英语天堂-第38部分

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　straighten　himself；　bend　his　back；　and　perform　various　evolutions　to　show　his　muscles；　and　then　passed　on　to　the　next；　and　put　him　through　the　same　trial。　Walking　up　last　to　the　boy；　he　felt　of　his　arms；　straightened　his　hands；　and　looked　at　his　fingers；　and　made　him　jump；　to　show　his　agility。
“He　an’t　gwine　to　be　sold　widout　me！”　said　the　old　woman；　with　passionate　eagerness；　“he　and　I　goes　in　a　lot　together；　I　’s　rail　strong　yet；　Mas’r　and　can　do　heaps　o’　work；—heaps　on　it；　Mas’r。”
“On　plantation？”　said　Haley；　with　a　contemptuous　glance。　“Likely　story！”　and；　as　if　satisfied　with　his　examination；　he　walked　out　and　looked；　and　stood　with　his　hands　in　his　pocket；　his　cigar　in　his　mouth；　and　his　hat　cocked　on　one　side；　ready　for　action。
“What　think　of　’em？”　said　a　man　who　had　been　following　Haley’s　examination；　as　if　to　make　up　his　own　mind　from　it。
“Wal；”　said　Haley；　spitting；　“I　shall　put　in；　I　think；　for　the　youngerly　ones　and　the　boy。”
“They　want　to　sell　the　boy　and　the　old　woman　together；”　said　the　man。
“Find　it　a　tight　pull；—why；　she’s　an　old　rack　o’　bones；—not　worth　her　salt。”
“You　wouldn’t　then？”　said　the　man。
“Anybody　’d　be　a　fool　’t　would。　She’s　half　blind；　crooked　with　rheumatis；　and　foolish　to　boot。”
“Some　buys　up　these　yer　old　critturs；　and　ses　there’s　a　sight　more　wear　in　’em　than　a　body　’d　think；”　said　the　man；　reflectively。
“No　go；　’t　all；”　said　Haley；　“wouldn’t　take　her　for　a　present；—fact；—I’ve　seen；　now。”
“Wal；　’t　is　kinder　pity；　now；　not　to　buy　her　with　her　son；—her　heart　seems　so　sot　on　him；—s’pose　they　fling　her　in　cheap。”
“Them　that’s　got　money　to　spend　that　ar　way；　it’s　all　well　enough。　I　shall　bid　off　on　that　ar　boy　for　a　plantation…hand；—wouldn’t　be　bothered　with　her；　no　way；　notif　they’d　give　her　to　me；”　said　Haley。
“She’ll　take　on　desp’t；”　said　the　man。
“Nat’lly；　she　will；”　said　the　trader；　coolly。
The　conversation　was　here　interrupted　by　a　busy　hum　in　the　audience；　and　the　auctioneer；　a　short；　bustling；　important　fellow；　elbowed　his　way　into　the　crowd。　The　old　woman　drew　in　her　breath；　and　caught　instinctively　at　her　son。
“Keep　close　to　yer　mammy；　Albert；—close；—dey’ll　put　us　up　togedder；”　she　said。
“O；　mammy；　I’m　feard　they　won’t；”　said　the　boy。
“Dey　must；　child；　I　can’t　live；　no　ways；　if　they　don’t”　said　the　old　creature；　vehemently。
The　stentorian　tones　of　the　auctioneer；　calling　out　to　clear　the　way；　now　announced　that　the　sale　was　about　to　commence。　A　place　was　cleared；　and　the　bidding　began。　The　different　men　on　the　list　were　soon　knocked　off　at　prices　which　showed　a　pretty　brisk　demand　in　the　market；　two　of　them　fell　to　Haley。
“Come；　now；　young　un；”　said　the　auctioneer；　giving　the　boy　a　touch　with　his　hammer；　“be　up　and　show　your　springs；　now。”
“Put　us　two　up　togedder；　togedder；—do　please；　Mas’r；”　said　the　old　woman；　holding　fast　to　her　boy。
