Page:The White Slave, or Memoirs of a Fugitive.djvu/205

 able to render 'Thomas essential service, by informing him of the suspicions, plans, and stratagems of the overseer. It was Not long however, before I forfeited that confidence; not because Mr Martin entertained any suspicions of my playing him false, — for it was very easy to throw dust into the eyes of so stupid a fellow, — but because I did not come up to his notions of the spirit and the duty of a driver. The season was sickly; and as the hands who composed my gang were from a more northern climate, and not yet seasoned to the pestiferous atmosphere of a rice plantation, they suffered a good deal from sickness, and several of them were often unable to work. I had explained this to Mr Martin, and he seemed to-be satisfied with my explanation; but riding into the field one day, in a particularly bad humor, and I believe, a little excited with liquor, he got into a towering rage at finding not half my gang in the field, and more than half the tasks untouched.

He demanded the reason.

I told him that the hands were sick.

He swore they had no business to be sick; he was tired, he said, of this talk about sickness; he knew very well it was all sham; and he was determined to be imposed upon no longer. "If any more complaints are made of sickness, Archy, you have nothing to do but whip the scoundrels and set them to work."

"What," said I, "if they are really sick?"

Sick or not sick, I tell you. If they are not sick a whipping is no more than they deserve; and if they are, why nothing is so likely to do them good as a little bloodletting."

"In that case," said I, "you had better appoint another driver; I should make but a poor hand at whipping sick people."

"Hold your tongue, you damned insolent blackguard. Who gave you leave to advise me, or dispute my orders? Hand me your whip, you rascal."

I did so; and Mr Martin thereupon administered upon me a fresh infliction of that same discipline he had bestowed when he first put the whip into my hand. So ended my drivership; and though I now lost my double allowance,