that this was well. but it was a fact,
The reader will understand that this
paper is intended to be in no sense
an essay on slavery. The ''institu.
ton is certainly past praying for,
or against either, for that matter, and
if / speak at all of some of it's phenomena,
do so precisely as should describe fossil
remains OF any other sort, with none but
an antiquarian interest in their peculiari-
ties. 1t is simply one of the accidents of
the humble biographical sketch herein at.
tempted, that its subject was slave, and
perfectly content TO remain gu. and men
ton the fact just as l should STATE that Mr..
Greeley was printer if / were writing of
that geptleman's life.
My acquaintance with Phil began when
was half-grOwl boy. Until that time |
turned to the land of my fathers and be-
came an inmate of the old family mansion,
in one OF the south side counties of Virginia.
the plantation negro was fresh and very
Interesting study to me-
On the morning after my arrival, as
lay in the antique carved bed as
signed me, wondering at the quaint
picturesqueness Of my surroundings,
and the delightful strangtpess of the lite
with which l was now in contact for
the first time, weird, musical sound of
singular power and marvellous sweetness
tioated through the open dormer windows,
borne upon the breath Of such June morn.
ing as l had never before seen. listened,
but could make nothing of it by guessing.
1t was music. certaipl y-absUlute music, if
Mr.. White will allow me the phrase-and
yet it was not music in the ordinary sense
at all. 1t rose and fell like the ground
swell of the sea, and was as full of melody
and sweetness as ia the song of birds, but
it was as destitute as they of anything like
q tune. 1t began nowhere and went no.
whittier. l listened entranced and wonder
ing. but could make nothing OF it. had
no memory of anything with which to COM
pare it, and could conceive of no throat or
instrument capable of producing such
sound. Springing out of bed, / made a
hasty toilet and descended to the great
piazza at the front of the house. There sat
the master of the mansion, and of him
strai ghtway made inquiry.
what is that 7" asked eagerly.
"Why, that is Phil" answe nd my uncle.
sand who is Phil and what on earth is
he doing and espe cially, h0,o does he do
it"
Hes calling hogs," replied my guardian.
"lf you'll walk up 10 that skirt Of woods,
you can put your other questions to him in
person. He is not shy OF difficult of ap.
proach. Introduce yourself and be sure to
tell him whose son you are."
My uncle's face wore an amazed smile as
l walked away. He could imagine the
sequel.
In the edge of the timber stood tall,
broad -shouldered, brawny negro man, sin
gularly ugly, but with a countrnancs SO full
of good humOr that l was irr. sistibly at
tracted by it from the first. At his feet
stood great baskets of corn, and
around him were gathered a hundred
or more swine, busiy eating the
breakfast he was dispensing. Al an
preached, his hat-what there was of it.
was dotted, and was greeted with q fabu
lous bow, apparently meant to be half q
tribute OF respect, and half q bit of but
foonery, INDUCED in for my amusement or
his own.
GOOD mawuin', young mosts; hope'I see
you we'll dis mawnln'."
Thank you, I'm very WE'LL" l replied.
You're Phil, Isupposei'
You're right for this oncet. mos q. rs
Phil, toe be shO'; Ak de dogs-dey done
know me-"
"Well, Phil, Pm glad to make your &C.
quaintance. I'm your mas doe son"
what datl Mas JOS son! MAJ JOS
son!!! My Mas JOS son!!!! Lem ms shake
hams wild you, mosta Jes' to think! Mas
joe SOL! an Phil done live to shake hams
with mas JOS son! Why, my good mOsts,
raise your father! Him an me done play
marbles togeder many an many time.
We was boys togeder right beah ON dis
very identuDcal plantation Used, to 20 in
swimmin' t0geder, an go fishin', an 9 zeal
de mules Out'n de stables SUNDAYS, an ride
races wild 'em, an git cotched too me
times when ole mOsta git home from ohu'ch.
My, mosta, but rs glad to sec your
All this while the great black giant was
wrenching my hand we'll nigh of, laughing
and weeping alternately, ana stamping with
delight, which could lind no other vent than
in physical exertion. / was naturally anx-
lous to divert the conversation into some
other and less personal channel, and man.
aged to do SO presently by asking Phil to
give me specimen OF his hog -calling CRY,
which wisbed-tO hear near Ut hand. That
performance over, We talked again. be-
gan by saying l had never heard any one
sail hogs In that way before.
Date jes' il, mosta," he replied. Folks
don't understsn' de science o. hog-caliin,.
Dey ssys, 'P,o-o-oo-J-o-r 'og' when do hogs
sin't p0' vt all, but tat AZ buttsh. Dsy got
o git hog In some ways, go dey thinks.
But dey amt no eepse In dat. Hogs don't
1ndusten' dat. DEFY can't talk, an don't
Know de mesnin' o. talk words t"wuds,"
Phil pfenouneed it, You mus les let 'em
NOW dat when you wants 'em to come
Tous gvine TO make noise, de like o.