“Be　off；”　said　the　man；　gruffly；　pushing　her　hands　away；　“you　come　last。　Now；　darkey；　spring；”　and；　with　the　word；　he　pushed　the　boy　toward　the　block；　while　a　deep；　heavy　groan　rose　behind　him。　The　boy　paused；　and　looked　back；　but　there　was　no　time　to　stay；　and；　dashing　the　tears　from　his　large；　bright　eyes；　he　was　up　in　a　moment。
His　fine　figure；　alert　limbs；　and　bright　face；　raised　an　instant　competition；　and　half　a　dozen　bids　simultaneously　met　the　ear　of　the　auctioneer。　Anxious；　half…frightened；　he　looked　from　side　to　side；　as　he　heard　the　clatter　of　contending　bids；—now　here；　now　there；—till　the　hammer　fell。　Haley　had　got　him。　He　was　pushed　from　the　block　toward　his　new　master；　but　stopped　one　moment；　and　looked　back；　when　his　poor　old　mother；　trembling　in　every　limb；　held　out　her　shaking　hands　toward　him。
“Buy　me　too；　Mas’r；　for　de　dear　Lord’s　sake！—buy　me；—I　shall　die　if　you　don’t！”
“You’ll　die　if　I　do；　that’s　the　kink　of　it；”　said　Haley；—“no！”　And　he　turned　on　his　heel。
The　bidding　for　the　poor　old　creature　was　summary。　The　man　who　had　addressed　Haley；　and　who　seemed　not　destitute　of　compassion；　bought　her　for　a　trifle；　and　the　spectators　began　to　disperse。
The　poor　victims　of　the　sale；　who　had　been　brought　up　in　one　place　together　for　years；　gathered　round　the　despairing　old　mother；　whose　agony　was　pitiful　to　see。
“Couldn’t　dey　leave　me　one？　Mas’r　allers　said　I　should　have　one；—he　did；”　she　repeated　over　and　over；　in　heart…broken　tones。
“Trust　in　the　Lord；　Aunt　Hagar；”　said　the　oldest　of　the　men；　sorrowfully。
“What　good　will　it　do？”　said　she；　sobbing　passionately。
“Mother；　mother；—don’t！　don’t！”　said　the　boy。　“They　say　you　’s　got　a　good　master。”
“I　don’t　care；—I　don’t　care。　O；　Albert！　oh；　my　boy！　you　’s　my　last　baby。　Lord；　how　ken　I？”
“Come；　take　her　off；　can’t　some　of　ye？”　said　Haley；　dryly；　“don’t　do　no　good　for　her　to　go　on　that　ar　way。”
The　old　men　of　the　company；　partly　by　persuasion　and　partly　by　force；　loosed　the　poor　creature’s　last　despairing　hold；　and；　as　they　led　her　off　to　her　new　master’s　wagon；　strove　to　comfort　her。
“Now！”　said　Haley；　pushing　his　three　purchases　together；　and　producing　a　bundle　of　handcuffs；　which　he　proceeded　to　put　on　their　wrists；　and　fastening　each　handcuff　to　a　long　chain；　he　drove　them　before　him　to　the　jail。
A　few　days　saw　Haley；　with　his　possessions；　safely　deposited　on　one　of　the　Ohio　boats。　It　was　the　commencement　of　his　gang；　to　be　augmented；　as　the　boat　moved　on；　by　various　other　merchandise　of　the　same　kind；　which　he；　or　his　agent；　had　stored　for　him　in　various　points　along　shore。
The　La　Belle　Riviere；　as　brave　and　beautiful　a　boat　as　ever　walked　the　waters　of　her　namesake　river；　was　floating　gayly　down　the　stream；　under　a　brilliant　sky；　the　stripes　and　stars　of　free　America　waving　and　fluttering　over　head；　the　guards　crowded　with　well…dressed　ladies　and　gentlemen　walking　and　enjoying　the　delightful　day。　All　was　full　of　life；　buoyant　and　rejoicing；—all　but　Haley’s　gang；　who　were　stored；　with　other　freight；　on　the　lower　deck；　and　who；　somehow；　did　not　seem　to　appreciate　their　various　privileges；　as　they　sat　in　a　knot；　talking　to　each　other　in　low　tones。
