Manuel Pereira; Or, The Sovereign Rule of South CarolinaAdams, F. Colburn (Francis Colburn)
General
Manuel Pereira; Or, The Sovereign Rule of South Carolina
Adams, F. Colburn (Francis Colburn)
African Americans -- Fiction; Biographical fiction; Pereira, Manuel -- Fiction; South Carolina -- Fiction
The Dutchman gets a double profit from the negro, and with it diffuses
a double vice among them, for which they have to suffer the severest
penalty. It is strictly “contrary to law” to purchase any thing from
a negro without a ticket to sell it, from his master. But how is this
regarded? Why, the shopkeeper foregoes the ticket, encourages the
warehouse negro to steal, and purchases his stealings indiscriminately,
at about one-half their value. We might enumerate fifty different modes
practised by “good” legal voting citizens--totally regardless of the
law--and exerting an influence upon the negro tenfold more direful
than that which could possibly arise from the conversation of a few
respectable men belonging to a friendly nation.
Dunn, after driving the mulatto man from the door and upbraiding the
Dutchman for his cowardice, returned to the table, and patting Manuel
upon the back, drank the balance of his smash, saying, “Come, me good
fellow, we must do the thing up brown, now; we've got the Dutchman
nailed on his own hook. We must have another horn; it's just the stuff
in our climate; the 'Old Jug's' close by, and they'll be makin' a parson
of you when you get there. We've had a right jolly time; and ye can't
wet your whistle when ye're fernint the gates.”
“I don't ask such favors, and will drink no more,” said Manuel.
“Fill her up, Drydez! fill her up! two more smashes-best brandy and
no mistake. You must drink another, my old chuck-we'll bring the pious
notions out o' ye in Charleston,” said Dunn, turning around to Manuel.
The Dutchman filled the glasses, and Dunn, laying his big hickory stick
upon the counter, took one in each hand, and going directly to Manuel,
“There, take it, and drink her off-no humbugging; yer mother niver gave
such milk as that,” said he.
“Excuse me, sir; I positively will not!” said Manuel, and no sooner had
he lisped the words, than Dunn threw the whole contents in his face.
Enraged at such outrageous conduct, the poor fellow could stand it no
longer, and fetched him a blow that levelled him upon the floor.
The Dutchman ran to the assistance of Dunn, and succeeded in relieving
him from his unenviable situation. Not satisfied, however, they
succeeded, after a hard struggle, in getting him upon the floor, when
the Dutchman-after calling the assistance of a miserable negro, held
him down while Dunn beat him with his stick. His cries of “Murder” and
“Help” resounded throughout the neighbourhood, and notwithstanding they
attempted to gag him, brought several persons to the spot. Among them
was a well-known master builder, in Charleston-a very muscular and a
very humane man. The rascality of Dunn was no new thing to him, for he
had had practical demonstrations of it upon his own negroes,--who had
been enticed into the “corner shops” for the double purpose of the
Dutchmen getting their money, and the officers getting hush-money from
the owner.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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