Tales and Sketches.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 46, 9 December 1871, Page 16

Tales and Sketches.

A JOURNEY UNDERGROUND.

[From Holiday Number London Society.] ‘ What is your profession, may I ask ?’ The interrogatory was addressed to a talkative little fellow, of dapper build and somewhat seedy habiliments, who chanced to sit beside me in the smoking-car of an American railway car, at the time when slavery was an American ‘ institution.’ We had been some time in conversation, and I had secured his confidence by proving myself a patient listener. I saw that be was a j queer genius, and hence my somewhat intrusive question. « Well stranger,’ replied he, without showing in the least offended, ‘in my time I’ve been a’most everything, I reck’n— that is m the professional way. I’m bow m «ho reg ar theatrical.’ ~ , , Here he drew himself proudly up, and put a fresh button in the black frock coat hat covered his slight and somewhat dingy disk ot

linen. , £ Yes sir, in the theatrical ; and I m on my way to fulfil a starring engagement in one ot tho western theatres—first low comedy is my partikler line.’ , , . 7 I could have guessed this to be Ins role, and nodded as much.* .. , ‘Before taking to the stage, he continued, £ I tried “ doctorin’.” Found that wouldn t do, and took to plain pullin’ of teeth. Failed in this; and then had a shy at photography. Worse still; and gettin’ tired of the camera, I strayed into nigger singin’.’ ‘ Nigger singing ! That paid better, I presuniß • ‘ No sir ; worse—still worse ; at least it was so in my case.’ . . ~ , ‘Perhaps your talent doesn t lie m that " it ? There stranger, is just where you’re mistaken. I’ve got both banjo and bones at the eends of my fingers , an 1 could jest hear me sing a mggar mel ay, reck’n you’d say you never heard one sung b - fore. As to the making-up, I can dress or paint niggar with any man in the hue. - ha! ha! That puts me in mind of a circumstance that’ll sort o’ explain why I quitit he darky business. It’s a leetle hit funny. ay be you’d like to hear it?’ ? ‘ Above anything in the world. ‘ Well, you see, stranger, I was mgger-sing-ing in the wrong place. I’d strayed down o Tuscumbia in the state of Alabama. Ibere was myself and Joe Cullum, that did the bones and breakdowns, and two other fe eis > a warn’t much account one way or ier ‘ We tried concerts; but they wouldn t pay. Truth is, there was a set of minstrels there who were real Sambos themselves ; and people said they preferred the geuooine article, iney even insulted us by saying the niggeis cou beat us! All bosh ! I could have, given any of them darkies ten, aud licked him into shucks at representin’ liisself. It was no use, however. The Tuscumbians wouldn’t see it ; so we rattled the bones, and twanged the oanjo, to empty benches. We had reached Tuscumbia with 'just five dollars among the four ot us , and after staving there four weeks, we were in for a tavern bill of about twenty dollars apiece. How to get out of the place had come to be a question, and a. serious one at that. . Of cours we hadn’t a friend—what mgger-smger evei has—when lie’s in a tight place? I, for one, wanted bad to get away ; for Christmas we was cornin’ on, and I’d determined to be at Pittsburg for my Christinas dinner. Im a native of the Iron City ; and, besidesT d been promised an engagement at the Tittsbu g Theatre. It was before the days of rail; and stageingit through from Tuscumbia to say, nothin’ of the bill owin’ at the hotel, was simply out of the question. So, stranger, 1 think you’ll acknowledge I was m a hx . ‘ Indeed, a very awkward one. And how did you get out of it ?’ ‘ That’s jest what I’m gom to to tell you. I guess you’ll grin when you hear it. ±ve made a good many split their sides laughin’ at that same.’ ‘Ho doubt I’ll do the same. ! ‘ Well; I’m tol’ably clever at getin out ot fixes anyhow; and it wasn’t the first, by a long chalk, I’d come clear off. As you say, this Tuscumbia scrape was an awk ard one. But I was bound not to let it beat me, and determined upon eating my Christmas dinner with my Pittsburg friends; so I took:to haid thinking how I shed get away from Alabama —the meanest State I ever set foot in. Well, mister, an idea turned up, that promised me, a free passage. ‘ Twas this.- While mggersingin’ through the South, I d got to know somethin’ of nigger ways; and now and then had come across some of the wiser Lnd oi darkies, and got into their confidence. Iliey looked upon me a man and a brother. Here the ex-melodist interpolated Ins narrathe by a chuckle at hie own ye*. 4 espnt. ‘ Well,’ he continued, ‘ from them I d learnt a deal about the underground railway. I suppose you understand what that is . - « Not very clearly, though I ve heard something concerning it.’ <{ ‘ I’ll tell you, then, all about it. The un derground railway” was run by a sefc ° f “ en who were friendly to the nigger. Most of them were Quakers and Abolitioners, who were settled in the South; and some were wealthy planters too. They formed a sort o federation, for the purpose of encouraging any nigger that wanted to run away; and when he°had run away, they helped him along tall he got clear of the Slave State, when, of couise, he was free. They managed the thing by keeping him hid all day, and at night stowm him P awayina waggon, or some other sort of trap among their goods ; and so passm him l ong from one to the other, till he ™ safe across the Ohio Elver and therefore on free : soil. But at the time I m speakm of the un derwound rail had to extend itself aMeetle lurther than the banks of the Ohio. A ou ve

