I must
put dat bottle back and give you todder one, dat must be wine for
sartain, for it is chock full, but rum vaporates bery fast when de
cork is drawn. Missus used to say, 'Sorrow, meat, when kept, comes
bery high, but rum gets bery low.'"
"Happy fellow and lucky fellow too, for what white man in your
situation would be treated so kindly and familiarly as you are? The
fact is, Doctor, the negroes of America, as a class, whether slaves or
free men, experience more real consideration, and are more
comfortable, than the peasants of almost any country in Europe. Their
notions of the origin of white men are very droll, when the things are
removed I will make him give you his idea on the subject.
"Sorrow," said I, "what colour was Adam and Eve?"
"Oh, Massa," said he, "don't go for to ask dis child what you knows
yourself better nor what he does. I will tell you some oder time, I is
bery poorly just now, dis uncountable fog ab got into my bones. Dis is
shocking bad country for niggars; oh, dere is nuffin' like de lubbly
sout; it's a nateral home for blackies.
'In Souf Carolina de niggars grow
If de white man will only plant his toe,
Den dey water de ground wid baccy smoke,
And out ob de soil dere heads will poke.
Ring de hoop, blow de horn,
I nebber see de like since I was born,
Way down in de counte-ree,
Four or five mile from de ole Peedee.
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