A SLAVERY INCIDENT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume V, Issue 110, 10 March 1853, Page 3

A SLAVERY INCIDENT.

(From Uncle Tom's Cabin.) About cleven o'clock the next day, amixed throng was gathered round the courthouse steps—smoking, chewing, spitting, swearing, and conversing, according to their respeclhe tastes and turns, wailing for tlip XUK'lion to commence. The men and women to be sold sat in a group apart, talking in a low tone lo each oilier. The woman who had been advertised by the name or llagar, wasa regular African in feature and ligurc. She might have been sixty, but was older than that by hard work and disease, was partially blind, anil somewhat crippled with rheumatism. Hv her side stood her iijily remaining son, Allien, a blight looking tillli? fellow of foiiitcen years. The boy was llie only survivor of a large family, who had been successively sold away from her to a southern markel. The mother held on to him with both Iter shaking hands, and eyed with intense trepidation every one who walked upjo examine him. "Don't be feared, Aunt Ilagar," said the oldest of the men, " I spoke to Mas'r Thomas 'bout it, and he thought lie might manage to sell you in a lot both together." "They needn't call me worn out yet," said she, lifting her shaking bauds. " I can cook yet, and scrub, and scour—l'm worth buying, if I do come cheap; tell 'em that—you.tell em," she added earnestly. Haley hero forced his way into the group, walked up lo the old man, pulled his moulli open, ami looked In, felt his teeth, made him stand and straighten himself, brut his back, and perform various evolutions to show his muscles; and than passed on to the next, and put liini through tliesanie(rial. Walking up last to llie boy, lie fell his arms, straightened his hands, and looked at his lingers, and made liini jump, lo show bis agility. "lie an'l goin to be .sold widoul me!" said the old woman in passionate eagerness; "he and I goes in a loi together; I's rail strong and do heaps o' work—heaps an it, mas'r.

"On plantation?" said Haley, with a eontemptous glance. " l.ikely story !" and, as if satisfied will) liis examination, lie walked out and looked, and stood Willi fits hands in his pockets, a cigar in his mouth, and his hal cocked on one side, ready for action. " What do you think of'em?" said a man who had been following llalcy's examination as if to make up his own mind from it. "Well, I shall put in, I think, for the yonngerly ones and the l).oy," said ilalcy. ! "They want to sell the iioy aud the old woman together," said (he man. "Find ii a«4ight pull: why, she's an old rack o' bones—not worth her salt." "Von wouldn't ilivn?'' sitjtf the man. " Anybody.'d be a fool that would. She's half blind, crooked with rheuuiatis, and foolish to booL" ".Some buys up these yer old criUurs, and ses there's a sight more wear in 'cm than a hody'd think said the man reflectively. "No go at all," said llaley, " wouldn't take her for a present—fact; • I've snen now. 1 ' " Well, 'lis kinder pity, now, not to buy her with her son—her heart seems so set oil him; s'pose the}'fling her jji cheap." "Them that have .money to spend in that ar way, it's all well on that ar boy for a plantation hand: would'nt be bothered >vitlj her, no way—not if they'd give her to mc," s;iid Haley. " She'll take on (Ipw'rnlc," said the .man. " iSat'llv, sho wiil," said the trader coolly. The conversation \vjis .here interrupted bv a bniy hum in tlip audience, and tho auctioneer, a short hustling important follow, elbowed his way into the crowd. The old woman drew in her breath, and caught instinctively at her son. "Keep close (o yer Albertclose—dey'll nut us up loader," she sqjd. " O mammy, I'm feared t{<cy wont," said the hoy. "l)(jy nuist, child;-1 can't live, no ways, if tt\e.y. don't," saiil the old woman, vehemently. I Tho stentorian tone of the auctioneer, calling out to clear tlu) way, now announced that the sale was almwl lo commence. A place was cleared, aud ilie bidding began. The

different nirn on tlic lisl were soon knocked offal prices which showed a pvclly brisk demand in tlic markettwo of them lull to Haley. "Come, now, voting im," sail the auctioneer, giving llio hoy a touch with his lianimcr, "lie np and show your firings now." "I'll! lis tiplogeilder —do please, mas er, said ilia old woman, holding lasl to her hoy. " He. off," said the man gruffly .pushing her handsaxvav. " von come last. Now, darkey, spring: aiid, wilh the word, he, puslii il Ihc liov towards the lilo. k, while a deep, lica\v groan rose hehind him. The hoy paused, an I looked hack; but there was 110 time to flav. and, dashing the tears Irom his large bright eyes, lie was up in a moment. His fine figure, alert limbs, and bright face, raised an instant coinpclilion, and half-a-dozen bids simultaneously met the ear ol the auctioneer. Anxious. half-fipgliteucd, he looked from side to side, as he heard the rJaller of contending bids —now here, now there —till ilie hammer It'll. Haley had goi liiiu. He was pushed (Vain the block towards his new master, but slopped one moment and looked bark, when his poor old mother, trembling in every limb, held out her shaking lianr.'s towards him. "l'nv mc, 100, mas'r; for the dear l.ord's fake .'--buy mc—l shall die if you don't!" '• You'll die if I do, that's ihc kink of it," !>aid Haley. "No!" and ho tinned on his heel. The bidding for the poor old creature was siimmarv. The niau who had addressed Jfalcy, and who seemed not destitute of compassion, bought her for a trifle, and the spectators began lo disperse. The poor victims of the sale, who had been brought up in one place together lor yeai-s, gathered round the despairing old mother, whoso agony was pitiful to sciv "Couldn't (Icy leave me one.' Mas r A Hers said f should have of one—he did," she repealed over and over, in heai i-brokcu (OIICS. "Trust in the Lord, Aunt Hagar," said one orihe oldfsl of the men. sorrowfully. " What good will il do?" «tid she, sobbing passionately. "Mother! mother! Don't! don't!" said tlio boy. "They says yon's gol a gouil master." " I dotfl care—l don't rare. O Albert! () my boy ! you's my last baby. Lord, how ken I ?" "Come lake her off. cant some of ye?' said llalev, drily. " Don't do no good lor her lo go on thai ar way." The old men of the company, parllv by persuasion and partly by force, loosed Ihc poor creature's last despairing hold, and, as they led her off to her new master s waggon strove, lo comfort her. "Now!" said Haley, pushing his three purchases together, and producing a bundle of handcuffs, which, ho proceeded lo put on llieir wrists; and fastening each hadcnfl to :\ long chain, he drove them before him to the jail.