I859-] THE NATURAL BRIDGE. 207 



that no one had taken pains to fell trees as bridges for foot- 

 passengers ("but who goes afoot in this country except 'niggers,' 

 and who cares for them?") The heat, however, was tremendous ; 

 once or twice he lost his way : he was impressed by the loneli- 

 ness of his walk, for he scarcely met any one through the day, 

 and found no place for refreshment. Some time after dark, he 

 reached the inn after his perilous walk, having met with only 

 one fall. He had walked about twenty-five miles, carrying his 

 " traps." He devoted some time to the Natural Bridge, which 

 surpassed his expectations. He was struck with the symmetry 

 of the arch, resembling in form our best sewers ! " Fancy this 

 Nature's Cloaca Maxima, but flushed only with pure water to 

 wash away the stinks, of slavery ! . . To see the huge mass of 

 suspended rock face to face, is very grand and awful. It is 

 indeed more wonderful than Niagara : you understand that at 

 first sight — if the river will flow over table-land, and come to 

 the edge of a rock, it must fall over it ! " 



Lexington was his next resting-place, where there was a 

 military college; but he had no desire to inspect the place 

 where youths learnt to fight, to keep down the negroes in case 

 of insurrection ! Several of the students wore the family badge, 

 on a gold plate on the coat. At the inn he wrote (June 30) : 

 " My spirit boils within me. I have stood it a long time 

 passively, but now I have no other vent but to write it down. 

 There was a beautiful boy of thirteen, waving the peacock's 

 fan at supper to-night, with scarcely a tinge of colour,— intelli- 

 gent, with curly pate and bright eyes, and full of fun — just such 



a boy as might have been at his age. I was one in the 



middle of a great company of guests (it was the college com- 

 mencement, next day), and yet the host at his table watched 

 me and saw how I noticed him. I went up afterwards and 

 made inquiries from him. His name was Henry : mother 

 mulatto, father white. The host has bought him to make 

 a waiter of. If he does not please him, he will cowhide him 

 well ; and if he does not do then, will sell him down South. 

 He is too white to make a good servant. He is now Avorth, at 

 the market price, nine hundred dollars. And so that is the 