heard of the Extradition Law ; which I reck’rn stranger wa’nt a very creditable bit o’ legislation on the part of Uncle Sara.’ I began to like the nigger singer, but said nothing. ‘Well/ continued he, without heeding my reticence, ‘ whatever may be your opinion of it, I’ve got good reason for goin’ against it. It cost me a journey I don’t ever want to make again ; and by it I was not only choused out of my Christmas dinner in Pittsburg, but my engagement at the Pittsburg Theatre as well/ ‘ How was that ?* ‘You see, there were several lines of the underground railway, all running through different sections of the S'ave States, and ending at the Ohio Biver. But after the Extradition Bill had passed, the runaways wa’nt safe, unless carried on into Canada, where they’d be sure of British protection.’ ‘ Quite true/ I said, my respect for the lowcomedian growing stronger as ho proceeded ; * please continue your story/ ‘ Well, stranger, I’d learnt through an old darkey at Tuscumbia, of an underground line running from that place, and also who was the nearest depot-manager on the route —a kindly old Quaker, who had a plantation about ten miles north west from the town. I made up my mind to play runaway nigger, and go north underground. I couldn’t tell where they would carry me; but supposed I should come out all right somewhere on the Ohio Biver, and could there get a boat up to Pittsburg. I took Joe Oullum into my confidence, and proposed to him to run away along with me ; for I’d heard it was not uncommon for two darkeys to go together. But Joe wasn’t up to the idea. Although he wanted bad to get north—’most as much as myself—he got scared about risking it; and stayed in Tuscumbia. As for the other two fellers, they were both good-for-nothing cusses; and I didn’t say a word to them what I intended doin’. I was ufeeved they might fetch mo into a worse scrape than that I was tryixi’ to get clear of; and I preferred travellin’ alone. And the way 1 made preparations for my journey—that, stranger, would have tickled you. Talk of makin’-up for a concert —that wa’nt nothing to it. I cut my hair close, as if it had been shaved. I was afeered the ends of it hanging down under the wool wig might betray me. I corked myself with care, goin* far below the nape of the neck ; and then, with a bit of hog’s lard, gave the skin a polish that would have outshined any darkey in Tuscumbia. A Bmall bundle was sufficient for all my effects ; and, to tell truth, it contained most of ’em. Whatever was left behind might go against my bill; though I guess the Tuscumbian tavern-keeper wa’nt too well satisfied with the reckonin.’ On stealin’ away from the hotel, in the dark of the evening, with my bundle stuck on a staff over my shoulder, I reck’n I must have looked very like one of them pictures you used to see in the New Orleans newspapers, headed, ' Bunaway Negro.’ I put straight for the plantation, which I’d been told to be the depot of the Underground. There was no mistake about the information. The old Quaker was at homo, and at once took me in charge. He * thee’d’ and ‘ thou’cl’ a little, but asked no troublesome questions. He had no suspicion of my being a white man ; for there wasn’t much light for him to examine me. If there had it would have been all the same; for my make-up would have stood sharper scrutiny than bis. As for the answers given him, as I’ve told you, I could talk nigger with any darky in Alabama. He did not lose any time in parleying, but hurrying mo into an outhouse, brought me a darned good supper—better than any I’d eaten in the Tuscumbia tavern —and, then, bundlin’ me into the bottom of a Dearborn waggon, and throwing some traps over to conceal me, he handed the reins to bis son, who at once whipped away from the plantation. I was told to keep quiet, and not under.any circumstances rise from my squatted position. I did as directed, and soon after fell into a sound sleep. When I awoke it was just breaking day. But I had no time to look at the sky, or even the things that were about me. The Dearborn had stopped at the gate of what appeared to b» a small farmhouse; and a big man in a blanket coat, telling me to jump out, led me to a barn. I was told to step into it, and keep quiet till called. I did so ; and shortly after breakfast was brought me by the man in the blanket coat, who again repeated the order to keep quiet, but went away without saying another word. I got my dinner, and after it another caution to ‘ keep dark.’ I could not have done otherwise, for the barn was a stone building, and when the door was shut there wasn’t a ray of light around me. My supper was brought in just after sunset, and then the man in the blanket coat bundled me into a waggon, and, almost smothering me under a load of corn-fodder, which he was taking to some market, carried me away from his house. ‘Stranger, it would tire you to tell how often I was hidden in barns and other outhouses, and how many lifts I had in Dearborns and big waggons, driven by different drivers —all of them as untalkative as if I had been only a bale of some sort of goods they were smuggling to the North. Sometimes I was kept concealed for three days at a time before I could be safely forwarded to the next station of the Underground. I need’nt tell you that the thing became terribly tiresome; and I began to think I’d better have walked all the way from Tuscumbia to Pittsburg. Once or twice I did think of giving the slip to my kind conductors ; but again I changed my mind, and resolved to continue on to the Ohio, which I knew couldn’t be far ahead. On getting there I took it for granted I could easily throw off my disguise. I at length reached it; but instead of being carried across in a public ferryboat, as I supposed would have been the case, I was pulled out of the waggon, hurried into a skiff, and rowed across under cover of the nigh. Now, thought I, I am free. I’ve only got to steer off from my abolitionist friends, and make my way up the river to Pittsburg. But I soon found I had made a mistake iu my reckoniu/

