There was not a white man within a mile of the house.
More than twenty black men, slaves, were in the negro quarter. I awoke
the first night, and said to Hattie,--
"Do you know that you are 'sleeping on a volcano'?"
"What do you mean, Aunt? You frighten me."
"Well, it will not make an eruption to-night," said I. "We will examine
into it to-morrow."
At breakfast I asked the lady how she dared to live so. I told her that
we at the North generally fancied Southern people sleeping on their
arms, expecting any night to be murdered by their slaves.
"It ought to be so, ought it not?" said she, "according to your Northern
theory of slavery; and it may get to be so, if your people persist in
some of their ways. My only fear is of some white men who live about two
miles off. I keep two of my men-servants in the house at night as a
protection against white depredators."
"But," said Hattie, "there have been insurrections. Are you not afraid
that your slaves will rise and assert their liberty?"
The lady smiled and was evidently hesitating whether to answer seriously
or not, when Hattie continued,--
"Aunt! now I see what you meant by our sleeping on a volcano.
Pages:
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95