“Peace, peace! it is a bad spirit,” said Uncle Solomon, “God himself willeth not the death of a sinner.”

I followed the old woman to the house; and found Huckstep at the foot of one of those trees, so common at the South, called the Pride of China.  His face was black, and there was a frightful contusion on the side of his head.  He was carried into the house, where, on my bleeding him, he revived.  He lay in great pain for several days, and it was nearly three weeks before he was able to come out to the cotton fields.

On returning to the field after Huckstep had revived, I found the hands sadly disappointed to hear that he was still living.  Some of them fell to cursing and swearing, and were enraged with me for trying to save his life.  Little Simon said I was a fool; if he had bled him he would have done it to some purpose.  He would at least, have so disable his arm that he would never again try to swing a whip.  Uncle Solomon remonstrated with Simon, and told that I had done right.

The neighbouring overseers used frequently to visit Huckstep, and he, in turn, visited them.  I was sometimes present during their interviews, and heard them tell each other stories of horse-racing, negro-huntings, &c.  Some time during this season, Ludlow, who was overseer of a plantation about eight miles from ours, told of a slave of his named Thornton, who had twice attempted to escape with his wife and one child.  The first time he was caught without much difficulty, chained to the overseer’s horse, and in that way brought back.  The poor man, to save his wife from a beating, laid all the blame upon himself; and said that his wife had no wish to escape, and tried to prevent him from attempting it.  He was severely whipped; but soon ran away again, and was again arrested.  The overseer, Ludlow, said he was determined to put a stop to the runaway, and accordingly had resort to a somewhat unusual method of punishment.

There is a great scarcity of good water in that section of Alabama; and you will generally see a large cistern attached to the corners of the houses to catch water for washing &c.  Underneath this cistern is frequently a tank from eight to ten feet deep, into which, when the former is full the water is permitted to run.  From this tank the water is pumped out for use.  Into one of these tanks the unfortunate slave was placed, and confined by one of his ancles to the bottom of it; and the water was suffered to flow in from above.  He was compelled to pump out the water as fast as it came in, by means of a long rod or handle connected with the pump above ground.  He was not allowed to begin until the water had risen to his middle.  Any pause or delay after this, from weakness and exhaustion, would have been fatal, as the water would have risen above his head.  In this horrible dungeon, toiling for his life, he was kept for twenty-four hours without any sustenance.  Even Huckstep said that this was too bad—­that he had himself formerly punished runaways in that way—­but should not do it again.