Out of the wilderness

Chapter I. Strange Guests

M OUGHT we see de minister, missus ? " asked a genuine son of Ham, as he presented himself with his wife at the parlor door.

The minister was not in, and the lady and her guests were a little startled by the sudden appearance of the sable pair, redolent with smiles, and lavish of bows and courtesies.

The man was tall and stalwart. His head, small, round and closely shorn, sat literally on his broad, high shoulders, giving his whole figure the appearance of a colossal clothes-pin.

There was no mingled blood of the races in his veins. He was black, actually black; but a kinder and more agreeable face one rarely sees, be the complexion what it may.

His wife was small and frail, about forty years old. In any other company she might have been called "black but comely," but beside him her color faded, and she- was only " a little brown woman." Her features were not cast in the Guinea mould. Her nose was small and straight, and her thin lips, which only half hid two rows of small, white teeth, were fixed in a sad smile. Her eyes were soft and kind, and her low voice had a plaintive tone which at once won the hearts of the ladies.

The strangers were offered seats, and invited to wait for the minister's return ; but they hesitated, evidently afraid of using too much freedom.

" We's mighty disappointed not to see de gen- Tman," said the man, who had introduced himself as Zack Cameron, " because we come on business — mighty important business to us."

" I suppose you want to be married," said the lady, smiling. •

Then he broke forth into a genuine African laugh, which proved contagious, and the whole little party joined in the mirth, when he found voice to say :

" Bless yer heart, dear missus, we's been married dese many years, goj^d ; and all de money in dis country couldn't onmarry us, we's so mighty well satisfied wid each other. Ha, Weza ? " he cried, looking down at the little woman for confirmation.

" Yes, Zack, dat's so, sartin ; we wouldn't change, not if we had de whole world to pick from ; " and turning to the ladies she added, '' Yer can't reckon how kind and lovin' dis man has been to me in all dem awful years. De Lord knowed what was a comin' on dis, poor, weak heart, and so he send dis great, kind man for me to lean agin. I believe, ladies, dat dis Zack is de very best man de dear Lord ever made on his arth."

This compliment sat very well on the proud husband, and he looked down at the little brown woman with a patronizing smile, and then said, " Yer musn't believe all she says 'bout me, ladies, she's only a poor weak woman."

" I'm sure you are strangers here," said one of the ladies. '' I never saw you a:bout town."

" Yes, missus, we's strangers and pilgrims, both in dis town and on de arth. I 'spose yer can tell by .our clothes" — they were clean, but miscut, and uncouth to the last degree — "dat we's from de South — that mad place dat's gin you all so much trouble as well as us."

" How came you here ? " asked the lady of the house.

" Well, missus, when de war was over we felt 's if our liberty was too good to be true, and we got to surmisin' of evil. We was feared dat somebody 'nother would betray us into de hands of de Philistines. We felt like mice dat's just got out of de trap alive ; we wanted to get dat trap out of our sight as well as off of our feet. We had lost' heaps o' our friends in de war; dey was either dead, or scattered hither and yon, and we two was most alone on de arth. So a gentleman coming North offered to take us along with him, and let us pay up our passage by workin' on his place ; and dat's what we's at now, missus, in dis town."

" And I suppose you are happy here ? " asked the lady.

" Well, yes, missus, as happiness goes on dis arth. We's bound to be happy anyway, come what's mind to. De Lord reigns, and dat one thought is enough to make any poor child o' his'n happy ; isn't it ? "

" It ought to be."

" We's bound to put it through here till de political yarthqu^kes and tumultses is over, and we gets a little ahead in life. And den I reckons we'll go down home agin. Oh, oh, oh ! dese east winds makes us shiver, and we dreads de snow to wade through ! and 'side dat, ladies, it's a blessed thing to live 'mong yer own folks."

" Yes, yes, Zack, dat's sartin ! " echoed the httle brown woman, wdio had kept her admiring gaze fixed on him during this speech ; "it is a blessed thing to live 'mong your own folks ; " and she wiped away her tears with the corner of her faded blue apron.

" And what can the minister do for you ? " asked the lady.

"Well, missus, we heerd he was goin' down to our parish, and thought dat may be, as matters was a settlin' down a little, he could hunt up our folks dat we lost down dere," replied Zack.

" Yes, yes, dat's true, Zack ; dat nigh 'bout killed me, " again echoed TVeza.

