“Do you know who you’re talking to?  You mus’n’t take me for a nigger, sir!  I know my duty, if you don’t good manners,” rejoined the captain.

“Do you know who owns that ship? you impudent feller, you!  Take the sails off her, immediately-at once! or I’ll shoot you, by heavens!” he bawled out again.

“Why didn’t you say mud-scow?  Call such a thing as this a ship?  I don’t care who owns her, I only know it’s a disgrace to sail her; but I’ve got the papers, and you may help yourself.  When you pay me for my time, and give me something for myself and these men to eat, you may take your old jebac—­car-boat,—­but you don’t put a foot aboard her till you do!”

This made the colonel rage worse.  “I’ll teach you a lesson how you disobey my orders.  Go get my rifle, Zeke,” said the colonel, turning to an old negro who stood close by.  And then calling to the men on board, he ordered them to take charge of the vessel and take the sails off her at once.

“Don’t you move a hand to unbend a sail, Cesar!  I don’t know that man ashore there.  This vessel is mine until further orders from the persons who shipped me,” rejoined the captain with an imperative demand to his men.

“Why, la! massa, he own em dis ere vessel, an’ he shoot em sartin if we done do him; ye done know dat massa, as I does,” said Cesar.

“Don’t touch a hand to those sails, I command one and all of you.  There’s two can play at shooting, and I’ll shoot you if you disobey my orders.”  Then turning to those on shore, he warned them that he would shoot the first nigger that attempted to make a raft to come on board.  The reader will observe that the poor negroes were in a worse dilemma than the captain; goaded on the one side by a ruthless master, who claims ownership and demands the execution of his orders, while on the other extreme the hired master proclaims his right, and warns them against the peril of varying one iota from his commands.  Here the clashing feelings of arbitrary men come together, which have placed many a good negro in that complex position, that he would be punished by one master for doing that which he would have been punished by the other if he had left undone.

It may be said to the colonel’s credit, he did not return, rifle in hand, nor did the captain see him afterward; but a young gentleman, a son, who represented the father, came to the bank about an hour after the occurrence, and making a lame apology for his father’s temper, requested the captain to come on shore.  The latter had concluded to await the return of the tide, run the vessel back to Charleston, report his reception, and deliver the vessel up to the agents; but on further consideration, there was nothing to eat on board, and what could he do?  He went on shore, and held a parley with the young man, whom he found much more inclined to respect his color.  “Your father took me for a nigger, and as such he presumed upon the dignity of his plantation.