第21章

In the present instance there does not seem that there is a shadow of excuse for your conduct.You simply heard cries of a slave being flogged.You deliberately leave the road and enter these people's plantation and interfere without, so far as I can see, the least reason for doing so.You did not inquire what the man's offense was; and he may for aught you know have half murdered his master.You simply see a slave being flogged and you assault his owner.lf the Jacksons lay complaints against you it is quite probable that you may have to leave the state.What on earth can have influenced you to act in such a mad-brained way?""I did not interfere to prevent his flogging the slave, mother, but to prevent his flogging the slave's wife, which was pure wanton brutality.It is not a question of slavery one way or the other.Any one has a right to interfere to put a stop to brutality.If I saw a man brutally treating a horse or a dog I should certainly do so; and if it is right to interfere to save a dumb animal from brutal ill-treatment surely it must be justifiable to save a woman in the same case.Iam not an Abolitionist.That is to say, I consider that slaves on a properly managed estate, like ours, for instance, are just as well off as are the laborers on an estate in Europe; but I should certainly like to see laws passed to protect them from ill-treatment.Why, in England there are laws against cruelty to animals; and a man who brutally flogged a dog or a horse would get a month's imprisonment with hard labor.I consider it a disgrace to us that a man may here ill-treat a human being worse than he might in England a dumb animal.""You know, Vincent," his mother said more quietly, "that I object as much as you do to the ill-treatment of the slaves, and that the slaves here, as on all well-conducted plantations in Virginia, are well treated; but this is not a time for bringing in laws or carrying out reforms.It is bad enough to have scores of Northerners doing their best to stir up mischief between masters and slaves without a Southern gentleman mixing himself up in the matter.We have got to stand together as one people and to protect our State rights from interference.""I am just as much in favor of State rights as any one else, mother;and if, as seems likely, the present quarrel is to be fought out, Ihope I shall do my best for Virginia as well as other fellows of my own age.But just as I protest against any interference by the Northerners with our laws, I say that we ought to amend our laws so as not to give them the shadow of an excuse for interference.It is breeze sprang up.Vincent then put up the mast, and, having hoisted the sail, took his place at the helm, while Dan went forward into the bow.They passed several fishing-boats, and the smoke was seen curling up from the huts in the clearings scattered here and there along the shore.The sun had now risen, and its heat was pleasant after the damp night air.

Although the breeze was light, the boat made fair way with the tide, and when the ebb ceased at about ten o'clock the mouth of the river was but a few miles away.The mast was lowered and the sails stowed.The boat was then rowed into a little creek and tied up to the bushes.The basket of provisions was opened, and a hearty meal enjoyed, Tony being now permitted for the first time to sit up in the boat.After the meal Vincent and Dan lay down for a long sleep, while Tony, who had slept some hours during the night, kept watch.

At four in the afternoon tide again slackened, and as soon as it had fairly turned they pushed out from the creek and again set sail.In three hours they were at the mouth of the river.A short distance out they saw several boats fishing, and dropping anchor a short distance away from these, they lowered their sail, and taking the fishing-lines from the locker of the boat, set to to fish.As soon as it was quite dark the anchor was hauled up, and Vincent and Dan took the oars, the wind having now completely dropped.For some time they rowed steadily, keeping the land in sight on their right hand.

Tony was most anxious to help, but as he had never had an oar in his hand in his life, Vincent thought that ho would do more harm than good.It was, he knew, some ten miles from the mouth of the York River to Fortress Monroe, at the entrance to Hampton Roads, and after rowing for three hours he thought that he could not be far from that point, and therefore turned the boat's head out toward the sea.They rowed until they could no longer make out the land astern, and then laying in their oars waited till the morning, Vincent sitting in the stern and often nodding off to sleep, while the two negroes kept up a constant conversation in the bow.

As soon as it was daylight the oars were again got out.They could clearly make out the outline of the coast, and saw the break in the shore that marked the entrance to Hampton Roads.There was a light breeze now, but Vincent would not hoist the sail lest it might attract the attention of some one on shore.He did not think the boat itself could be seen, as they were some eight or nine miles from the land.They rowed for a quarter of an hour, when Vincent saw the white sails of a ship coming out from the entrance.

The breeze was so light that she would, he thought, be nearly three hours before she reached the spot where they were now, and whether she headed to the right or left of it he would have plenty of time to cut her off.For another two hours he and Dan rowed steadily.The wind had freshened a good deal, and the ship was now coming up fast to them.Two others had come out after her, but were some miles astern.They had already made out that the ship was flying a flag at her masthead, and although they had not been able to distinguish its colors, Vincent felt sure that it was the right ship; for he felt certain that the captain would get up sail as soon as possible, so as to come up with them before any other vessels came out.They had somewhat altered their course, to put themselves in line with the vessel.When she was within a distance of about a mile and a half Vincent was able to make out the flag, and knew that it was the right one.

"There's the ship, Tony," he said; "it is all right, and in a few minutes you will be on your way to England."Tony had already changed his tattered garments for the suit of sailor's clothes that at Dan had bought for him.Vincent had given him full instructions as to the course be was to pursue.The ship was bound for Liverpool; on his arrival there be was at once to go round the docks and take a passage in the steerage of the next steamer going to Canada.

"The fare will be about twenty-five dollars," he said."When you get to Canada you will land at Quebec, and you bad better go on by rail to Montreal, where you will, I think, find it easier to get work than at Quebec.As soon as you get a place you are likely to stop in, get somebody to write for you to me, giving me your address.

Here are a hundred dollars, which will be sufficient to pay your expenses to Montreal and leave you about fifty dollars to keep you till you can get something to do."