" Yer see, kind missus, she has got two boys somewhere or nother down dere in de wilderness, and if yer a mother yer understand how poor weak women feel 'bout dere children, and fathers, for dat matter, too. You remember how old Jacob took on 'bout Joseph, when he thought de wild beasts had devoured him up, and how Rachel wept and w^ouldn't be comforted no how, becase her chil'en was killed ? Oh, I tell you, ladies, mothers' hearts is tender things to handle rough."

" Yes, mothers' hearts is tender," the little brown woman repeated, ^\dth her eyes still fixed on her sable hero.

*' Dem two boys isn't my sons, but dey're hern, and she's in trib'lation 'bout dem. She suffers for dem, and I suffers for her. She dreams 'bout 'em, and cries in her sleep, and I can't rest no how till she can rest. So I wants to get dem hunted up somehow or nother. We's got heaps o' friends sold off to save losing dem, just afore de war. Dey're among the sugar canes somewhar. I ^on't know whar dey is, but de Lord know, and he can pint right straight to 'em so dat de minister can find 'em. You know, missus, de Book says, ' De eyes of de Lord are in every place, beholdin' de evil and de good.' My people is either in Georgy, or else in Floridy, or Lou'sanny, or in Texas. Jim, dat was brung up near by me, an' most like my brother, he was in Texas, a herding of cattle, last time we got wind o' him. But ye tell de minister if he'll hunt up one or all on 'em, I'll pay him well for his trouble ; and de Lord, who loves dem all as his believin' children, will pay him full measure, ten times, heaped up and a runnin'-over. Yer tell him if he'll do dis little job for us, we'll pray for him while we lives, dat de Lord would bless him in his baskets and his stores, in his family and in his own dear soul."

The lady felt sure the minister would gladly aid the poor wanderers, but the effort seemed to her hopeless, and she asked, " But how would a stranger go to work to find your friends ? "

" Oh, let him give it out in meetin', dear missus. Dat's de way to find out what yer lost down dere. Once I was in a meetin' in dat city, and just arter dey had sung de benediction, de minister was axed to give out dat a woman had lost her henkecher ; and bless you, it wasn't a minute afore a little boy fetched it up. Dere's a colored preacher down dere got a mighty big crowd of a church, — Bill "Aiken. Now let de minister ax Bill to speak out arter sarmon, and say, ' Is dere anybody in dis crowd dat has met up wid Rosa Le Rue, dat got scattered in de war ? or wid Dr. Percy's three women ? or wid Dike and Sampson, de sons of de Doctor's Weza? or wid lame Jim dat Widow Waters owned ? "

" Well, my good man," said the lady, smiling at the amount of work laid out for her invalid husband, " you must let me write all this down, for I can never remember the names."

" Yes, missus, I'll do dat, cheerful," replied Zack, with a patronizing bow. " May be Bill would ax, 'Is yaller Dave in dis crowd dat borrowed ten dollars of Zack Cam'ron, when de regiment was dismissed ? If so, he must forred that same to said Zack to buy boots wid afore the snow comes up North.' "

" Yes, yes, dat*s true, Zack ; dere will soon be snow here," reiterated the little brown woman, drawing her thin shawl more closely about her.

" But are you sure Bill Aiken will ask all these questions in meeting ? " asked the lady.

" Oh, yes, he'll ax 'em. He's a mighty feelin' sort of a fellow. But, if he refuse, why, the minister must just make him do it. He must threaten to turn him out of de church fpr contempt o' court ; dat's de way Bill hisself does to sich as don't do his bidding."

" But my husband has no power there, not even a vote in that church," said the lady.

" Well, well, dat's queer. A larned doctor of divinity got less power den black Bill Aiken dat sweeps de bank and makes de fires week days, and only preaches of a Sunday ! But if nobody in dat crowd knows where any of our people is, den tell de minister to go to old Aunt Sally's candy shop, in St. Cyprian Street, and ax her. Dere ain't nothing in de whole creation dat she don't know in de way of news. 'She keeps de run of every livin' creetur, bond and free. De church mothers (deaconesses) sot out once to have her turned out of de church for a busy body ; but bless yer, de next time dey vvanted to know de news dey went to her demselves — de poor weak women. So dey let her off, and Bill give his reasons in a sarmon. He said de church was a body made of many members, some was legs to run, others was hands to work ; ' most o' you women,' says he, ' is ears to listen, and Aunt Sally she's de tongue to talk. I don't know as it's any wickeder to talk den it is to listen.'

"• Aunt Sally has, no doubt, got de run of all de scattered ones by dis time ; and she'll tell de minister 'bout our people."

"Yes, yes, she'll tell him 'bout our people," said Weza, " and may be de Lord will heal my heart yet."

