373 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



ought not to tax your hospitality." " No matter for that," 

 was the reply ; " go and come as you please, making my 

 house your head-quarters." " But, sir, I may be a month 

 in this region." " So much the better," was the answer. 

 " Nor is that all. I have two young friends with me, 

 my own son and an only son of a friend, a widowed 

 mother, and I cannot part from them." " So much the 

 better," was the generous reply ; "you- will be more than 

 welcome at my house, and my wife and children will be 

 most happy to entertain you with Virginian hospitality dur- 

 ing your sojourn." As there was neither time nor occasion 

 for more debate, I therefore accepted the hospitable offer 

 of my friend Mr. Vass, and we received a cordial welcome 

 from his good lady and their household, and our home was 

 now established in their house. Never was a home made 

 more comfortable and agreeable to those who came as 

 strangers, but were now adopted as friends. 



In our travels, and in the prosecution of our researches 

 among the mines, we had of course met with slaves every- 

 where, and in general they were, as far as we observed, 

 treated kindly. 



Slaves were employed about the mines, and the strong 

 arms of athletic black men were employed to crush the 

 quartz for us in heavy iron mortars, preparatory to the 

 washing for gold; they also broke the quartz from the 

 veins ; and we had always as many of these men at com- 

 mand as we desired for the accomplishment of our labors. 

 As we were quietly reading in our apartment at a tavern, 

 on the Sabbath, the landlord entered, with an apology for 

 the intrusion, and, opening a glass case in the corner of the 

 room, took down a large riding coach-whip, which we sup- 

 posed was wanted for some excursion. Within a few min- 

 utes, however, we heard through our open windows the 

 sharp reverberations of the lash rapidly repeated, and ac- 

 companied by loud cries of distress. We found, by the vol- 



