_June 5._ Mr. Philbrick brought one unwelcome letter--an appointment
from Mr. Pierce to Mr. G. to some plantation at the other end of the
island. He is too valuable to be here. He is going to a hard place,
ten or twelve plantations, though with fewer negroes in all than on
these three.
The mule-cart came up and was loaded with all Mr. G.'s things, and by
nine o'clock he took his departure on horseback, in his red flannel
shirt and palm-leaf hat looking quite Southern and picturesque.
[Later.] Here came my morning school, for the first time, under
Bacchus' conduct. I heard them singing and went to the window to watch
and see how he was bringing them from the quarters. He is a cripple in
his hands, which turn backwards, and he has but little control of his
arms, but is much looked up to by the other children. Of course he
cannot do any work, and Mr. G. has made him a sort of schoolmaster,
and he has always kept school when Mr. G. was away. He manages them
nicely, after his fashion--leaving them in the midst if he happens to
want to eat some hominy! They never have regular meals, but each one
eats hominy when he happens to want it. Well, soldiers have been
stationed on the place, and Bacchus had got some notion of drill, so
he marched up the thirty-five children, six or seven in a row, holding
hands to keep them straight, and with two of the oldest boys for
captains on each side to administer raps with their sticks if they
did not keep in line, walking backwards himself to oversee the whole
company, with a soldier's cap on his head, and shouting out his orders
for them to sing their different tunes all the way,--the funniest
spectacle himself imaginable.
_Monday, June 9._ Found that Bacchus' brother Lester had been taken
sick Sunday morning and died at night, so he did not bring up the
school. Just after dinner we saw the people assembling at their
burying-place,[47] and H. and I went down to witness the services.
Uncle Sam followed us, book in hand and spectacles on nose, reading as
he walked. As we drew near to the grave we heard all the children
singing their A, B, C, through and through again, as they stood
waiting round the grave for the rest to assemble and for Uncle Sam to
begin. Each child had his school-book or picture-book Mr. G. had given
him in his hand,--another proof that they consider their lessons as in
some sort religious exercise. We were joined at once by Mr. Philbrick,
and stood uncovered with the rest about the grave, at the mouth of
which rested the coffin, a rough board one, but well shaped and
closed. Uncle Sam took off his hat, tied a red handkerchief round his
head and, adjusting his glasses, read the hymn through, and then
deaconed out two lines at a time for the people to sing. He repeated
the process with a second hymn, when Abel made a prayer; then Uncle
Sam read from the Burial Service and began his exordium, apologizing
for his inability to speak much on account of a sore throat, but
holding forth for about half an hour upon the necessity for all to
prepare for "dis bed," filling his discourse with Scripture
illustrations and quotations aptly and with force, using the story of
"Antoninus and Suffirus" as a proof that God would not have any "half
religions"--that if anybody had "hid his Lord's money in de eart' he
must grabble for it before 'twas too late." He read from the service
again, one of the men throwing on earth at the usual place. When they
came to cover up the grave, the men constantly changed hoes with those
who had not handled them before, that each might aid, women and old
men stooping to throw in a handful. Abel made another prayer, they
sang again and dispersed.
It was of this scene that W. C. G. wrote the following
lines: