tired and was taking a rest, but he did not return to his task until the overseer called him and asked him why he did not have his work nearer done.  He said, “Aunt Patience told me dis morning that the Lord would help me today, and I thought as I did half of the task, the Lord might have finished the other half if he intended to help me at all.”  The overseer said “You see that the Lord did not come to help you and we shall not wait for him, but we will help you;” so Jim got a severe punishment.  Sometime after this, Jim Hay was called upon by some professors of religion; they asked him if he was not tired of serving the devil, and told him that the Lord was good and had helped many of his people, and would help all who asked him and then take them home to heaven.  Jim said that if the Lord would not do half an acre of his task for him when he depended on him, he did not think he could trust him, and Jim never became a Christian to my knowledge.

THE STORY OF MR. USOM AND JACK.

One Sunday when the boys were at the overseer’s, Mr. Usom’s house, as we generally were, he said to one, “Jack, don’t you think that hell is a very hot place, if it is as they describe it?” Jack said, “Yes, massa.”  Mr. Usom said, “Well, how do you think it will be with poor fellows that have to go there?” “Well, Massa Bob, I will tell you what I tinks about it, I tinks us niggers need not trouble usselves about hell, as the white folks.”  “How is that, Jack?” Jack answered, “Because us niggers have to work out in the hot sun, and if we go to hell it would not be so bad for us because us used to heat, but it will be bad for white folks because they is not used to hot weather.”

THE STORY OF JAMES SWINE AND HIS DEATH.

There was a negro who belonged to one Mr. Clarkson; he was called Jim Swine; his right name was James, but he was called Jim Swine because he loved hog meat and would often steal hogs from his master or from the neighbors; he was a very able-bodied man, weighing about two hundred and twenty-five pounds, and a very good field hand.  Of course it is generally known that a great many of the slaves were poorly fed, so it was natural that they should take anything they could to sustain life.  As his master had only a few hogs, he stole many from the neighbors and was punished a great many times for it.

Sometimes he was punished when a hog was missing, even though they did not find the meat with him.  Jim was not in the habit of running away much, but if they whipped him when he had not stolen the hog they accused him of taking, he would go away into the woods and stay until he got ready to come home.  He was so strong that they were afraid of him; three or four men would not attack him when in the woods.  The last time Jim stole hogs he was caught in the act of taking one from my master, Col.  Singleton.  They tied him, and Mr. Clarkson’s overseer was