Return to City Point,— Ship not ready,— Screwing Cotton,— Nigger's Song, — Acquaintance with a Slave blacksmith,— He is a Methodist Preacher, — A worthy man, — Ship loaded, — Run out of the Bay, — Pleasant passage,— Go ashore at Hollyhead,— Pleasant trip to Liverpool,— Menai bridge,— Arrive at Chester,— Breakfast, — Arrive at Liverpool.— Walk out on the Manchester Railroad, — Continue at St. Helens, — Well received, — Visit to a Brewery, — Take too much beer, — Leave in rather a bad plight,— Take tea,— Don't like the cream,— Go to the house,— Retire,— Very sick,— Thirsty in the night,— Found water,— Arise early,— Take a cup of tea,— Start off,— Rain —Disappointment,— Determined to proceed to Liverpool in the rain,— Perseverance,—Arrive at my boarding house,— All right,— Laughable effect of my story,— Take passage for London,— Pleasant view from the top of the coach, — Pass through many interesting towns, — New Castle-under-Lyme, — See the first locomotive engine,— Pass through Wolverhampton, — Interesting sight, — Arrive at Birmingham, — Remain all night,— Start early next morning,— Irish companion— His ignorance of the United States,— His enquiries, — Left us at Coventry, — Peeping Tom, — Pass through Weeden, — Yankee doodle —DreadfulArrive 'at London, — All right,— Call on a gentleman, — Not in,— His visit to me,— Two ladies call,— Their embarrassment,— Explanation, — Accompany them home, — Pleasant interview, — Mr.
Henford very attentive,— Pleasant excursion to Deptford and Greenwich,— Pensioners. I returned to City Point in the steamer. Our ship was not yet full, which gave me an opportunity of seeing how the niggers screwed cotton; and think, if I had a ship, that was of any value, she should never be screwed as the Robin Hood was. Curiosity led me into the hold to hear the boys sing, and to see how they managed. The head stevadore, a very intelligent slave, took the measure of the space, and selected the bale accordingly; the bales were generally about two feet by thirty inches square, and when the space was but about twelve or fourteen inches, or too small to admit one, two planks were inserted three or four feet, between the two, the outer ends were kept far enough apart to receive the bale, x and the inside well greased.
A sampson post, which is a piece of timber nine or ten inches square with notches to receive the end of the jack-screw, is placed diagonally at the end of the bale to be screwed; the upper end of the post against the beam and the lower end resting on the bales of the lower tier. The bale is now well greased, entered, and a powerful jack-screw firmly fixed against the sampson post and the end of the bale; and, to any one unacquainted with the process, it would seem impossible that it could ever be forced into that small space, but we shall soon see. The screw is now set taut, and a handspike attached to the crank, and six powerful negroes take hold and give two or three turns, then hold on a minute.
The old boss stevadore, by way of encouragement, says, u Boys, dat bale got to go dar;" one of the darkies commences in a drawling tone, "Massa be berry good man.97 The chorus " whagh" round goes the screw, crack goes the beams, and in goes the bale. " Missey berry good lady too. She biley de eggs and gib nigger debroff; whagh! " " Ah, boys yon do dat nice.'11 By this time the ebony faces begin to shine like a newly blacked boot, and then comes the sweet smelling savor wafting by, like the spicy breezes of Ceylon; but the bale is in though. And when the Irish stevadores in Liverpool get hold of a hard tier, you'll hear them cursing the nagers for squazing it so hard.
While we were at City Point wre had several small jobs of iron work which the captain wished me to attend to. The blacksmith was a very intelligent negro, and a Methodist preacher. It was really a pleasure to converse with him. He was the property of a widow lady in Richmond, and, in consequence of his excellent character, she had given him permission to work any- where in the State, by paying her a certain portion of his earnings. And truly this poor, rich slave was mighty in the Scriptures. He was a finely formed, self-educated man, and what leisure time I had was spent in conversation with him. Yes, reader, I passed many an agreeable hour with this nigger and if you are as sure of Heaven as he then was, and \ may add now is, you are truly happy.