" We should like to hear about your troubles, little woman," said one of the ladies.

Weza dropped her head, and replied, " I'm a mighty poor talker, I'm so bashful, but dere is a heap to tell, and Zack can talk powerful fine.."

" If you'll come in some evening and tell us all about your life, I'll give you a new dress," said the lady of the house.

" Dere, dere, now yer got her, ladies," cried Zack ; " you've touched de spot now, for she, like all de rest of de poor weak women, is mighty fond of fine clothes. I'll fetch her in some niglit a purpose to talk of her fife, — poor little woman."

" My life hasn't been what slaves call a hard one, ladies," said Weza, " for no man ever laid a lash on me, — never. But de partin's, and de separations, and de longin's, and de achin's, and de dreams, — Oh, dat's what wore me up."

" Yes, dat's it, missus ; she's such a lovin' creetur, she can't be happy no how without somethin' to love ; and 'em boys — she wouldn't know 'em if she met 'em — and yet she yarns and yarns arter 'em in a way dat's pitiful to see. And if de good Lord spares me to get ahead a little, I'll find 'em if I tarns up every State in de Union a tryin'. De Lord knows where dey is, and he'll let me know."

Chapter II

ZACK was as good as his word ; lie did bring the httle brown woman to the minister's one evening soon after their first visit there. But he made a shght mistake in his errand, for instead of encouraging her to tell the story ©f her life, he spent the time in giving his own. He explained his coursa by saying, that, as they were twain as well as one, it took two stories to make it all out, and that he, having been born first, and moreover, being " de head of de woman," thought it but proper to begin the tale.

His argument was quite satisfactory, and with a beaming face Zack related the story of what he called " a mighty clumsy sort of life."

" My missus," he began, '•' said I must ha' been named in sport for ' Zaccheus He ; ' but I never heerd my mother say so. I was abou^ five year old when she and I was sold with a gang to go from Virginny to a sugar plantation in Lou'sanny. She was just my color, and a powerful big woman. She held up her head like she owned all de plantations round. She never make free wid nobody, nor sing songs, nor dance wid 'em. At home she carry de keys and give out stores and de like, and I never knew why she was sold. But I remember hearin' her say den,.dat no one should ever hear a groan or see a tear 'bout it, but jist only de dear Lord.

" A goin' down de coast, dey had high times, fiddlin' and dancin' to keep up dere courage and make 'em forget all dey had left behind. But she sot off from de re&fc ; and when dey got through she would sort of preach to 'em, and read out of a book she kept in a roll, wid other things, in her pocket. She would tell 'em 'bout Jesus, how he loved de poor and de mise'ble, and how he died on de cross, and how he rose again, and how a cloud received him out of sight, but dat he was livin' yet up dere, and stoopin' down to listen to hear when anybody calls on him. De wicked ones in de gang said she was too proud to dance wid field hands ; and one bad man called her ' De queen o' Sheby ; ' and den de rest call her so, and finally she went by de name of ' Sheby,' always, 'stead o' by Carline, on de new place.

" When we got to de plantation, dere was a great panic dere wid de small pox ; and de worse cases was in de mansion house. De massa had got a doctor to give medicine, and a minister to pray ; but dey had no nurse dat knew any thing about de sickness. So after a few days, wid de leave of de overseer, my mammy put on de white turban she brought in de roll wid de book, and taking me by de hand, marched up to de big house, and axed for de lady. And says she, ' Madam, de Lord sent me from Virginny to help yer in de hour o' need ! Take me to dem sick chiren and yer go to rest. I've heerd dat yer is one of de massiful, and de dear Lord says dey are ' blessed, for dey shall find massie.' Yer have listened to de cries from de house o' bondage, and de Lord has heerd yer cry now dat yer are in distress ! Ter children is whole from dis hour ! "

^" ' Dey earCt live," says de lady. ' De doctor has give 'em over, all three — my beautiful boy, and my sweet little twin daughters. How can I live if dey are taken ? '

" ' Is any thing too hard for de Lord ? ' says my mammy. ' He has sent me here wid dis message, dear cretur, '' Dey shall not die, but live ; " so don't yer dare to doubt him ! Go and rest and give dem into my hand; but my child, dat is as dear to me as yers is to yer, must stay in dis house.'*

" De lady looked a little skeart at first, but soon axed ' Are you de woman they call " Sheba," dat I've heerd on ? '

" And from de hour my mother took dem children in hand dey begun to mend ; and she was ever after de queen o' Sheby dere, I tell you. She reigned in de mansion house !

