Bricks Without Straw | Page 2

saidst unto the bird, said the king. What did the
bird say unto thee?
The bird, said Neoncapos, bowing himself low before the king, the bird,
my lord, looked at me in great amaze, and cried again and again, in an
exceeding loud voice: Who! Who-o! Who-o-o!

Then was Pharaoh exceeding wroth, and his anger burned within him,
and he commanded that the fool should be taken and bound with cords,
and cast into prison, while he should consider of a fit punishment for
his impudent words.
NOTE.-A script attached to this manuscript, evidently of later date,
informs us that the fool escaped the penalty of his folly by the disaster
at the Red Sea.

CONTENTS

I. TRI-NOMINATE II. THE FONT III. THE JUNONIAN RITE IV.
MARS MEDDLES V. NUNC PRO TUNC VI. THE TOGA VIRILIS
VII. DAMON AND PYTHIAS VIII. A FRIENDLY PROLOGUE IX.
A BRUISED REED X. AN EXPRESS TRUST XI. RED WING XII.
ON THE WAY AY TO JERICHO XIII. NEGOTIATING A TREATY
XIV. BORN OF THE STORM XV. TO HIM AND HIS HEIRS
FOREVER XVI. A CHILD OF THE HILLS XVII. GOOD-MORROW
AND FAREWELL XVIII. "PRIME WRAPPERS," XIX. THE
SHADOW OF THE FLAG, XX. PHANTASMAGORIA, XXI. A
CHILD-MAN XXII. HOW THE FALLOW WAS SEEDED XXIII. AN
OFFERING OF FIRST-FRUITS XXIV. A BLACK DBMOCRITUS
XXV. A DOUBLE-HEADED ARGUMENT XXVI. TAKEN AT HIS
WORD XXVII. MOSES IN THE SUNSHINE XXVIII. IN THE PATH
OF THE STORM XXIX. LIKE AND UNLIKE XXX. AN
UNBIDDEN GUEST XXXI. A LIFE FOR A LIFE XXXII. A VOICE
FROM THE DARKNESS XXXIII. A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION
XXXIV. THE MAJESTY OF THE LAW XXXV. A PARTICULAR
TENANCY LAPSES XXXVI. THE BEACON-LIGHT OF LOVE
XXXVII. THE "BEST FRIENDS" REVEAL THEMSELVES
XXXVIII. "THE ROSE ABOVE THE MOULD," XXXIX. WHAT
THE MIST HID XL. DAWNING XLI. Q. E. D. XLII. THROUGH A
CLOUD-RIFT XLIII. A GLAD GOOD-BY XLIV. PUTTING THIS
AND THAT TOGETHER XLV. ANOTHER OX GORED XLVI.
BACKWARD AND FORWARD XLVII. BREASTING THE

TORRENT XLVIII. THE PRICE OF HONOR XLIX. HIGHLY
RESOLVED L. FACE ANSWERETH UNTO FACE LI. HOW SLEEP
THE BRAVE? LII. REDEEMED OUT OF THE HOUSE OF
BONDAGE LIII. IN THE CYCLONE LIV. A BOLT OUT OF THE
CLOUD LV. AN UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER LVI. SOME
OLD LETTERS LVII. A SWEET AND BITTER FRUITAGE LVIII.
COMING TO THE FRONT LIX. THE SHUTTLECOCK OF FATE
LX. THE EXODIAN LXI. WHAT SHALL THE END BE? LXII.
How?

BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW.
CHAPTER I.
TRI-NOMINATE.
"Wal, I 'clar, now, jes de quarest ting ob 'bout all dis matter o' freedom
is de way dat it sloshes roun' de names 'mong us cullud folks. H'yer I
lib ober on de Hyco twenty year er mo'--nobody but ole Marse Potem
an' de Lor', an' p'raps de Debble beside, know 'zackly how long it mout
hev been--an' didn't hev but one name in all dat yer time. An' I didn't
hev no use for no mo' neither, kase dat wuz de one ole Mahs'r gib me
hisself, an' nobody on de libbin' yairth nebber hed no sech name afo' an'
nebber like to agin. Dat wuz allers de way ub ole Mahs'r's names. Dey
used ter say dat he an' de Debble made 'em up togedder while he wuz
dribin' roun' in dat ole gig 'twixt de diff'ent plantations--on de Dan an'
de Ro'noke, an' all 'bout whar de ole cuss could fine a piece o' cheap
lan", dat would do ter raise niggers on an' pay for bringin' up, at de
same time. He was a powerful smart man in his day, wuz ole Kunnel
Potem Desmit; but he speshully did beat anythin' a findin' names fer
niggers. I reckon now, ef he'd 'a hed forty thousan' cullud folks, men an'
wimmen, dar wouldn't ha' been no two on 'em hevin' de same name.
Dat's what folks used ter say 'bout him, ennyhow. Dey sed he used ter
say ez how he wasn't gwine ter hey his niggers mixed up wid nobody
else's namin', an' he wouldn't no mo' 'low ob one black feller callin' ob
anudder by enny nickname ner nothin' ub dat kine, on one o' his

plantations, dan he would ob his takin' a mule, nary bit. Dey du say dat
when he used ter buy a boy er gal de berry fust ting he wuz gwine ter
du wuz jes ter hev 'em up an' gib 'em a new name, out 'n out, an' a clean
suit ob close ter 'member it by; an' den, jes by way ob a little 'freshment,
he used ter make de oberseer gib 'em ten er twenty good licks, jes ter
make sure ob der fergittin' de ole un dat dey'd hed afo'. Dat's what my
mammy sed, an' she allers 'clar'd dat tow'rd de las' she nebber could
'member what