VIRGINIAN DEER. 145 



see the massa. Why did you tell him, you little 

 rascal, that it was the deer that came every night to 

 eat his beans ? " 



"Massa Slouch," cried the young rogue, showing 

 his teeth. " I no tell massa dat." 



" Don't you tell a lie, Ct^sar. You wanted to get 

 a shilling, although I told you not to tell anybody. 

 I'll make you pay for it. Be off and send Pompey 

 here." 



The fellow did not wait to be ordered off a second 

 time, but bounded off towards the cottages of the 

 blacks, built at the upper end of a green meadow 

 towards the north of the plantation. A few minutes 

 afterwards Pompey appeared before the overseer, 

 w^ho ordered him to go and pick up some fir-cones, 

 and prepare everything for hunting deer by torch- 

 light that night. 



" But," objected Pompey, "when massa Bensom 

 come to-morrow, he will say we 've been hunting on 

 our own account." 



" "What's that to you ? You say you know nothing 

 about it. If you don't, I'll tell the master of those 

 four deer you killed and sold at Charleston. So 

 you just hold your tongue, my lad." 



Pompey hadn't a w^ord to say to that, for he was 

 an arrant poacher, and he very soon promised to 

 have everything ready for the evening's sport. 



An hour after sunset the overseer, accompanied 

 by his sable henchman (who carried a sack of fir 



VOL. I. L 



