Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. I.djvu/386

 never would have believed that this was the master. They see, however, that the strange gentleman gives orders to the overseer that he shall send one negro here and another there, that many shall be called to him and to the overseer, and the negroes must do all that he wishes and commands, and from this they can see that he is the master.”

How living and excellent is this representation of negro-life to the negroes, drawn as it is fresh from their everyday experience!

In the afternoon of the same day I also accompanied Mr. F. to hear another negro preacher. This was an old mulatto, a powerful, handsome, old man, who had acquired some property, and who was greatly looked up to by his people as a preacher and baptizer. He resembled the whites both in appearance and manner. He mentioned, during his discourse, that he was ninety-five years old; and he related his religious experience; his spiritual afflictions, and agony, which were so extreme as to drive him almost to self-murder; and lastly, his feelings when the comprehension of Christ, and salvation through Him became clear to his understanding. “The whole world became changed to me,” continued he; “everything seemed as if new-born, and beaming with new beauty. Even the companion of my life, my wife, seemed to me to be again young, and shone before me in new beauty, and I could not help saying to her, ‘Of a truth, my wife, I love thee!’ ” A young woman on the bench where I sate bent down, almost choked with laughter. I bent down also, but to shed tears, which pleasure, sympathy, my own life's experience, and the living, child-like description, so faithful to nature, had called forth; after the sermon Mr. F. and I shook hands with the powerful old Andrew Marshall.

The choir in the gallery—negroes and negresses—sang quartets, as correctly and beautifully as can be