“Boys；”　said　Haley；　coming　up；　briskly；　“I　hope　you　keep　up　good　heart；　and　are　cheerful。　Now；　no　sulks；　ye　see；　keep　stiff　upper　lip；　boys；　do　well　by　me；　and　I’ll　do　well　by　you。”
The　boys　addressed　responded　the　invariable　“Yes；　Mas’r；”　for　ages　the　watchword　of　poor　Africa；　but　it’s　to　be　owned　they　did　not　look　particularly　cheerful；　they　had　their　various　little　prejudices　in　favor　of　wives；　mothers；　sisters；　and　children；　seen　for　the　last　time；—and　though　“they　that　wasted　them　required　of　them　mirth；”　it　was　not　instantly　forthcoming。
“I’ve　got　a　wife；”　spoke　out　the　article　enumerated　as　“John；　aged　thirty；”　and　he　laid　his　chained　hand　on　Tom’s　knee；—“and　she　don’t　know　a　word　about　this；　poor　girl！”
“Where　does　she　live？”　said　Tom。
“In　a　tavern　a　piece　down　here；”　said　John；　“I　wish；　now；　I　could　see　her　once　more　in　this　world；”　he　added。
Poor　John！　It　was　rather　natural；　and　the　tears　that　fell；　as　he　spoke；　came　as　naturally　as　if　he　had　been　a　white　man。　Tom　drew　a　long　breath　from　a　sore　heart；　and　tried；　in　his　poor　way；　to　comfort　him。
And　over　head；　in　the　cabin；　sat　fathers　and　mothers；　husbands　and　wives；　and　merry；　dancing　children　moved　round　among　them；　like　so　many　little　butterflies；　and　everything　was　going　on　quite　easy　and　comfortable。
“O；　mamma；”　said　a　boy；　who　had　just　come　up　from　below；　“there’s　a　negro　trader　on　board；　and　he’s　brought　four　or　five　slaves　down　there。”
“Poor　creatures！”　said　the　mother；　in　a　tone　between　grief　and　indignation。
“What’s　that？”　said　another　lady。
“Some　poor　slaves　below；”　said　the　mother。
“And　they’ve　got　chains　on；”　said　the　boy。
“What　a　shame　to　our　country　that　such　sights　are　to　be　seen！”　said　another　lady。
“O；　there’s　a　great　deal　to　be　said　on　both　sides　of　the　subject；”　said　a　genteel　woman；　who　sat　at　her　state…room　door　sewing；　while　her　little　girl　and　boy　were　playing　round　her。　“I’ve　been　south；　and　I　must　say　I　think　the　negroes　are　better　off　than　they　would　be　to　be　free。”
“In　some　respects；　some　of　them　are　well　off；　I　grant；”　said　the　lady　to　whose　remark　she　had　answered。　“The　most　dreadful　part　of　slavery；　to　my　mind；　is　its　outrages　on　the　feelings　and　affections；—the　separating　of　families；　for　example。”
“That　is　a　bad　thing；　certainly；”　said　the　other　lady；　holding　up　a　baby’s　dress　she　had　just　completed；　and　looking　intently　on　its　trimmings；　“but　then；　I　fancy；　it　don’t　ocomur　often。”
“O；　it　does；”　said　the　first　lady；　eagerly；　“I’ve　lived　many　years　in　Kentucky　and　Virginia　both；　and　I’ve　seen　enough　to　make　any　one’s　heart　sick。　Suppose；　ma’am；　your　two　children；　there；　should　be　taken　from　you；　and　sold？”
“We　can’t　reason　from　our　feelings　to　those　of　this　class　of　persons；”　said　the　other　lady；　sorting　out　some　worsteds　on　her　lap。
“Indeed；　ma’am；　you　can　know　nothing　of　them；　if　you　say　so；”　answered　the　first　lady；　warmly。　“I　was　born　and　brought　up　among　them。　I　know　they　do　feel；　just　as　keenly；—even　more　so；　perhaps；—as　we　do。”
