Forest and Stream 
|3 a Year, 10 Cts. a Copy, 
Six Months, $1.50. 
NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1913. 
VOL. LXXX.—No. 19. 
187 Franklin St., New York 
A Contraband Incident 
CHAPTER III. 
A Story of the Forties Written by Nessmuk 
Illustrations from “Woodcraft!’ 
HEN the man told us the story. 
“And what did you do that they cut you 
up in that way?” asked Kelly. “I reckon 
you must ’a’ been a pretty hard case.” 
“No, massa, I neber was a hard case; alius 
did my bes’ to please ’em an’ wasn’t sassy. Dey 
cut me up ’cause I wanted my freedom an’ run 
away. Massa ’greed to let me buy myse’f for 
seven hun’red dollars, an’ when I’se paid him 
four hun’red of de money, he jes’ backed out 
an’ wanted me to take de money back ag’in; but 
he offered me fair, I mus’ say dat for him; he 
offered me five hun’red dollars in hard money. 
He said he couldn’t let such a boy as me go 
nohow; I mus’ stay wid him till I was an ole 
man, an’ den he’d take care of me, but I wanted 
my freedom jes’ as bad as tho’ I was white, an’ 
when I see da wasn’t no odder chance, I run 
away.” 
“And got caught and flogged?” 
“No, sah, not de fust time. Dey cotch me, 
but massa w'ouldn’t ’low no floggin’ ’bout it; he 
talked to me ’bout my wickedness an’ got me 
to promise an’ try to be contented, but I couldn’t. 
It seemed to me as tho’ I mus’ get my freedom 
or die, so I run away again, but it ’peared like 
de Lord had turned ag’in me. Dey cotch’d me 
an’ bro’t me back, and dat time massa was gone 
away, so de oberseer could jes’ do as he wanted 
to, an’ he had an ole spite to pay off, so he took 
me down in de woods out ob bearin’ ob de folks 
at de house an’ tied me up. I dunno how long 
he whipped me; ’pears like it mus’ bin half a 
day—whipped me till I was jes’ done gone; 
didn't know miffin’ ’tall ’bout it, an den washed 
me down wid salt an’ water. Seem’s tho, a 
man couldn’t suffer as I did dat night an’ live, 
but de berry next day he took me out an’ whip¬ 
ped me ag’in. I hope de wust inimy I hab in 
de wurl’ neber ’ll suffer as I did dat day, but 
it come to an end at last. Massa come home 
while de whippin’ was goin’ on an’ de ban’s tole 
him ’bout it He neber said a word, but run 
his boss down to de grove an’ jes’ lit on dat 
oberseer like a mad pointer. De oberseer was 
grit, too, so he turned an’ fit his bes’, but Lord! 
’twai’nt no good, massa handled him like a baby. 
He got him down an’ choked him till he couldn’t 
git up, an’ den jumpt on him wid de boot heels 
an’ kicked him right smart. I neber see a white 
man git sech a lickin’. Arter dat dey used me 
well. I was took up to de house an’ missus doc¬ 
tored me herself till I got able to work; dat 
took more ’n’ two months. De oberseer was 
sent off an’ dey hired a new one—a peart man 
he was, an’ didn’t jaw an’ flog like de old one, 
but when he did flog—oh g’way! wa’n’t he ugly! 
When I got round ag’in, massa took me for his 
coachman an’ promised me dat I shouldn’t be 
flogged nor sold so long as I’d behave myse’f, 
an’ I promised to serve him faithful. I would 
’a’ done it, too, ef it hadn’t bm for de new 
oberseer.” 
“What about him?” asked Jason; “did he 
give you that huge scar there under your shoul¬ 
der?” 
“Yes, massa, ’twas him did it. De new 
oberseer took to follerin’ my wife an’ botherin’ 
her eb’ry chance he could get. She didn’t want 
nuffin’ to do wid him, an’ tried to keep out of 
his way, but he wouldn’t be put off; he kep’ 
follerin’ her up ’till he got so troublesome dat 
she complained to massa, but he only laughed 
an’ sed he reckoned de oberseer wouldn’t hurt 
her. When we was married, missus made de 
weddin’ for us an’ had her own minister to 
marry us jes’ like white folks. She talked to 
us, an’ de minister he talked ’bout bein’ true an’ 
faithful to one anoder like true Christians, so 
when our trouble come an’ de oberseer wouldn’t 
leabe us alone an' massa wouldn’t make him 
behave, Anne (dat’s her name, massa), she went 
to missus an’ begged to have her speak to de 
oberseer so he’d behave hisself decent. Missus 
was a Christian if dey eber was one, an’ she 
took de oberseer to do ’bout it, an’ tole him if 
he troubled. us ag'in he’d be sent off quicker. 
She gib him a good talkin’ to an’ tole him dat 
any man who hadn’t more decency dan to act 
dat way oughter be ’shamed to show his face 
’mong ’spectable white folks. Dat jes’ made him 
sabage; he didn’t say much, but de way de 
ban’s had to stan’ roun’ arter dat was a caution. 
“ ’Bout a week arter missus scolded de ober¬ 
seer, I had to take massa to Richmond in de 
coach, an’ when I got back I foun’ Anne in our 
cabin a-cryin’ as ef her heart would break. She 
was a-layin’ on her face an’ her back was all 
covered wid blood where de oberseer ’d bin 
whippin’ her. Oh, Lord! gen’l'men, dat was hard 
to bear. Lle’d managed to pick a quar’l wid her 
'bout jes’ nuffin’ at all, an’ he knowed she was 
mos’ as bashful like as a white woman, so he 
made her strip afore all de fleld ban’s, an’ cut 
her up ugly wid a cowskin. He wanted to whip 
her more, but missus cotched him at it an’ made 
him stop. I never see anybody so mad as missus 
was about dat whippin’. She was a mighty am¬ 
bitious* woman, an’ she ’dared if de oberseer 
wasn’t turned off, she’d take de pistols an’ shoot 
him herself, but, massa, he wouldn’t hear of it. 
De oberseer got more work out ob de ban’s dan 
any oder man could, an’ massa knowed it, so he 
pacified missus an’ made believe he'd turn him 
off as soon’s he could find a better one, an’ gib 
orders neber to strike me or my wife ag’in while 
he staid on de plantation. ’Feared den as ef 
we might take some comfort yet ef dat ober¬ 
seer ’d only leabe us alone, but he wouldn’t. 
“One day I had to go doun to de pasture 
arter de bosses, an’ when I got dar I heerd a 
woman’s voice in de thicket clos’ by a beggin’ 
to be let alone, an’ den I heerd a man’s voice, 
rough an’ sabage, tellin’ her to shet up, to hole 
her tongue, or he’d skin her. I knowed well 
enuff ’twas dat oberseer makin’ us trouble again, 
but I didn’t dar’ to get ober de fence. I knowed 
*The slaves and poor whites at the South often used 
the word ambition for high spirit or temper. 
