'Cause, you see, massa, de turpentime business hab made great profits for sum yars now, and de Cunnel hab been gettin' rich bery fass. He hab put all his money, jes so fass as he made it, into darkies, so as to make more; for he's got berry big plantation, and need nuffin' but darkies to work it to make money jess like a gold mine. He goes up to Virginny to buy niggas; and up dar _now_ dey don't sell none less dey'm bad uns, 'cep when sum massa die or git pore. Virginny darkies dat cum down har ain't gin'rally of much account. Dey'm either kinder good-for-nuffin, or dey'm ugly; and de Cunnel d'rather hab de ugly dan de no-account niggas.' 'How many negroes has he?' ''Bout two hundred, men and wimmin, I b'lieve, massa.' 'It can't be very pleasant for his family to remain in such an out-of-the-way place, with such a gang of negroes about them, and no white people near.' 'No, massa, not in dese times; but de missus and de young lady ain't dar now.' 'Not there now? The Colonel said nothing to me about that. Are you sure?' 'Oh yas, massa; I seed 'em go off on de boat to Charles'n most two weeks ago. Dey don't mean to cum back till tings am more settled; dey'm 'fraid to stay dar.' 'I should think it wouldn't be safe for even the Colonel there, if a disturbance broke out among the slaves.' ''Twouldn't be safe den anywhar, sar; but de Cunnel am berry brave man. He'm better dan twenty of _his_ niggas.' 'Why better than twenty of _his_ niggers?' ''Cause dem ugly niggas am gin'rally cowards. De darky dat is quiet, 'spectful, and does his duty, am de brave sort; _dey'll_ fight, massa, till dey'm cut down.' We had here reached a turn in the road, and passing it, came suddenly upon a coach, attached to which were a pair of magnificent grays, driven by a darky in livery. 'Hallo dar!' said Scipio to the driver, as we came nearly abreast of the carriage. 'Am you Cunnel J----'s man?' 'Yas, I is dat,' replied the darky. At this moment a woolley head, which I recognized at once as that of the Colonel's man 'Jim,' was thrust out of the window of the vehicle. 'Hallo, Jim,' I said. 'How do you do? I'm glad to see you.' 'Lor bress me, massa K----, am dat you?' exclaimed the astonished negro, hastily opening the door, and coming to me. 'Whar _did_ you cum from? I'se mighty glad to see you;' at the same time giving my hand a hearty shaking. I must here say, in justice to the reputation of South Carolina, that no respectable Carolinian refuses to shake hands with a black man, unless--the black happens to be free. 'I thought I wouldn't wait for you,' I replied. 'But how did you expect to get on? the "runs" have swollen into rivers.' 'We got a "flat" made for dis one,--it's down dar by dis time,--de oders we tought we'd get ober sumhow.' BLACK FREEMASONRY. 'Jim, this is Scip,' I said, seeing that the darkies had taken no notice of each other.