The　lady　said　“Indeed！”　yawned；　and　looked　out　the　cabin　window；　and　finally　repeated；　for　a　finale；　the　remark　with　which　she　had　begun；—“After　all；　I　think　they　are　better　off　than　they　would　be　to　be　free。”
“It’s　undoubtedly　the　intention　of　Providence　that　the　African　race　should　be　servants；—kept　in　a　low　condition；”　said　a　grave…looking　gentleman　in　black；　a　clergyman；　seated　by　the　cabin　door。　“‘Cursed　be　Canaan；　a　servant　of　servants　shall　he　be；’　the　scripture　says。”2
“I　say；　stranger；　is　that　ar　what　that　text　means？”　said　a　tall　man；　standing　by。
“Undoubtedly。　It　pleased　Providence；　for　some　inscrutable　reason；　to　doom　the　race　to　bondage；　ages　ago；　and　we　must　not　set　up　our　opinion　against　that。”
“Well；　then；　we’ll　all　go　ahead　and　buy　up　niggers；”　said　the　man；　“if　that’s　the　way　of　Providence；—won’t　we；　Squire？”　said　he；　turning　to　Haley；　who　had　been　standing；　with　his　hands　in　his　pockets；　by　the　stove　and　intently　listening　to　the　conversation。
“Yes；”　continued　the　tall　man；　“we　must　all　be　resigned　to　the　decrees　of　Providence。　Niggers　must　be　sold；　and　trucked　round；　and　kept　under；　it’s　what　they’s　made　for。　’Pears　like　this　yer　view　’s　quite　refreshing；　an’t　it；　stranger？”　said　he　to　Haley。
“I　never　thought　on　’t；”　said　Haley；　“I　couldn’t　have　said　as　much；　myself；　I　ha’nt　no　larning。　I　took　up　the　trade　just　to　make　a　living；　if　’tan’t　right；　I　calculated　to　’pent　on　’t　in　time；　ye　know。”
“And　now　you’ll　save　yerself　the　trouble；　won’t　ye？”　said　the　tall　man。　“See　what　’t　is；　now；　to　know　scripture。　If　ye’d　only　studied　yer　Bible；　like　this　yer　good　man；　ye　might　have　know’d　it　before；　and　saved　ye　a　heap　o’　trouble。　Ye　could　jist　have　said；　‘Cussed　be’—what’s　his　name？—‘and　’t　would　all　have　come　right。’”　And　the　stranger；　who　was　no　other　than　the　honest　drover　whom　we　introduced　to　our　readers　in　the　Kentucky　tavern；　sat　down；　and　began　smoking；　with　a　curious　smile　on　his　long；　dry　face。
A　tall；　slender　young　man；　with　a　face　expressive　of　great　feeling　and　intelligence；　here　broke　in；　and　repeated　the　words；　“‘All　things　whatsoever　ye　would　that　men　should　do　unto　you；　do　ye　even　so　unto　them。’　I　suppose；”　he　added；　“that　is　scripture；　as　much　as　‘Cursed　be　Canaan。’”
“Wal；　it　seems　quite　as　plain　a　text；　stranger；”　said　John　the　drover；　“to　poor　fellows　like　us；　now；”　and　John　smoked　on　like　a　volcano。
The　young　man　paused；　looked　as　if　he　was　going　to　say　more；　when　suddenly　the　boat　stopped；　and　the　company　made　the　usual　steamboat　rush；　to　see　where　they　were　landing。
“Both　them　ar　chaps　parsons？”　said　John　to　one　of　the　men；　as　they　were　going　out。
The　man　nodded。
As　the　boat　stopped；　a　black　woman　came　running　wildly　up　the　plank；　darted　into　the　crowd；　flew　up　to　where　the　slave　gang　sat；　and　threw　her　arms　round　that　unfortunate　piece　of　merchandise　before　enumerate—“John；　aged　thirty；”　and　with　sobs　and　tears　bemoaned　him　as　her　husband。
