THE AMERICANS AND THE ABORIGINES. 395 



the same bench with Hodges, " your cursed chain is 

 rubbing the skin off my ankles." 



"Sit still, Pompey," said the negro's neighbour. 

 " I'll take it out of the way." 



"Ah! massa hurt poor Pompey," cried the black 

 to his next man, who had wound the chain round 

 his feet, and now gave it so sudden a pull that the 

 negro let go his oar and fell back in the boat. The 

 young Englishman became suddenly attentive to what 

 passed. 



"What are you about?" cried he ; "what are you 

 doing to the poor negro ? " 



" Gor-a-mighty's sake, massa, not joke so with poor 

 Pompey," groaned the negro. " Massa strangle poor 

 nigger." 



" It's nothing at all, Pompey ; think of your fat 

 Lolli behind the cathedral, and don't forget the way 

 to Nacogdoches," said the man on the sternmost 

 bench, who had taken the chain from his comrade, 

 passed it through the neck-iron, and violently pulling 

 it, drew the unhappy negro up into a heap. 



"Massa, massa, ma ! " gasped the negro, whose 



breath was leaving him. 



The whole had been the work of a moment, and 

 the stifled groans and sobs of the agonised slave were 

 nearly drowned by the rush of the waters and splash 

 of the oar-strokes. 



" The devil ! " cried the Englishman, " what is all 

 this?" 



