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Show 78 THE GOLDEN HOUR. sorics of others' blows. They arc always looking for their ~Io cs, whon1 they ·would. not follow unlc ·s he had his \voncl r-·working rod along. 4. But the chief fetter ·worn by this race is the habit of servile obcuicncc : the 111asLcr's or<.1inary tone an<l co,vhide arc more irresistible than his musk~t and cpanlcL . . Undoubtedly there will be in the future, as there have been in the past, here and there local insurrections ; but none that could excite a general panic in the South will this generation be apt to witnc s. On reflection, it will be seen that all of Lhc forces above en1.uncratcd as those which \vill be likely to prevent any general slave insurrccLion arc at tho pre ont time doubly acLivo. In the present juncture, the slave has every indnco1nont to remain quiet, none at all to rebel : neither side is ready to befriend hitn as an insurrectionist, both are helping hitn as a slave. lie is, of the three parties in thi · contc t, as he should be, infinitely tho best off. At any rate, he is very sure not to rebel \vhcn every SouLhcrn eye is on the watch, and oYcry hand on the trigger. So Lhoso who arc hoping to have their shoulders relieved of the burden of doing ju ticc to these 'laves will find that they will act as Paul an<l ilas when their prison ·was opone<l by an oarthq uakc, ·who said to the frightened ~{accuonians, " Let tho magistrates cotne and fetch us out." lie certainly will not stir to be .. friend or wclcon1c those who have not llccidc<l whether or not to exile him in case he bccotncs free ; who have TilE PROBABILITIES OF INSURRECTION. 79 not yet declared even those de ·crtc,:~ 1) T b 1 · u Y rc e masters to be free ; a. nd. who really sho\v Ino re aver.· 1· on to personal prox1nuty to hi1n than his ou tl 1orn n1astcr. But every one of the inward links \Vllr.cl 1 . d 1 . . . l )lll lllU now -Ins caut1on, super tition and scr'v·l 1 1. ' L 0 0 )0(. 1ence -would be transferred to our banner 01 tl . l 10 rnstant that he should be declared free under it, and would cnrl about it like tendrils · Not insttrr oc tr•o ns, 1) U t stalnpcdcs, would at once follow our proclalnation of freedom; and they would. have to 1u- 0 , c(). dl d \VOU ld b 0 checked imtncdiatcly. nut to choclc tile 1n ]~ noc1 c I. nto' pi every cohnnn of the Southern anny. Tho slave's hear t everywhere i at this lnomcnt filled with tho one burning idea of frccdotn; he is doinO' now exactly what his friend advi"c hitn to do,_ si: ting still; he has shown great wisdom during this war. Bnt he listens every hour of the night and day for the watchword \vhich calls hin1 to hi feet. That word is not Confi ·cation ; it is not Colonization. Iloaring people di cussing and advocating every measure for the ·e people except sirnplo justice one thinks of Ca. ·sim, loaded with trca, urcs in the' robbers' cave, with the door fast locked in his face, calling for it to open by every nan1o but the one to which it really docs open. lie says, " Barley," and " Oats,"- but the door opens not a crack. Let our rulers take care that tho c arne which alone can open the door of success in this \var is not first uttered, as in Ca sim's case, by the robbers: tho side |