The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-10-31

~ was 2 iair enough prospect, he
reflected. but IL was prison. and in
announcing that he preferred IL to
England he had INDUCED that almost
Rudable form of Boosting which lies
in beli,tling our misadventurcs.
He turned, and resumlng his way,
went OF In long. swinging strides
towards the little huddle % huts bun,
OF mud and waitles-a miniature VII.
lago enclosed In a stockada which the
plantation slaves inhabited. and
where he. himself. was lodged with
them.
Thru his mind sang the line OF
Lovelace;
stone wallis DO not prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage"
But he gave Il frcsh meaning. the
very converse Of that which ia
author had intended. A prison. he
reflected. was prison. tho Il had
neither walls nor bars. however spa.
eious Il might be. And az no real
lied Il that morning 40 no was 10
realize Il increasingly as time sped
on. Daily he came 20 think more OF
his clipped wings. OF his exclusion
from the world. and less OF tho for.
tuiious liberty he enjoyed. Nor did
tho contrasting o. his comparatively
easy lot with that OF hia unfortunate
teilowcorviets bring him the safis.
faction q differently constituted mind
might have derived from Il. Rather
did the contemplation OF their mlser,
Increase the bitterness that was
gathering In his soul.
OF the a. who had been landed
with him from the Jamaica Msr.
chant, Colonel Bishop had purchased
no less than %. The remainder had
gone TO lesser planters. some OF them
10 spcish;stown. and others still
farther north. What may have been
the lot OF the latter no could not tell.
but amongst Bishops slaves Peter
Blood came and went freely. sleeping
IN their Quarters. and their lot he
knew TO be a brutalizing misery.
They tolled in the sugar plantations
from sunrise to sunset. aud n their
labors tagged. there were tho whips
OF the ovcrsesr and his men 10 quick.
en- them. They went in rags. some
almost naked. they dwclt in Hauaior.
and they were iil.nourished on Maltsd
meat and maize dumplings-foo
which 10 many OF them was for a
season at least so nauseatinE that
two OF them slckened and died be.
foro Bishop remembered that their
lives had accrtain value IN labor 10
him and yielded to BIood's interees.
sions for a better care Of such as
fell III. To curb characterization. one
OF them who had rebeIled against
Kent. The brutal overseer. was dashed
20 death by negroes under his com.
radcs' eyes. and another who had
been 80 misguided as 10 run away
into the woods was tracked. brought
back. flogged. and then branded on
the forehead with the letters II. r."
that all might know him for a fugI.
tive traitor az long as he lived. For.
tunately for him the poor fellow died
az n consequences OF the flogginK.
After that dun. splr!tless rcslg
nation settled down upon tho re-
amlnder. The most mutinous were
quelled. and accepted their unspeak
able lot with the tragic fortitude OF
despair.
Peter Blood alone. escaping these
excessive suffcrlngs. remained out.
wardly unchanged. whilst inwardly
the only change in him was daily
deeper hatred Of his kind, n daily
deeper longing TO escape from this
place where man defiled no fouiiy tho
lovely work Of his Creator. It was
longing too vague 10 amount 10
hope. Hope here was inadmiasIble
And yet no did not Yield 20 despair
He set smack OF laughter on his
saturnlne countenance and went his
way treating the sick 70 the profit
OF Colonel Bishop, and cncroachfng
further and further upon the pre-.
serves OF the two other men OF medi.
cine IN Bridgetown.
Immune from the degrading pun.
ishments and privatlons OF his fellow.
convicts, he was enabled to keep his
selfrespect, and was treated without
harshness even BY the soulless plant
or to whom he had been sold. He
owed II nil 10 govt and megrims. lie
had won the esteem OF Governor
stoed, and-what is even more i'm.
portant--of Governor Stced's lady.
whom he shameIessly and cynlcally
flattered and humored.
Occasionally he saw Miss Bishop.
and they seldom met but that she
paused to hold him in conversation
for some moments, ovincing her in.
terest In him. Himself. he was never
disposed TO llngcr. Hc was not. he
told himself, 70 be deceived By her
delicate exterior. her sapling grace
her easy. boylsh ways and pleasant.
boyish voice. In all his lIfo--and Il
had been very yarlcd-.he had never
met man whom he accounted moro
lae..f all ttaF.s.