第61章 Chapter XVII.(2)
I thought， however， that the time might come， perhaps，when I should be running through the swamps again. Iconcluded， in that chase， to be prepared for Epps’ dogs，should they pursue me. He possessed several， one ofwhich was a notorious slave-hunter， and the most fierceand savage of his breed. While out hunting the coon orthe opossum， I never allowed an opportunity to escape，when alone， of whipping them severely. In this manner Isucceeded at length in subduing them completely. Theyfeared me， obeying my voice at once when others had no control over them whatever. Had they followed andovertaken me， I doubt not they would have shrank fromattacking me.
Notwithstanding the certainty of being captured， thewoods and swamps are， nevertheless， continually filledwith runaways. Many of them， when sick， or so worn outas to be unable to perform their tasks， escape into theswamps， willing to suffer the punishment inflicted forsuch offences， in order to obtain a day or two of rest.
While I belonged to Ford， I was unwittingly the meansof disclosing the hiding-place of six or eight， who hadtaken up their residence in the “Great Pine Woods.”
Adam Taydem frequently sent me from the mills overto the opening after provisions. The whole distance wasthen a thick pine forest. About ten o’clock of a beautifulmoonlight night， while walking along the Texas road，returning to the mills， carrying a dressed pig in a bagswung over my shoulder， I heard footsteps behind me，and turning round， beheld two black men in the dress ofslaves approaching at a rapid pace. When within a shortdistance， one of them raised a club， as if intending tostrike me； the other snatched at the bag. I managed tododge them both， and seizing a pine knot， hurled it withsuch force against the head of one of them that he wasprostrated apparently senseless to the ground. Just thentwo more made their appearance from one side of theroad. Before they could grapple me， however， I succeededin passing them and taking to my heels， fled， much affrighted， towards the mills. When Adam was informedof the adventure， he hastened straightway to the Indianvillage， and arousing Cascalla and several of his tribe，started in pursuit of the highwaymen. I accompaniedthem to the scene of attack， when we discovered a puddleof blood in the road， where the man whom I had smittenwith the pine knot had fallen. After searching carefullythrough the woods a long time， one of Cascalla’s mendiscovered a smoke curling up through the branches ofseveral prostrate pines， whose tops had fallen together.
The rendezvous was cautiously surrounded， and allof them taken prisoners. They had escaped from aplantation in the vicinity of Lamourie， and had beensecreted there three weeks They had no evil designupon me， except to frighten me out of my pig. Havingobserved me passing towards Ford’s just at night-fall， andsuspecting the nature of my errand， they had followedme， seen me butcher and dress the porker， and start onmy return.
They had been pinched for food， and were driven tothis extremity by necessity. Adam conveyed them to theparish jail， and was liberally rewarded.
Not unfrequently the runaway loses his life in theattempt to escape. Epps’ premises were bounded on oneside by Carey’s， a very extensive sugar plantation. Hecultivates annually at least fifteen hundred acres of cane，manufacturing twenty-two or twenty-three hundredhogsheads of sugar； an hogshead and a half being the usual yield of an acre. Besides this he also cultivates fiveor six hundred acres of corn and cotton. He owned lastyear one hundred and fifty three field hands， besidesnearly as many children， and yearly hires a drove duringthe busy season from this side the Mississippi.
One of his negro drivers， a pleasant， intelligentboy， was named Augustus. During the holidays， andoccasionally while at work in adjoining fields， I hadan opportunity of making his acquaintance， whicheventually ripened into a warm and mutual attachment.
Summer before last he was so unfortunate as to incur thedispleasure of the overseer， a coarse， heartless brute， whowhipped him most cruelly. Augustus ran away. Reachinga cane rick on Hawkins’ plantation， he secreted himselfin the top of it. All Carey’s dogs were put upon his track—some fifteen of them—and soon scented his footsteps tothe hiding place. They surrounded the rick， baying andscratching， but could not reach him. Presently， guided bythe clamor of the hounds， the pursuers rode up， when theoverseer， mounting on to the rick， drew him forth. As herolled down to the ground the whole pack plunged uponhim， and before they could be beaten off， had gnawed andmutilated his body in the most shocking manner， theirteeth having penetrated to the bone in an hundred places.
He was taken up， tied upon a mule， and carried home.
But this was Augustus’ last trouble. He lingered until thenext day， when death sought the unhappy boy， and kindlyrelieved him from his agony.