"Tiddy Rosa, hold your light!
Brudder Tony, hold your light!
All de member, hold bright light
On Canaan's shore!"
This is one of the most spirited shouting-tunes. "Tiddy" is their word
for sister.
A very queer-looking old man came into the store one day. He was dressed
in a complete suit of brilliant Brussels carpeting. Probably it had been
taken from his master's house after the "gun-shoot"; but he looked so
very dignified that we did not like to question him about it. The people
called him Doctor Crofts,--which was, I believe, his master's name, his
own being Scipio. He was very jubilant over the new state of things, and
said to Mr. H.,--"Don't hab me feelins hurt now. Used to hab me feelins
hurt all de time. But don't hab 'em hurt now no more." Poor old soul! We
rejoiced with him that he and his brethren no longer have their
"feelins" hurt, as in the old time.
* * * * *
On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, General Saxton's noble Proclamation
was read at church. We could not listen to it without emotion. The
people listened with the deepest attention, and seemed to understand and
appreciate it. Whittier has said of it and its writer,--"It is the most
beautiful and touching official document I ever read. God bless him!
'The bravest are the tenderest.'"
General Saxton is truly worthy of the gratitude and admiration with
which the people regard him. His unfailing kindness and consideration
for them--so different from the treatment they have sometimes received
at the hands of other officers--have caused them to have unbounded
confidence in General "_Saxby_," as they call him.
After the service, there were six couples married. Some of the dresses
were unique. One was particularly fine,--doubtless a cast-off dress of
the bride's former mistress. The silk and lace, ribbons, feathers and
flowers, were in a rather faded and decayed condition. But, comical as
the costumes were, we were not disposed to laugh at them. We were too
glad to see the poor creatures trying to lead right and virtuous lives.
The legal ceremony, which was formerly scarcely known among them, is now
everywhere consecrated. The constant and earnest advice of the minister
and teachers has not been given in vain; nearly every Sunday there are
several couples married in church. Some of them are people who have
grown old together.
Thanksgiving-Day was observed as a general holiday. According to General
Saxton's orders, an ox had been killed on each plantation, that the
people might that day have fresh meat, which was a great luxury
to them, and, indeed, to all of us. In the morning, a large
number--superintendents, teachers, and freed people--assembled in the
Baptist Church. It was a sight not soon to be forgotten,--that crowd of
eager, happy black faces, from which the shadow of Slavery had forever
passed. "Forever free! forever free!" those magical words of the
Proclamation were constantly singing themselves in my soul. After an
appropriate prayer and sermon by Mr. P., and singing by the people,
General Saxton made a short, but spirited speech, urging the young men
to enlist in the regiment then forming under Colonel Higginson. Mrs.
Gage told the people how the slaves in Santa Cruz had secured their
liberty. It was something entirely new and strange to them to hear a
woman speak in public; but they listened with great attention, and
seemed much interested. Before dispersing, they sang "Marching Along,"
which is an especial favorite with them. It was a very happy
Thanksgiving-Day for all of us. The weather was delightful; oranges and
figs were hanging on the trees; roses, oleanders, and japonicas were
blooming out-of-doors; the sun was warm and bright; and over all shone
gloriously the blessed light of Freedom,--Freedom forevermore!
One night, L. and I were roused from our slumbers by what seemed to us
loud and most distressing shrieks, proceeding from the direction of the
negro-houses. Having heard of one or two attempts which the Rebels had
recently made to land on the island, our first thought was, naturally,
that they had forced a landing, and were trying to carry off some of the
people. Every moment we expected to hear them at our doors; and knowing
that they had sworn vengeance against all the superintendents and
teachers, we prepared ourselves for the worst. After a little
reflection, we persuaded ourselves that it could not be the Rebels; for
the people had always assured us, that, in case of a Rebel attack, they
would come to us at once,--evidently thinking that we should be able to
protect them. But what could the shrieks mean? They ceased; then, a few
moments afterwards, began again, louder, more fearful than before; then
again they ceased, and all was silent. I am ashamed to confess that we
had not the courage to go out and inquire into the cause of the alarm.
Mr. H.'s room was in another part of the house, too far for him to give
us any aid. We hailed the dawn of day gladly enough, and eagerly sought
Cupid,--who was sure to know everything,--to obtain from him a solution
of the mystery. "Why, you wasn't scared at _dat?_" he exclaimed, in
great amusement; "'twasn't nuttin' but de black sogers dat comed up to
see der folks on t' oder side ob de creek. Dar wasn't no boat fur 'em on
dis side, so dey jus' blowed de whistle dey hab, so de folks might bring
one ober fur 'em. Dat was all 't was." And Cupid laughed so heartily
that we felt not a little ashamed of our fears. Nevertheless, we both
maintained that _we_ had never seen a whistle from which could be
produced sounds so startling, so distressing, so perfectly like the
shrieks of a human being.
Another night, while staying at a house some miles distant from ours, I
was awakened by hearing, as I thought, some one trying to open the door
from without. The door was locked; I lay perfectly still, and listened
intently. A few moments elapsed, and the sound was repeated; whereupon I
rose, and woke Miss W., who slept in the adjoining room. We lighted a
candle, took our revolvers, and seated ourselves on the bed, keeping our
weapons, so formidable in practised male hands, steadily pointed towards
the door, and uttering dire threats against the intruders,--presumed to
be Rebels, of course. Having maintained this tragical position for some
time, and hearing no further noise; we began to grow sleepy, and
extinguished our candle, returned to bed, and slept soundly till
morning. But that mystery remained unexplained. I was sure that the door
had been tried,--there could be no mistaking it. There was not the least
probability that any of the people had entered the house, burglars are
unknown on these islands, and there is nobody to be feared but the
Rebels.
The last and greatest alarm we had was after we had removed from
Oaklands to another plantation. I woke about two o'clock in the morning,
hearing the tramp of many feet in the yard below,--the steady tramp of
soldiers' feet. "The Rebels! they have come at last! all is over with us
now!" I thought at once, with a desperate kind of resignation. And I lay
still, waiting and listening. Soon I heard footsteps on the piazza;
then the hall-door was opened, and steps were heard distinctly in the
hall beneath; finally, I heard some one coming up the stairs. Then I
grasped my revolver, rose, and woke the other ladies.
"There are soldiers in the yard! Somebody has opened the hall-door, and
is coming up-stairs!"
Poor L., but half awakened, stared at me in speechless terror. The same
thought filled our minds. But Mrs. B., after listening for a moment,
exclaimed,--
"Why, that is my husband! I know his footsteps. He is coming up-stairs
to call me."
And so it proved. Her husband, who was a lieutenant in Colonel
Montgomery's regiment, had come up from camp with some of his men to
look after deserters. The door had been unfastened by a servant who on
that night happened to sleep in the house. I shall never forget the
delightful sensation of relief that came over me when the whole matter
was explained. It was almost overpowering; for, although I had made up
my mind to bear the worst, and bear it bravely, the thought of falling
into the hands of the Rebels was horrible in the extreme. A year of
intense mental suffering seemed to have been compressed into those few
moments.
* * * * *