a start, has all ready to meet him; so when he gives me the papers, I makes a bolt at full speed, and has ’um nowhere afore they knows it.  And then, when they sees who it is, it don’t do to make a fuss about it—­don’t!  And then, they’re so handsome, it ain’t no trouble finding a market for ’em down Memphis way.  It only takes forty-eight hours—­the way things is done up by steam—­from the time I clears the line until Timothy Portman signs the bond-that’s five per cent. for him-and Ned Sturm does the swearin’, and they’re sold for a slap-up price—­sent to where there’s no muttering about it.  That’s one way we does it; and then, there’s another.  But, all in all, there’s a right smart lot of other ways that will work their way into a talented mind.  And when a feller gets the hang on it, and knows lawyer gumption, he can do it up smooth.  You must strap ’em down, chain ’em, look vengeance at ’em; and now and then, when the varmin will squeal, spite of all the thrashin’ ye can give ’em, box ’em up like rats, and put yer horses like Jehu until ye cl’ar the State.  The more ye scars ’em the better-make ’em as whist as mice, and ye can run ’em through the rail-road, and sell ’um just as easy.

“There was another way I used to do the thing-it was a sort of an honourable way; but it used to take the talents of a senator to do it up square, so the dignity didn’t suffer.  Then the gals got shy of squire, ’cos them he got places for never cum back; and I know’d how ’twas best to leave two or three for a nest-egg.  It was the way to do, in case some green should raise a fuss.  But connected with these Ingin gals was one of the likleest yaller fellers that ever shined on a stand.  Thar’ was about twelve hundred dollars in him, I saw it just as straight, and felt it just as safe in my pocket; and then it made a feller’s eyes glisten afore it was got out of him.  I tell you what, boys, it’s rather hard when ye comes to think on’t.”  Anthony pauses for a moment, sharpens his eloquence with another drop of whiskey, and resumes his discourse.  “The feller shined all outside, but he hadn’t head talents-though he was as cunnin’ as a fox-and every time the squire tried an experiment to get him out o’town, the nigger would dodge like a wounded raccoon.  ’Twarn’t a bit of use for the squire-so he just gin it up.  Then I trys a hand, ye see, comes the soft soap over him, in a Sam Slick kind of a way.  I’se a private gentleman, and gets the fellers round to call me a sort of an aristocrat.  Doing this ’ere makes me a nabob in the town-another time I’m from New York, and has monstrous letters of introduction to the squire.  Then I goes among the niggers and comes it over their stupid; tells ’em how I’m an abolitionist in a kind of secret way-gets their confidence.  And then I larns a right smart deal of sayings from the Bible-a nigger’s curious on Christianity, ye see-and it makes him think ye belong to that school, sartin!  All the deviltry in his black natur’ ’ll cum out then; and he’ll do just what ye tells him.  So, ye see, I just draws the pious over him, and then-like all niggers-I gets him to jine in what he calculates to be a nice little bit of roguery-running off.”