Awful dilemma, this! To lash
her will be useless; and the few kicks she has already received have
not yet begun to thaw her frozen determination. Such an unyielding
thing is quite useless for the purpose for which young Choicewest
purchased her. What must be done with her? The older Choicewest is
consulted, and gives it as his decided opinion that there is one of
two things the younger Choicewest must do with this dear piece of
property he has so unfortunately got on his hands,--he must sell her,
or tie her up every day and pump her with cold water, say fifteen
minutes at a time. Pumping niggers, the elder Mr. Choicewest
remarks, with the coolness of an Austrian diplomatist, has a
wondrous effect upon them; "it makes 'em give in when nothing else
will." He once had four prime fellows, who, in stubbornness, seemed
a match for Mr. Beelzebub himself. He lashed them, and he burned
them, and he clipped their ears; and then he stretched them on
planks, thinking they would cry "give in" afore the sockets of their
joints were drawn out; but it was all to no purpose, they were as
unyielding as granite.
About that time there was a celebrated manager of negroes keeping
the prison. This clever functionary had a peculiar way of bringing
the stubbornness out of them; so he consigned the four unbending
rascals to his skill. And this very valuable and very skilful
gaol-keeper had a large window in his establishment, with iron bars
running perpendicular; to the inside of which he would strap the
four stubborn rascals, with their faces scientifically arranged
between the bars, to prevent the moving of a muscle.
Pages:
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639