When I proposed, in true darkey tongue, to give my conductors no further trouble, they at once said, ‘No! there was no safety for me this side of the lakes ; I must be taken on into Canada/ I protested, and asked why. I was told that they dare not let me stop in Ohio state; T. should be certain of being pursued, and taken back to Alabama. There were spies and informers all through the State of Ohio, in the pay of tire Southern planters ; and not only would I be discovered, but they who had so kindly assisted me to escape would get. into trouble by it. It might break up the “Underground line!” The men who talked this way, and who were now in charge of me, were a very different lookin’ set from those who had hitherto been passin’ me from hand to hand. They were rough stalwart fellows, dressed in home-spun jean suits, with horsepistols stuck in their belts. They talked and acted as if it would be a leetlc dangerous to deny them. It was only afterward that I learned why they were so anxious for my safe carriage to Cauada. It was not from any philanthropy on their part, but because of the reward which philanthropists sometimes give —to such as may do ’em a service. These men were employed by the Northern abolition ers, and paid so much per head for every runaway slave they could get clear into Canada. Though it was in the darkness ot night, I could tell—while palaverin’ with them—that they weren’t going to bo trifled with, and that to declare my character would ensure mo rough treatment--perhaps lynching on the spot. Willin’ or not, I saw I should be compelled to continue the underground journey; and continue it I did. I was in hopes of bein’ able to give them the slip, before travellin’ far through the free state of Ohio ; and especially as they shoved me into the train just starting for Sandusky. But one of them got in along with me, keepin’ as close as if he’d been a sheriff’s officer taking me to the county jail. I could do nothing until we had reached Sandusky. Once there, however, my dander got up ; fori came to be angry at being kept so long a prisoner. So at length I threw off the mask, and proclaimed the true color of my skin. It was in the tavern where we -were stoppin’ to wait for a Detroit boat. Never was man more astonished, than my travellin’ companion and care-taker, -when he saw the wool lifted off my head, and the cork streamin’ down my cheeks under a strong application of soap and water. And not more astonished than angry, since the deception had caused him a journey as expensive as it was without profib’to him. My transformation had deprived him of his bounty. He’d have given me a good tlirashin’ if it hadn’t been for some of the Sanduskians interferin’ to hinder him ; and, after cursin’ mo considerable, he went his way. He wasn’t long gone, when I began to think I’d been a fool for not keepin’ up the sham and let!in’ him take me on to Canada. Had I done so, I should have received sufficient money from him to carry me back to Pittsburg; for the Underground Company used always to give something to a runaway nigger to start him in his new life. As it was, I was still as far from home as in Tuscumbia, and worse off; for I was set down in the cold streets of Sandusky, in the middle of winter, with only a thin jeans coat on my back, a pair of white pantaloons on my legs, and not a cent in the pockets of either! Fortunate, there were some fellows round me, who were so tickled at the trick I’d played, the abolitioner, that they raised a subscription to send me across country to Pittsburg. I gob there at last, but too late for my Christmas dinner, as well as for the engagement at the theatre ; which of course, I had forfeited/ My fellow-traveller in the smoking car predicted truly. His tale caused me to laugh, almost to the splitting of my sides. ‘ Stay !’ he exclaimed, after lighting a cigar I had offered him ; you’ve not heard the whole of it. There’s another chapter to come ?’ * Indeed ; I’m glad of that. What is the other chapter ?’ It’B only a sequel, as we say in the playbills ; and isn’t exactly about myself.’ ‘ Who, then ?’ * Joe Oullum. Joe as I’ve told you, was as tired of Tuscumbia as I was. After I’d gone, and tbinkin’ I’d made a good thing of it, he determined to try the same game. So, followin’ my example, he painted nigger, and put himself under the care of the Underground conductors. But the story of the (deception I’d played ’em had come back—by “ grapevine telegraph/ I reckon, along the line—makin’ them more partikler as to the sort of passengers they carried. So, when Joe had got about half-way to the Ohio, they sponged the cork from off o’ his phiz, and then further purified him by a duckin’ in a Kentucky horsepond, that well nigh ended in his being drowned. Ha ! ha ! ha !’ The railway trip I was taking was fifty miles in length. In listening to my fellowsmoker’s story of his ‘Journey Underground’ it appeared not more than five.

