Scene 3 A Street
Enter Mr. White, R.
Mr. White. I am glad to be once more in a free State. If I am caught again south of Mason and Dixon’s line, I’ll give them leave to lynch me. I came near losing my life. This is the way our constitutional rights are trampled upon. But what care these men about Constitutions, or any thing else that does not suit them? But I must hasten on.
[Exit, L.
Enter Cato, in disguise, R.
Cato. I wonder ef dis is me? By golly, I is free as a frog. But maybe I is mistaken; maybe dis ain’t me. Cato, is dis you? Yes, seer. Well, now it is me, an’ I em a free man. But, stop! I muss change my name, kase ole massa might foller me, and somebody might tell him dat dey seed Cato; so I’ll change my name, and den he won’t know me ef he sees me. Now, what shall I call myself? I’m now in a suspectable part of de country, an’ I muss have a suspectable name. Ah! I’ll call myself Alexander Washington Napoleon Pompey Cæsar. Dar, now, dat’s a good long, suspectable name, and every body will suspect me. Let me see; I wonder ef I can’t make up a song on my escape? I’ll try.
Air—“Dearest Mae.”
Now, freemen, listen to my song, a story I’ll relate,
It happened in de valley of de ole Kentucky State:
Dey marched me out into de fiel’, at every break of day,
And work me dar till late sunset, widout a cent of pay.
Chorus.—Dey work me all de day,
Widout a bit of pay,
And thought, because dey fed me well,
I would not run away.
Massa gave me his ole coat, an’ thought I’d happy be,
But I had my eye on de North Star, an’ thought of liberty;
Ole massa lock de door, an’ den he went to sleep,
I dress myself in his bess clothes, an’ jump into de street.
Chorus.—Dey work me all de day,
Widout a bit of pay,
So I took my flight, in the middle of de night,
When de sun was gone away.
Sed I, dis chile’s a freeman now, he’ll be a slave no more;
I travell’d faster all dat night, dan I ever did before.
I came up to a farmer’s house, jest at de break of day,
And saw a white man standin’ dar, sed he, “You are a runaway.”
Chorus.—Dey work me all de day, &c.
I tole him I had left de whip, an’ bayin’ of de hound,
To find a place where man is man, ef sich dar can be found;
Dat I had heard, in Canada, dat all mankind are free,
An’ dat I was going dar in search of liberty.
Chorus.—Dey work me all de day, &c.
I’ve not committed any crime, why should I run away?
Oh! shame upon your laws, dat drive me off to Canada.
You loudly boast of liberty, an’ say your State is free,
But ef I tarry in your midst, will you protect me?
Chorus.—Dey work me all de day, &c.
[Exit, L.