" I come up a mighty favored boy, widout much to do but only to play with the chil'en. When de little twins got big enough to go to school, I used to take 'em dere — a mile off to another gen- 'I'man's gov'ness. De two didn't weigh half as much as I did ; and sometimes 1 would draw 'em in a little coach, and sometimes carry one on each arm, in a big basket, and agin I'd give 'em turn about on my back ! We used to have high times a singin' and laughin' through de brakes. Hqw dem two little ones loved me, and I loved dem ! And as for young master, dat was 'bout my age, he loved me like I was his brother, and I worshipped him !

"De people all thought my mammy was a prophet, and I reckon she was. De wicked ones was awful 'feared of her. De family had a kind o' vineration for her, and she 'bout rule de plantation.

If dere was trouble 'tween de poor field hands and de overseer, she'd march down dere and look into it ; and den she would go straight to de missus and warn her against bringing down de cuss o' heaven on de place by winking at de oppression of de poor dat was cryin' day and night to de Lord. Den de missus — oh, she was de lovin' woman! she'd go to her husband, and she'd plead wid him and give him no peace till he'd go down and put a rein on de overseer — a bad, cruel man from de North !

" My mammy sot up tPmeetin', too, and used to preach, and pray, and sing. She always wound up her sermon with something like dis : De Lord has heerd de cry of de needy and dem dat has no helper, and has put on liis garments dyed in blood. He's gettin' ready de sword, and de spear, and de battle-axe, and de chariots, and de horses for de day o' slaughter ! And soon yer'll hear de roar o' cannon, and de drum, and de bugle ; and den yer'll know de great and terrible day o' de Lord has come for dis nation — de day in which he will reckon wid 'em for de blood and tears, and groans of our people ! And dat day is near. I hear de sound of war a'ready in de still hour when all but me is sleepin', and when I's pressin' the Lord to hasten on, and cryin', ' Why tarry de wheels of dy chariot ? '

" Such like talk roused de overseer wheit he heerd it, and he told de massa, and massa told de missus dat she must stop Sheby ; and den de missus begged my mammy not to talk so to de people. But she said she had a message to deliver to black and white ; and dat her time was short and she must tell it. So den de massa he speak sharp to her; and he took his sarmon and his prophecy. Says she, ' Yer better flee to God, and lay down yer wepons o' rebillion, for dere's an awful reckoning ahead! And den turnin' to me, she said, 'Dis boy will be a free man, by right, not by runnin' off; because de Lord will break every chain and let de oppressed go free ! Stand still, my son, and tvait for de salvation o' de Lord, and don't run like a coward. Dis proud nation, having beaten and cast us into prison, may yet be forced to go and bring us out with dere own hands for fear of de judgments of de Lord ! Perhaps dis righteous soul,' she said, pointing to de missus, ' may save dis house ; but de desolation cometh, and dese swamps and brakes shall flow wid de blood of de nobles ? not my little lambs dat I saved from de pestilence, for I've got xlem hid up safe under de wing of de Almighty. Now, massa, yer lot me alone, and go humble yerself before de Lord, and pray for massy in dat day — for it's comiii' as sure's dere's a God above us ! As for me 1 shan't see it, for I shall soon be out of de wilderness 1 '

" She was consid'able of a keer on 'em, for talk she would, among our own hands and other folks' too ! I reckons dat was why she was sold from Virginny 1

" De planters round said she'd kick up an insurrection if she wasn't shut up quick. First, massa took sides wid her, and said she teached de people to be patient and obey dere masters in de Lord. But his neighbors said dey'd shoot her if she wasn't sold right off! Missus was nigh about wild. She was afeared of God, and she told massa she wished he hadn't a slave in de world ; dat she'd rather be poor and please God ; and dat she would not have de woman dat had saved her children's lives sold. She said, ' If Sheby goes, I'll go too-; for I believe God stays where she is ! ' But in de midst of de rumpus, God took de matter into his own hands. Missus went into de nursery one night to speak to her, and dere she was on her knees before de children's bed, — dead. De dear Lord had come and led her safe out of de wilderness ! Very soon after dat, de little girls both died, of de scarlet fever, in one week. Dey was hid up safe under de Almighty wing, as she said dey would be.

" My poor missus was nigh heart-broke ; but she kept sayin' may be, as Sheby had said, dey was saved from de evil to come ; and she vowed she would take care o' me for Sheby's sake !

