THE NEGRO. 115 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



tremble at a mere glance from his master's eye. These latter 

 cruelties were witnessed by me in a Spanish colony, in which 

 it has always been said that slaves are better treated than 

 by the Portuguese, English, or other European nations. I 

 will not even allude to the many heart -sickening atrocities 

 which I heard of on good authority ; nor would I have men- 

 tioned the above revolting details, had I not met with sev- 

 eral people so blinded by the natural gayety of the negro as 

 to speak of slavery as a tolerable evil. Such people have 

 generally visited at the houses of the upper classes, where 

 the domestic slaves are usually well treated and they have 

 not, like myself, lived among the lower classes. Such in- 

 quirers will ask slaves about their condition : they forget that 

 the slave must indeed be dull who does not calculate on the 

 chance of his answer reaching his master's ears. 



It is argued that self-interest will prevent excessive cru- 

 elty; as if self-interest protected our domestic animals, which 

 are far less likely than degraded slaves to stir up the rage 

 of their savage masters. One day, riding in the Pampas with 

 a very respectable planter (estanciero), my horse, being tired, 

 lagged behind. The man often shouted to me to spur him. 

 When I remonstrated that it was a pity, for the horse was 

 quite exhausted, he cried out, "Why not? Never mind; spur 

 him it is my horse." I had then some difficulty in making 

 him understand that it was for the horse's sake, and not on 

 his account, that I did not choose to use my spurs. He ex- 

 claimed, with a look of great surprise, "Ah, Don Carlos, que 

 cosa !" (what an idea). It was clear that such an idea had 

 never before entered his head. 



