Scene 2 The Kitchen — Slaves at Work
Enter Hannah, R.
Hannah. Oh, Cato, do go and tell missis dat you don’t want to jump de broomstick wid me,—dat’s a good man! Do, Cato; kase I nebber can love you. It was only las week dat massa sold my Sammy, and I don’t want any udder man. Do go tell missis dat you don’t want me.
Cato. No, Hannah, I ain’t a gwine to tell missis no such thing, kase I dose want you, and I ain’t a-gwine to tell a lie for you ner nobody else. Dar, now you’s got it! I don’t see why you need to make so much fuss. I is better lookin’ den Sam; an’ I is a house servant, an’ Sam was only a fiel hand; so you ought to feel proud of a change. So go and do as missis tells you.
[Exit Hannah, L.
Hannah needn’t try to get me to tell a lie; I ain’t a-gwine to do it, kase I dose want her, an’ I is bin wantin’ her dis long time, an’ soon as massa sold Sam, I knowed I would get her. By golly, I is gwine to be a married man. Won’t I be happy! Now, ef I could only jess run away from ole massa, an’ get to Canada wid Hannah, den I’d show ’em who I was. Ah! dat reminds me of my song ’bout ole massa and Canada, an’ I’ll sing it fer yer. Dis is my moriginal hyme. It comed into my head one night when I was fass asleep under an apple tree, looking up at de moon. Now for my song:—
Air—“Dandy Jim.”
Come all ye bondmen far and near,
Let’s put a song in massa’s ear,
It is a song for our poor race,
Who’re whipped and trampled with disgrace.
CHORUS.
My old massa tells me, Oh,
This is a land of freedom, Oh;
Let’s look about and see if it’s so,
Just as massa tells me, Oh.
He tells us of that glorious one,
I think his name was Washington,
How he did fight for liberty,
To save a threepence tax on tea. [Chorus.]
But now we look about and see
That we poor blacks are not so free;
We’re whipped and thrashed about like fools,
And have no chance at common schools. [Chorus.]
They take our wives, insult and mock,
And sell our children on the block,
They choke us if we say a word,
And say that “niggers” shan’t be heard. [Chorus.]
Our preachers, too, with whip and cord,
Command obedience in the Lord;
They say they learn it from the big book,
But for ourselves, we dare not look. [Chorus.]
There is a country far away,
I think they call it Canada,
And if we reach Victoria’s shore,
They say that we are slaves no more.
Now haste, all bondmen, let us go,
And leave this Christian country, Oh;
Haste to the land of the British Queen,
Where whips for negroes are not seen.
Now, if we go, we must take the night,
And never let them come in sight;
The bloodhounds will be on our track,
And wo to us if they fetch us back.
Now haste all bondmen, let us go,
And leave this Christian country, Oh;
God help us to Victoria’s shore,
Where we are free and slaves no more!
Enter Mrs. Gaines, L.
Mrs. Gaines. Ah! Cato, you’re ready, are you? Where is Hannah?
Cato. Yes, missis; I is bin waitin’ dis long time. Hannah has bin here tryin’ to swade me to tell you dat I don’t want her; but I telled her dat you sed I must jump de broomstick wid her, an’ I is gwine to mind you.
Mrs. G. That’s right, Cato; servants should always mind their masters and mistresses, without asking a question.
Cato. Yes, missis, I allers dose what you and massa tells me, an’ axes nobody.
Enter Hannah, R.
Mrs. Gaines. Ah! Hannah; come, we are waiting for you. Nothing can be done till you come.
Hannah. Oh, missis, I don’t want to jump de broomstick wid Cato; I can’t love him.
Mrs. G. Shut up, this moment. Dolly, get the broom. Susan, you take hold of the other end. There, now hold it a little lower—there, a little higher. There, now, that’ll do. Now Hannah, take hold of Cato’s hand. Let Cato take hold of your hand.
Hannah. Oh, missis, do spare me. I don’t want to jump de broomstick wid Cato.
Mrs. G. Get the cowhide, and follow me to the cellar, and I’ll whip you well. I’ll let you know how to disobey my orders. Get the cowhide, and follow me to the cellar.
[Exit Mrs. Gaines and Hannah, R.
Dolly. Oh, Cato, do go an’ tell missis dat you don’t want Hannah. Don’t you hear how she’s whippin’ her in de cellar? Do go an’ tell missis dat you don’t want Hannah, and den she’ll stop whippin’ her.
Cato. No, Dolly, I ain’t a-gwine to do no such a thing, kase ef I tell missis dat I don’t want Hannah, den missis will whip me; an’ I ain’t a-gwine to be whipped fer you, ner Hannah, ner nobody else. No, I’ll jump de broomstick wid every woman on de place, ef missis wants me to, before I’ll be whipped.
Dolly. Cato, ef I was in Hannah’s place, I’d see you in de bottomless pit before I’d live wid you, you great big wall-eyed, empty-headed, knock-kneed fool. You’re as mean as your devilish old missis.
Cato. Ef you don’t quit dat busin’ me, Dolly, I’ll tell missis as soon as she comes in, an’ she’ll whip you, you know she will.
Enter Mrs. Gaines and Hannah, R.
[Mrs. G. fans herself with her handkerchief, and appears fatigued.]
Mrs. G. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Hannah, to make me fatigue myself in this way, to make you do your duty. It’s very naughty in you, Hannah. Now, Dolly, you and Susan get the broom, and get out in the middle of the room. There, hold it a little lower—a little higher; there, that’ll do. Now, remember that this is a solemn occasion; you are going to jump into matrimony. Now, Cato, take hold of Hannah’s hand. There, now, why couldn’t you let Cato take hold of your hand before? Now get ready, and when I count three, do you jump. Eyes on the broomstick! All ready. One, two, three, and over you go. There, now you’re husband and wife, and if you don’t live happy together, it’s your own fault; for I am sure there’s nothing to hinder it. Now, Hannah, come up to the house, and I’ll give you some whiskey, and you can make some apple toddy, and you and Cato can have a fine time.
[Exit Mrs. Gaines and Hannah, L.
Dolly. I tell you what, Susan, when I get married, I is gwine to have a preacher to marry me. I ain’t a-gwine to jump de broomstick. Dat will do for fiel’ hands, but house servants ought to be ’bove dat.
Susan. Well, chile, you can’t speck any ting else from ole missis. She come from down in Carlina, from ’mong de poor white trash. She don’t know any better. You can’t speck nothin’ more dan a jump from a frog. Missis says she is one of de akastocacy; but she ain’t no more of an akastocacy dan I is. Missis says she was born wid a silver spoon in her mouf; ef she was, I wish it had a-choked her, dat’s what I wish. Missis wanted to make Linda jump de broomstick wid Glen, but massa ain’t a-gwine to let Linda jump de broomstick wid anybody. He’s gwine to keep Linda fer heself.
Dolly. You know massa took Linda ’way las’ night, an’ tell missis dat he has sold her and sent her down de river; but I don’t b’lieve he has sold her at all. He went ober towards de poplar farm, an’ I tink Linda is ober dar now. Ef she is dar, missis’ll find it out, fer she tell’d massa las’ night, dat ef Linda was in de neighborhood, she’d find her.
[Exit Dolly and Susan.