“Shut up!  We want no stories till morning.  The mayor will settle your hash to-morrow; and if you belong to a ship, you can. tell him all about it; but you’ll have the costs to pay anyhow.  Just lay down upon that bench, and you can sleep there till morning; that’s better than loafing about the streets,” said the captain of the guard, a large, portly-looking man, as he pointed Tommy to a long bench similar to those used in barrack-rooms.

The little fellow saw it was no use to attempt a hearing, and going quietly to the bench, he pulled off his man-a-war hat, and laying it upon a chair, stretched himself out upon it, putting his little hands under his head to ease it from the hard boards.

But he was not destined to sleep long in this position, for a loud, groaning noise at the door, broke upon their ears though the pelting fury of the storm, like one in agonizing distress.

“Heavens! what is that!” said the captain of the guard, suddenly starting from his seat, and running for the door, followed by the whole posse.  The groans grew louder and more death-like in their sound, accompanied by strange voices, giving utterance to horrible imprecations, and a dragging upon the floor.  The large door opened, and what a sight presented itself!  Three huge monsters, with side-arms on, dragged in the poor negro who proffered to show Tommy into Broad street.  His clothes were nearly torn from his back, besmeared with mud, from head to foot, and his face cut and mangled in the most shocking manner.  His head, neck, and shoulders, were covered with a gore of blood, and still it kept oozing from his mouth and the cuts on his head.  They dragged him in as if he was a dying dog that had been beaten with a club, and threw him into a corner, upon the floor, with just about as much unconcern.

“Oh! massa! massa! kill me, massa, den ’em stop sufferin’!” said the poor fellow, in a painful murmur, raising his shackled hands to his head, and grasping the heavy chain that secured his neck, in the agony of pain.

“What has he done?” inquired the officer.

“Resisted the guard, and ran when we told him to stop!” responded a trio of voices.  “Yes, and attempted to get into a house.  Ah! you vagabond you; that’s the way we serve niggers like you!—­Attempt to run again, will you?  I’ll knock your infernal daylights out, you nigger you,” said one of the party.

“It does seem tome that you might have taken him, and brought him up with less severity,” said the officer.

“What else could we do, sure?  Didn’t we catch him prowling about with a white fellow, and he runn’d till we couldn’t get him.  Indeed it was nothing good they were after, and it’s the like o’ them that bees doing all the mischief beyant the city.”

“An’ ’imself, too, struck Muldown two pokes, ’efore he lave de hancuffs be pat upon him, at all!” said another of the guardmen; and then turning around, caught a glimpse of poor little Tommy, who had been standing up near a desk, during the scene, nearly “frightened out of his wits.”