many of whom had been, like itself, mercifully removed from the life of
degradation and misery to which their birth appointed them: and whether
it was the frequent repetition of similar losses, or an instinctive
consciousness that death was indeed better than life for such children as
theirs, I know not, but the father and mother, and old Rose, the nurse,
who was their little baby's grandmother, all seemed apathetic, and
apparently indifferent to the event. The mother merely repeated over and
over again, 'I've lost a many, they all goes so;' and the father, without
word or comment, went out to his enforced labour.

As I left the cabin, rejoicing for them at the deliverance out of slavery
of their poor child, I found myself suddenly surrounded by a swarm of
young ragamuffins in every stage of partial nudity, clamouring from out of
their filthy remnants of rags for donations of scarlet ribbon for the
ball, which was to take place that evening. The melancholy scene I had
just witnessed, and the still sadder reflection it had given rise to, had
quite driven all thoughts of the approaching festivity from my mind; but
the sudden demand for these graceful luxuries by Mr. ----'s half-naked
dependants reminded me of the grotesque mask which life wears on one of
its mysterious faces; and with as much sympathy for rejoicing as my late
sympathy for sorrow had left me capable of, I procured the desired
ornaments. I have considerable fellow-feeling for the passion for all
shades of red, which prevails among these dusky fellow-creatures of
mine--a savage propensity for that same colour in all its modifications
being a tendency of my own.

At our own settlement (No. 1) I found everything in a high fever of
preparation for the ball. A huge boat had just arrived from the cotton
plantation at St. Simons, laden with the youth and beauty of that portion
of the estate who had been invited to join the party; and the greetings