ten o'clock before
`` Oh ! no , not at all ! These _ knowing _ niggers frequently make a world of trouble on a plantation . '' It was after ten o'clock before we were ready to start . The mills , the negro-quarters , and various other parts of the plantation , and then several vessels moored at the wharf , had to be seen before I could get away . Finally , I bade my excellent host and his family farewell , and with nearly as much regret as I ever felt at leaving my own home . I had experienced the much-heard-of Southern hospitality , and had found the report far below the reality .