'Whar d'ye live?' asked the trader, in the same free, good-natured tone as before. 'In New York.' 'In York! What! Yer not Mr. Kirke, of Randall, Kirke & Co.? But, blamenation, ye _ar_! How them whiskers has altered ye! I _thort_ I'd seed ye afore. Haint ye come it over me slick? Tuk in clean, swallered hull. But thar's my hand, Mr. Kirke; I'm right glad ter see ye.' 'Where have you met me, my good fellow? I don't remember _you_.' 'Down ter Orleans. Seed ye inter Roye, Struthers & Co.'s. The ole man thinks a heap o' you; ye give 'em a pile of business, doan't ye.' 'No, not much of our own. They buy cotton for our English correspondents, and negotiate through us, that is all. Roye is a fine old gentleman.' 'Yes, he ar; I'm in with him.' 'How _in_ with him?' 'Why, in this business--we go snacks; I do the buyin', and he finds the rocks. We use a pile--sometimes a hun'red, sometimes two hun'red thousand.' 'Is it possible! Then you do a large business?' 'Yes, right smart; I handle 'bout a thousand--big and little--ev'ry year.' 'That _is_ large. You do not buy and sell them all, yourself, do you?' 'Oh, no? I hardly ever sells; once in a while I run agin a buyer--_like you_--ha! ha!--and let one drap; but gin'rally I cage 'em, and when I git 'bout a hun'red together, I take 'em ter Orleans, and auction 'em off. Thar's no fuss and dicker 'bout thet, ye knows.' 'Yes, I know! But how do you manage so large a gang? I should think some would get away.' 'No, they doan't. I put the ribands on 'em; and, 'sides, ye see them boys, thar?' pointing to three splendid specimens of property, loitering near; 'I've hed them boys nigh on ter ten year, and I haint lost nary a nig sense I had 'em. They're cuter and smarter nor I am, any day.' 'Then you pick the negroes up round the country, and send them to a rendezvous, where you put them in jail till you make up your number?' 'Yes, the boys takes 'em down ter the pen. I'm pickin' sum up round har, now, ye see, and I send 'em ter Goldsboro'. When I've toted these down thar, the boys and I'll go up ter Virginny.' 'Why don't you send them on by stage? I should think it would hurt them to camp out at this season.' 'Hurt 'em! Lord bless ye, fresh air never hurt a nig; they're never so happy as sleepin' on the groun', with nothin' over 'em, and thar heels close ter a light-wood fire.' 'But the delicate house women and the children, can they bear it?' 'It do come a trifle hard on them, but it doan't last long. I allers takes ter the railroad when I gets a gang together.' 'Well, come; I want a woman. Show me all you have.' 'Do ye mean so, raally, Mr. Kirke? I thort ye wus a comin' it on me, and I swar ye does do the Suthern like a native. I'm blamed ef I didn't s'pose ye b'longed round har. Ha! ha! How the ole man would larf ter hear it!' 'But I _am_ a native, Larkin; born within sight of Bunker Hill.'