Mr. Gore was proud, ambitious, and persevering4. He was artful, cruel, and obdurate5. He was just the man for such a place, and it was just the place for such a man. It afforded scope for the full exercise of all his powers, and he seemed to be perfectly6 at home in it. He was one of those who could torture the slightest look, word, or gesture, on the part of the slave, into impudence7, and would treat it accordingly. There must be no answering back to him; no explanation was allowed a slave, showing himself to have been wrongfully accused. Mr. Gore acted fully8 up to the maxim9 laid down by slaveholders,—"It is better that a dozen slaves should suffer under the lash10, than that the overseer should be convicted, in the presence of the slaves, of having been at fault." No matter how innocent a slave might be—it availed him nothing, when accused by Mr. Gore of any misdemeanor. To be accused was to be convicted, and to be convicted was to be punished; the one always following the other with immutable11 certainty. To escape punishment was to escape accusation12; and few slaves had the fortune to do either, under the overseership of Mr. Gore. He was just proud enough to demand the most debasing homage13 of the slave, and quite servile enough to crouch14, himself, at the feet of the master. He was ambitious enough to be contented15 with nothing short of the highest rank of overseers, and persevering enough to reach the height of his ambition. He was cruel enough to inflict16 the severest punishment, artful enough to descend17 to the lowest trickery, and obdurate enough to be insensible to the voice of a reproving conscience. He was, of all the overseers, the most dreaded18 by the slaves. His presence was painful; his eye flashed confusion; and seldom was his sharp, shrill19 voice heard, without producing horror and trembling in their ranks.
Mr. Gore was a grave man, and, though a young man, he indulged in no jokes, said no funny words, seldom smiled. His words were in perfect keeping with his looks, and his looks were in perfect keeping with his words. Overseers will sometimes indulge in a witty20 word, even with the slaves; not so with Mr. Gore. He spoke21 but to command, and commanded but to be obeyed; he dealt sparingly with his words, and bountifully with his whip, never using the former where the latter would answer as well. When he whipped, he seemed to do so from a sense of duty, and feared no consequences. He did nothing reluctantly, no matter how disagreeable; always at his post, never inconsistent. He never promised but to fulfil. He was, in a word, a man of the most inflexible22 firmness and stone-like coolness.
His savage23 barbarity was equalled only by the consummate24 coolness with which he committed the grossest and most savage deeds upon the slaves under his charge. Mr. Gore once undertook to whip one of Colonel Lloyd's slaves, by the name of Demby. He had given Demby but few stripes, when, to get rid of the scourging25, he ran and plunged26 himself into a creek27, and stood there at the depth of his shoulders, refusing to come out. Mr. Gore told him that he would give him three calls, and that, if he did not come out at the third call, he would shoot him. The first call was given. Demby made no response, but stood his ground. The second and third calls were given with the same result. Mr. Gore then, without consultation28 or deliberation with any one, not even giving Demby an additional call, raised his musket29 to his face, taking deadly aim at his standing30 victim, and in an instant poor Demby was no more. His mangled31 body sank out of sight, and blood and brains marked the water where he had stood.
A thrill of horror flashed through every soul upon the plantation32, excepting Mr. Gore. He alone seemed cool and collected. He was asked by Colonel Lloyd and my old master, why he resorted to this extraordinary expedient33. His reply was, (as well as I can remember,) that Demby had become unmanageable. He was setting a dangerous example to the other slaves,—one which, if suffered to pass without some such demonstration34 on his part, would finally lead to the total subversion35 of all rule and order upon the plantation. He argued that if one slave refused to be corrected, and escaped with his life, the other slaves would soon copy the example; the result of which would be, the freedom of the slaves, and the enslavement of the whites. Mr. Gore's defence was satisfactory. He was continued in his station as overseer upon the home plantation. His fame as an overseer went abroad. His horrid36 crime was not even submitted to judicial37 investigation38. It was committed in the presence of slaves, and they of course could neither institute a suit, nor testify against him; and thus the guilty perpetrator of one of the bloodiest39 and most foul40 murders goes unwhipped of justice, and uncensured by the community in which he lives. Mr. Gore lived in St. Michael's, Talbot county, Maryland, when I left there; and if he is still alive, he very probably lives there now; and if so, he is now, as he was then, as highly esteemed41 and as much respected as though his guilty soul had not been stained with his brother's blood.