SOME OF MY EARLY ADVENTURES. CAPTURE op a slayer. Some years ago, I commanded one of her Britannic Majesty’s dispatch gun vessels, stationed on the west coast of Africa for the suppression of the slave trade. In the course of two years thus engaged we had, as usual, done very little good, and lost a great number of men by coast fever and sickness generally. A lew vessels had been captured, but many more had slipt through our fingers, by reason of the treachery of the informeis on shorn, most of whom eventually proved to be in the' pay and interests of the slave-dealers. The slave captains, too, had'become very knowing ; they were mostly old hands at the business, and contrived to give us the slip many times. For instance, in chasing them on a dark night, they would show a bright light over the stern, and after we had followed this for some hours would efrop a large cask with a lighted lantern fitted to it, at the same instant putting

out their own light. It wa3 easy for them to alter their course so as to double back and sail away in the darkness, leaving us watching their fabo light. This stratagem generally succeeded when the nights were very dark. Or, when hotly pursued in the daytime, they frequently practised a most inhuman trick to increase their distance. When we were close upon them they used to throw a slave overboard with a plank for him to cling to, or very often without even that. They well know that a British man-of-war will not pass a poor wretch struggling in the water and leave him to drown. Thus, while sail was being shortened, the ship hove-to, boats lowered, the man picked up, and the vessel gob on her course again, they contrived to get a fine start ahead, for these manoeuvres, even in the smartest ship, will take some considerable time ; and in this way, as much ground was lost as would take many hours to recover, for a stern chase is a long one. The luck had been against us for a long time, and after many false informations and fruitless chases, we succeeded in capturing a slaves in a most singular manner, without any chase at all. It happened this way. One fine morning, when cruising off the coast of Loango and Congo, the officer on watch reported a strange sail in sight. I went on deck, took my glass, and there, surely enough, was a very suspicious looking craft right ahead. It was a dead calm, and we soon steamed up to her. She was a clipper barque of about four hundred tons. From her taunt spars great clouds of snowy canvas flapped heavily against the rigging as her long low hull rolled slowly from side to side on the glassy surface of the heaving ground-swell. Judging by her rakish appearance, and by her being a great deal out of the usual track of homeward or outward bound vessels—in fact, being in a very suspicious locality—-one naturally came to the conclusion that she must be a slaver. I hoped very soon to have the pleasure of lifting her hatches to ascertain whether this assumption were correct or no. A 3 a preliminary step, the demand to show her colors was made ; to my great annoyance she hoisted the stars and stripes of America. This precluded the right of search. However, I resolved to board her, and try to detect some signs of her having a black cargo. With that object in view I had the gig manned, and iu a few minutes was alongside the doubtful craft, The captain, a tall gaunt Yankee, received me at the gangway, and, without waiting to be asked, produced his papers, which seemed to be all regular enough. The barque was the Independence, of Boston, Massachusetts, Bobt. Stormont, master, for New York to the Cape of G-ood Hope and back on a trading voyage. She was now homeward bound, and was twenty-seven days out from the Cape, so the captain informed me. Having taxed him with being out of the usual route, he explained that this was a new notion of his—he kept well over to the eastward so as to make a fair wind of the north-east trades, when he should meet them. Whilst pointing out to him the fallacy of this idea, I took a few turns up and down the deck with him, and succeeded in drawing him into a long argument. Whilst thus engaged. I noticed that all the hatches were indeed battened tightly down ; bub that there were no things stowed on the top of them, as is usually the case in merchant vessels whose hatches are never required to be opened during the' voyage. This strengthened my suspicions, and from the captain’s extreme eagerness in satisfying all my enquiries, I had very little doubt as to the nature of his cargo. It was certain that if he had slaves on board, those hatches could not remain closed for an hour without'suffocating them. If they were opened during that time, the presence of slaves would be easily perceptible, and in that case the vessel would be a lawful prize. Considering these things, I sab on the taffrail, and taking out a bundle of choice Havannahs, proposed a smoke. This the Yankee agreed to, and we smoked away and got tolerably social, although at the same time it was amusing to see how very fidgety he was getting.

