Thy  joys  when  shaJl "  —

"Shut  up,  you  black  cuss  !  "  roared  Legree  ;  "did  ye  think
I  wanted  any  o'  yer  infernal  old  Methodism  ?  I  say,  tune  up,
now,  something  real  rowdy,  —  quick !  "

One  of  the  other  men  struck  up  one  of  those  unmeaning  songs,
common  among  the  slaves.
"Mas'r  see'd  me  cotch  a  coon.
High  boys,  high !
He  laughed  to  split,  —  d'  ye  see  the  moon,

Ho !  ho !  ho !  boys,  ho !
Ho  !  yo!  hi— e!  oh!"

The  singer  aj^ared  to  make  up  the  song  to  his  own  pleas-
ure, generally  hitting  on  rhyme,  without  much  attempt  at  rea-
son ;  and  all  the  party  took  up  the  chorus,  at  intervals,  —

>jj»  "Ho!  ho!  ho!  boys,  ho!

High — e — oh!  high — e — oh!"

It  was  sung  very  boisterously,  and  with  a  forced  attempt  at
merriment;  but  no  wail  of  despair,  no  words  of  impassioned
prayer,  could  have  had  such  a  depth  of  woe  in  them  as  the  wild
notes  of  the  chorus.  As  if  the  poor,  dumb  heart,  threatened,  —
prisoned,  —  took  refuge  in  that  inarticulate  sanctuary  of  music,
and  found  there  a  language  in  which  to  breathe  its  prayer  to
God !  There  was  a  prayer  in  it,  which  Simon  could  not  hear.