I speak advisedly when I say this,—that killing42 a slave, or any colored person, in Talbot county, Maryland, is not treated as a crime, either by the courts or the community. Mr. Thomas Lanman, of St. Michael's, killed two slaves, one of whom he killed with a hatchet43, by knocking his brains out. He used to boast of the commission of the awful and bloody44 deed. I have heard him do so laughingly, saying, among other things, that he was the only benefactor45 of his country in the company, and that when others would do as much as he had done, we should be relieved of "the d——d niggers."
The wife of Mr. Giles Hicks, living but a short distance from where I used to live, murdered my wife's cousin, a young girl between fifteen and sixteen years of age, mangling46 her person in the most horrible manner, breaking her nose and breastbone with a stick, so that the poor girl expired in a few hours afterward47. She was immediately buried, but had not been in her untimely grave but a few hours before she was taken up and examined by the coroner, who decided48 that she had come to her death by severe beating. The offence for which this girl was thus murdered was this:—She had been set that night to mind Mrs. Hicks's baby, and during the night she fell asleep, and the baby cried. She, having lost her rest for several nights previous, did not hear the crying. They were both in the room with Mrs. Hicks. Mrs. Hicks, finding the girl slow to move, jumped from her bed, seized an oak stick of wood by the fireplace, and with it broke the girl's nose and breastbone, and thus ended her life. I will not say that this most horrid murder produced no sensation in the community. It did produce sensation, but not enough to bring the murderess to punishment. There was a warrant issued for her arrest, but it was never served. Thus she escaped not only punishment, but even the pain of being arraigned49 before a court for her horrid crime.
Whilst I am detailing bloody deeds which took place during my stay on Colonel Lloyd's plantation, I will briefly50 narrate51 another, which occurred about the same time as the murder of Demby by Mr. Gore.
Colonel Lloyd's slaves were in the habit of spending a part of their nights and Sundays in fishing for oysters52, and in this way made up the deficiency of their scanty53 allowance. An old man belonging to Colonel Lloyd, while thus engaged, happened to get beyond the limits of Colonel Lloyd's, and on the premises54 of Mr. Beal Bondly. At this trespass55, Mr. Bondly took offence, and with his musket came down to the shore, and blew its deadly contents into the poor old man.
Mr. Bondly came over to see Colonel Lloyd the next day, whether to pay him for his property, or to justify56 himself in what he had done, I know not. At any rate, this whole fiendish transaction was soon hushed up. There was very little said about it at all, and nothing done. It was a common saying, even among little white boys, that it was worth a half-cent to kill a "nigger," and a half-cent to bury one.
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1
gore
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| n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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persevering
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| a.坚忍不拔的 | |
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obdurate
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| adj.固执的，顽固的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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maxim
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| n.格言，箴言 | |
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lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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immutable
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| adj.不可改变的，永恒的 | |
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accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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scourging
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| 鞭打( scourge的现在分词 )； 惩罚，压迫 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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subversion
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| n.颠覆，破坏 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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judicial
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| adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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bloodiest
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| adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的 | |
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40
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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41
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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42
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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43
hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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44
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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45
benefactor
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| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
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46
mangling
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| 重整 | |
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47
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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arraigned
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| v.告发( arraign的过去式和过去分词 )；控告；传讯；指责 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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51
narrate
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| v.讲，叙述 | |
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52
oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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53
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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54
premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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trespass
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| n./v.侵犯，闯入私人领地 | |
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56
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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