In the course of conversation, it turned out that he had been in China, and as that was the last station on which I served, we were able to compare notes on that subject. He interested me very much by giving an account of the clever way in which he suppressed a mutiny that broke out in the ship on her last voyage. It appeared that he was chartered to take three hundred Chinese coolies, the very dreg 3 of the population, from Hongkong to California. It occurred to these Celestial vagabonds, soon after the vessel had put to sea, to murder the officers and crew and run away with the ship. In order to effect their purpose they adopted a highly ingenious expedient. Several large bonfires were made on the lower deck and a cry of ‘fire,’ ‘fire/ was raised; the Chinamen thinking that the officers and crew would all rush down below to put the fires out, and then they would be easily able to fall upon them with knives, and murder them all simultaneously. But our friend the captain, far too wide awake for that, simply had all the hatches battened down, and smothered the Chinamen in their smoke. When they were sufficiently chocked and thus reduced to subjection, he demanded that they should deliver up the ringleaders of the mutiny. This they did and without any trial he hung them, six in number, at the foreyard the same day. We continued thus, spinning yarns and smoking, for come time longer, when a breeze sprang up, and the Yankee, thinking to shako me off said—- ‘ Wa’al stranger, guess we’ve got the wind at last. I’m sorry you must say good-bye, but I reckon I mu3b fill away and go on my course, for I can’t afford to be stopping here all day talking/ ‘Don’t mention it, my dear friend/ I replied.’ You see there is no necessity for that. I may just as ffell go your way as any other,

for I’m only cruising. Here, take another cigar and settle down again.’ I then shouted to the first lieutenant to keep within hail, on the same course as the barque. Upon this the Yankee’s long sallow face darkened and grew longer; lie was evidently much put out. He certainly did not appear to appreciate this act of courtesy on my part. I kept on talking, and tried to involve him in another argument, anything for an excuse to pass time. But he was trying equally hard to put an end to the conversation by sullenly replying ‘ yes* and ‘ no’ to everything, and never volunteering a remark or comment of his own. But in nowise put out by his broad hints, I commenced a series of long-winded stones, keeping him at the same time well supplied with cigars. It was delightful to see how excessively nervous and fidgety he was. He well knew that if this lasted much longer his cargo would not bo worth much ; so he kept on giving me the strongest hints to go, all of which I pretended not to understand. At length he appeared to be losing his temper, and the more cross he got the more obtrusely good-natured and urbane I became. I now very quickly brought matters to an Lsue by hailing the gig that was lowing astern. ‘ Gig there/ ‘Sir,’ replied the coxswain. *Go on board and get your dinners, and tell the first lieutenant to send the boat back with some more cigars in an hour’s time, and say that I have found the captain such a remarkable agreeable man that I intend to spend the afternoon with him. D’you understand P* * Ay ay, sir/ When our friend the Yankee heard this, ha let fly a volley of oaths, and then said resignedly— ‘ Guess it’s no use, captain. I’m fairly smoked out this time ; tlie ship's yours, I reckon,’ and then turning to the mate. ‘ Here, Nathan, haul down that flag and git them hatches up and let them unforb’nit cusses git some air, for I reckon they’re smothered pretty considerable. This is a dodge as I never lieerd tell on afore/ She had nearly six hundred slaves on board. I am glad to say none died of suffocation through my ruse. She was the best prize that wo took during that commission.