Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. I.djvu/323

 the stars came out, clear and brilliant. The glory of the scene, and that poor, black, enslaved, degraded people—they did not at all agree! All my enjoyment was over.

I was glad however to have a man like Mr. Poinsett to talk with. And to him I confided, in the evening, my conversation and my thoughts. Mr. Poinsett maintains that the slaves have told me falsehoods. “One can never believe what they say,” said he, adding, “that also is one of the evils of slavery. The people are made liars by it. Children learn from their parents to regard the white people with fear, and to deceive them. They are always suspicious, and endeavour by their complainings to get some advantage. But you may be sure that they have been imposing upon you. The slaves round here have a certain quantity of work set them for the day, and at this time of the year they have for the most part finished it by four or five o'clock in the afternoon. There is commonly kept on every plantation a male or female cook who prepares the daily dinner at one o'clock. I have one for my people, and I have no doubt but that Mr. —— also has one for his people. It cannot be otherwise. And I am certain that you would find it to be so if you would examine into the affair.”

Mr. Poinsett does not deny but that abuse and maltreatment of slaves has often occurred and still occurs, but public opinion becomes more and more sternly opposed to it. Some years ago extreme cruelty was practised against the slaves on a plantation in the neighbourhood, by an overseer, during the prolonged absence in England of the owner of the plantations. The planters in the neighbourhood united, wrote to him, told him that they could not bear it, and requested that the overseer should be removed. And this was done. Mr. P. considers that the system of slavery operates in many cases much more unfavourably on women than on men, and makes them, not unfrequently, the hardest masters.