" I was so strong and big, dere was nothing I couldn't do ; but I never was put into de field. I minded my young massa's horses, and rode wid him, and drove de carriage, and so on. Dey trie^ very hard to make me a butler, or waiter, or somethin' like dat; but I broke every glass dish I touched, and spilt de gravy on de company's clothes, and trod on dere toes when I weilt to pass tea in de parlor. So missus got discouraged ; and said she didn't know what to make on me no how ! But I can tell you I found enough to do one way or another; it took one man to wait on my young gen'leman ; and he must always have me at his heels. If any body interfered wid me, he'd hit 'em a lick in de face 'fore dey knew it ; and so I can stand up dis day before de world, and say, ' Here is a slave that was never struck by no man.' I was as good-natured as a kitten ; but I had a buried feeling in me dat would never take a blow ! I believe in dem days, 'fore I knew Christ, and had his spirit, I'd have murdered any man dat would ha' tried it. I was always a tender-heai'tcd man, particular to little cliil'en and j)Oor weak women.

" Well, well, de years rolled on, and master and missus both died, and my young massa had all de ]}lantation and de people for his own. Den my word went a good way, I tell you. He fixed up de quarters, and added to de rations and de clothes, and give more holidays ; and den vv'e got a new overseer dat had a heart into him. And we never got so much work done 'fore by de same hands. And de thorns and de nails was took out of slavery dere for dat year, on our plantation.

" But it does seem as if men can never ' let well enough alone.' .My young massa went up North to de springs ; and dere he fell in wid a lady dat had been to a boardin' school somewhere or nother. She was a rich man's daughter from de coast o' Floridy ; and didn't dey strike up all of a suddent and get married ? He'd never seen a blessed one dat belonged to her. He mought ha' found ivliiter ones workin' on many a plantation ; and such an eye as she had ! Why, it seenxed to cut right into yer when she looked at yer. De long and de short on't was dat she was a* tarmagant and a fury in shape of a lady. Strange enough, dere we're slaves on de plantation dat knew her — had lived nigh by her — and dey said her father was a wr acker off de coast ; dat he 'lured ships on to de rocks by false lights, and when dey struck he had boats and men all ready to plunder 'em ; and dat he had laid up heaps, and bags, and barrels of gold, and diamonds, and every ting.

" Well, she begun with young massa ; and I tell you, she trained him up handsome! He was mighty easy to begin wid, and wlien she'd got her heel on him, she took de house servants next, and den de field hands. She driv off de overseer, and overturned all we'd done for de comfort of de people. She sot an evil eye mighty quick on me. But I looked her right back in de eye as long as she could stan' it. I drew myself up, and looked very savage, meanin' to skear her if I could ; and she told de massa she was 'feard o' me ; I was so big and so black she knew I'd kill her some day.

" But he give me a great character, and told her I was the importantest man on de plantation, and and dat de whole consarn would go to ruin if I wasn't dere.

" Well, dere was hard times in our house, I tell you ; dei^e was more tears shed den dan ever before since it was built. She would strike her maid wid whatever come handy, and throw cheers and books at de women and chil'ren. De young massa saw it all, but he was trapped now, and couldn't help hisself. Once he said to me^ ' Yer see how it is, Zack ; make things as easy as yer can for de servants, and give 'em a cheerin' word, poor things,'

"" One day when massa had gone off to a 'lection dinner in de city, she come out on de verandy wid ' de knife in her eye,' as de women used to say, and called out, ' Whose baby is dat screamin' so?'

'^ She made de woman bring de child to her, and she slapped it in de face over and over, and o' course it screamed more. De mother run, sayin', ' De baby's sick,' and she chased her, and struck de baby a big blow on de head. I saw her from de carriage-house, and at first I thought she bein' only a poor weak woman, I'd let her slap her temper out, and may be she'd feel better. But when I saw her run after de woman, I thought she meant to kill de child, so I run too. I come up behind her, and I took her little wrists right between my thumb and forefinger, and held her tight. Den I told Dely to go into de kitchen and nuss up de. baby with camphire and such like. Young missus turned round, and when she see me she screamed like I was a tiger, and tried to get away ; but I held on, and de house servants was all a peepin' out o' doors and windows, hopin' I'd kill her, and den run.^ But I was just as ca'm as I be this minute. I held her till she got quiet and begun to cry, like any poor weak woman. Den I let go on one wrist, and led her back to de house by de other. I threw my voice down very low, and says I, looking mighty savage, ' Go to your room, missus, and stay dere till massa come home, or dere'll be trouble here.' She flew in and locked de door behind her, as if poor Zack had been a murderer after her life. She forgot dat she'd nigh about taken dat baby's.