But　what　needs　tell　the　story；　told　too　oft；—every　day　told；—of　heart…strings　rent　and　broken；—the　weak　broken　and　torn　for　the　profit　and　convenience　of　the　strong！　It　needs　not　to　be　told；—every　day　is　telling　it；—telling　it；　too；　in　the　ear　of　One　who　is　not　deaf；　though　he　be　long　silent。
The　young　man　who　had　spoken　for　the　cause　of　humanity　and　God　before　stood　with　folded　arms；　looking　on　this　scene。　He　turned；　and　Haley　was　standing　at　his　side。　“My　friend；”　he　said；　speaking　with　thick　utterance；　“how　can　you；　how　dare　you；　carry　on　a　trade　like　this？　Look　at　those　poor　creatures！　Here　I　am；　rejoicing　in　my　heart　that　I　am　going　home　to　my　wife　and　child；　and　the　same　bell　which　is　a　signal　to　carry　me　onward　towards　them　will　part　this　poor　man　and　his　wife　forever。　Depend　upon　it；　God　will　bring　you　into　judgment　for　this。”
The　trader　turned　away　in　silence。
“I　say；　now；”　said　the　drover；　touching　his　elbow；　“there’s　differences　in　parsons；　an’t　there？　‘Cussed　be　Canaan’　don’t　seem　to　go　down　with　this　’un；　does　it？”
Haley　gave　an　uneasy　growl。
“And　that　ar　an’t　the　worst　on　’t；”　said　John；　“mabbee　it　won’t　go　down　with　the　Lord；　neither；　when　ye　come　to　settle　with　Him；　one　o’　these　days；　as　all　on　us　must；　I　reckon。”
Haley　walked　reflectively　to　the　other　end　of　the　boat。
“If　I　make　pretty　handsomely　on　one　or　two　next　gangs；”　he　thought；　“I　reckon　I’ll　stop　off　this　yer；　it’s　really　getting　dangerous。”　And　he　took　out　his　pocket…book；　and　began　adding　over　his　acomounts；—a　process　which　many　gentlemen　besides　Mr。　Haley　have　found　a　specific　for　an　uneasy　conscience。
The　boat　swept　proudly　away　from　the　shore；　and　all　went　on　merrily；　as　before。　Men　talked；　and　loafed；　and　read；　and　smoked。　Women　sewed；　and　children　played；　and　the　boat　passed　on　her　way。
One　day；　when　she　lay　to　for　a　while　at　a　small　town　in　Kentucky；　Haley　went　up　into　the　place　on　a　little　matter　of　business。
Tom；　whose　fetters　did　not　prevent　his　taking　a　moderate　circuit；　had　drawn　near　the　side　of　the　boat；　and　stood　listlessly　gazing　over　the　railing。　After　a　time；　he　saw　the　trader　returning；　with　an　alert　step；　in　company　with　a　colored　woman；　bearing　in　her　arms　a　young　child。　She　was　dressed　quite　respectably；　and　a　colored　man　followed　her；　bringing　along　a　small　trunk。　The　woman　came　cheerfully　onward；　talking；　as　she　came；　with　the　man　who　bore　her　trunk；　and　so　passed　up　the　plank　into　the　boat。　The　bell　rung；　the　steamer　whizzed；　the　engine　groaned　and　coughed；　and　away　swept　the　boat　down　the　river。
The　woman　walked　forward　among　the　boxes　and　bales　of　the　lower　deck；　and；　sitting　down；　busied　herself　with　chirruping　to　her　baby。
Haley　made　a　turn　or　two　about　the　boat；　and　then；　coming　up；　seated　himself　near　her；　and　began　saying　something　to　her　in　an　indifferent　undertone。
Tom　soon　noticed　a　heavy　cloud　passing　over　the　woman’s　brow；　and　that　she　answered　rapidly；　and　with　great　vehemence。
“I　don’t　believe　it；—I　won’t　believe　it！”　he　heard　her　say。　“You’re　jist　a　foolin　with　me。”
“If　you　won’t　believe　it；　look　here！”　said　the　man；　drawing　out　a　paper；　“this　yer’s