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Show ~ - ... - ~ ' . 314 I!ICJJAI~D HUHDIS. nssurcd that !tis rcsoh-c co uld be maJc tl1e resolves of nil wllO are goYerncd by his _necessities. . " "A natural rcOectwn enough -none more so. "Accordingly, his chief lnbor wns that of founding :tn order -a brothrrhood of tlwsc wl1o lw.vo learned to S('C, in the prin. ciplcs wl1ich ostensibly govern society, a nice system of cob. webs, set wit11 a double object, as snares to catch nnd enslan the feeble alld confiding, and defences for tl.Jc protection of the more cunning reptiles tlwt sit in tltc ccutre, aud JH'CY nt ease upon the marrow nnd f;Jt of the toilh1g ill sects they ent;mglc." "Such is ccrtninly a true pictun.1 of our socinl condition. Uan is the prey of mnn-thc wc:~k (•f the strong- tile unwary of the cnnniug. The more b1nck, tho more bloated, the spider, the closer his web, and the grcttter the number :mel variety of victims. lle sits at cnsc, and they IJlunge incontinently into l1is SHare." Such were some of the reflections with wl1ich I regaled my companion. ] [c proceeded with incre::tsiug earnestness. "lie h·avellcd throng}, all the slnvc states making proselytes to his doctrine. 'Vitl1 the cnssock of a sanctified profession, which we no more dare assail now tlwu we did four hundred years ago, l1e made his way not only at little or 110 expense, but with great Jn·ofit. On all hands he found friends nntl fol~ lowers-men ready to do his bidding-to follow him in all risks-to undertake nll sorts of ofl'ences, and in every respect to be the instrmnents of' Jds will, as docile and depeudcnt as those of any Oriental despot known in story. His followers soon grew numerous, and having them scnttered tln·ough nil the slave states, and some of the free, he could enumerate more than fifteen hundred men ready at his summons and sworn to his allegiance." I wuB positively astounded. "l3ut you rue not serious?" "As much so as at a camp-meetiug. There i& not an atom of the best certified texts of scri11ture more true than what I ten you." 11 'Vhat! fifteen hundred men-fifteen hundr(>d in these southern states professing roguery!" 11 Nay, not professing roguery ; there you are harsh in your . DEEPER L'f THE PLOT. 315 epitl1C't. Professing rcligioJJ, Ia\\', physic, planting, bhopket.'p· ing-anything, C'vcrything, Lut roguery. They prnctisc roguery, :nul roguery of all kinds, 1 gnmt you, Lut uo profcs~ sions could Le more immuculate than tiH~irs." "Is it possible 1" :iUy wondrr could not be eonce:~.lcd, Lut I contrived to mingle in ~ome delight with my tones of ::tstoniRh~ tncl!t, nrul my words were cautiously ad:tptcd to second my af~ fcctation of delight. u lcs," l1e continued, "Ly the ovenuling innuence of this boy, as I may call I tim, though now a full~growu man, such has become the sprend of Iris principles, and such is the powct· which he wields. Yet, in all his labors, m:uk me, he himself commits no act of injustice with his own hand. lie m:nwges, l1e directs others; he sets the srning i11 motion, nud counsels the achievement, yet no Llow is struck by Jlis hand. He is above the petty details of l1is own phms, and leaves to other and minor spirits the task of executing the little oHices by which the grand design is carried out, and tire work efl'ccted." ""\Vhy, this man is a genius." My unaffected cxp1·ession of admiration wnrmccl my companion, and he soon convinced me not only that he had all the while spoken of himself~ but t!Jat Ire was rcmarknL!y sensitive on the subject of his own greatness. Discovering this wcnkness, I plied him by oblique flatteries of tl10 wonderful person whom he had described to me, and he became seemingly nlmost entirely unreserved in his communications. He related at large the l1istory of the clan-the J\[ystic Confederacy, us it was termed-as it hns already been partially narrated to tl1e read~ er; nud my horror and wonder were alike incre11sed at every step in his progress. I could no longer doubt that the fellows who .. murderecl 'Villiam Cnrri11gton were a portion of tl1e same lawless frnternity; and while the developments of my new ac~ quaintance gave me fresh hope of being soon able to encounter with tl1ose murderers, they opened my Pyes to a greater field of danger and difficulties than had appeared to them before. But I did not suffer myself to indulge in apprehensive musings, and pressed him for an increase of knowledge; taking care, nt my each solicitation, to lard my inquiries thick with oily eulogies ~o~~,&~~~~--~:::t genius who had planned, and so far executed, |