They took him to Virginia, where, instead of a trial, they gave him about the same liberty they do their slaves.  He staid one winter; but when the spring opened, the fire of the red man took possession of him, and when sent to the forest to chop wood, he took a bee-line for his former residence.  But what was he to do for food?  With a rifle, he could live happily in the woods, but he had none; so after considering the matter, he said to himself, “Me must get a rifle,” and instantly started for the highway.  The first cabin he saw, he entered in great apparent excitement, and told the woman of the house, that he had seen a “big deer in the woods, and wanted a rifle to shoot it.  When you hear my gun,” he said, “then you come and get big deer.”  She gave him her husband’s excellent rifle and a few bullets; he looked at them, and said he must have more, for “it was a big deer;” so she gave him the bullet-mould and a piece of lead, with which he departed, after repeating his former injunction, to come when she heard the rifle; but, said he, “she no hear it yet.”

He at length arrived at his own farm, from which he had been so cruelly driven, and concealed himself behind a log in sight of his own house, to watch the inmates.  He soon learned that it was occupied by the man who had persecuted him in order to obtain it, his wife and one child.  All day until midnight, he watched them from his hiding place, then assuming all the savage ferocity of his nature, and giving himself the most frightful appearance possible, he entered the house, and noiselessly passed to their sleeping room, where he placed himself before them with a long knife in his hand.  Having assumed this frightful attitude, he commanded them in a voice of thunder, to get up and give him some supper.  They were awake now.  Oh, horror! what a sight for a guilty man, and a timid woman!  “Me come to kill you!” said the Indian, as he watched their blanched cheeks and quivering lips.  They tottered about on their trembling limbs to get everything he asked for, imploring him for God’s sake to take all, but spare their lives.  “Me will have scalps,” he answered fiercely; but when he had eaten all he desired, he adjusted his blanket, and putting on a savage look, he remarked as if to himself, “Me go now get my men and kill him, kill he wife, and kill he baby!” and left the house for his post of observation.

The frightened inmates lost no time, but hastily collecting some provisions, fled to the frontier, and were never heard of afterwards.

The Indian immediately took possession of his own and quite an addition left by the former tenants.

While the kind-hearted old Indian repeated to me the story of his wrongs, it reminded me of the injustice practised on myself, and the colored race generally.  Does a colored man by hard labor and patient industry, acquire a good location, a fine farm, and comfortable dwelling, he is almost sure to be looked upon by the white man, as an usurper of his rights and territory; a robber of what he himself should possess, and too often does wrong the colored man out of,—­yet, I am happy to acknowledge many honorable exceptions.