Our House Was A Long Low Structure, Built Of Brick, And, Being Very
Old, Naturally Had The Reputation Of Being Haunted.
A former
proprietor, half a century before I was born, once had among his
slaves a very handsome young negro, who, on account of his beauty and
amiability, was a special favourite with his mistress.
Her preference
filled his poor silly brains with dreams and aspirations, and,
deceived by her gracious manner, he one day ventured to approach her
in the absence of his master and told her his feelings. She could not
forgive so terrible an insult to her pride, and when her husband
returned went to him, white with indignation, and told him how this
miserable slave had abused their kindness. The husband had an
implacable heart, and at his command the offender was suspended by the
wrists to a low, horizontal branch of "The Tree," and there, in sight
of his master and mistress, he was scourged to death by his fellow-
slaves. His battered body was then taken down and buried in a deep
hollow at some little distance from the last of the long row of ombu
trees. It was the ghost of this poor black, whose punishment had been
so much heavier than his offence deserved, that was supposed to haunt
the place. It was not, however, a conventional ghost, stalking about
in a white sheet; those who had seen it averred that it invariably
rose up from the spot where the body had been buried, like a pale,
luminous exhalation from the earth, and, assuming a human shape,
floated slowly towards the house, and roamed about the great trees,
or, seating itself on an old projecting root, would remain motionless
for hours in a dejected attitude. I never saw it.
Our constant companion and playmate in those days was a dog, whose
portrait has never faded from remembrance, for he was a dog with
features and a personality which impressed themselves deeply on the
mind. He came to us in a rather mysterious manner. One summer evening
the shepherd was galloping round the flock, and trying by means of
much shouting to induce the lazy sheep to move homewards. A strange-
looking lame dog suddenly appeared on the scene, as if it had dropped
from the clouds, and limping briskly after the astonished and
frightened sheep, drove them straight home and into the fold; and,
after thus earning his supper and showing what stuff was in him, he
established himself at the house, where he was well received. He was a
good-sized animal, with a very long body, a smooth black coat, tan
feet, muzzle, and "spectacles," and a face of extraordinary length,
which gave him a profoundly-wise baboon-like expression. One of his
hind legs had been broken or otherwise injured, so that he limped and
shuffled along in a peculiar lopsided fashion; he had no tail, and his
ears had been cropped close to his head: altogether he was like an old
soldier returned from the wars, where he had received many hard
knocks, besides having had sundry portions of his anatomy shot away.
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