A more severe but more unusual punishment is the ‘thumb-screw.’  In this a noose is passed around the negro’s thumb and fore-finger, while the cord is thrown over the upper cross-pole, and the culprit is drawn up till his toes barely touch the ground.  In this position the whole weight of the body rests on the thumb and fore-finger.  The torture is excruciating, and strong, able-bodied men can endure it but a few moments.  The Colonel naively told me that he had discontinued its practice, as several of his women had nearly lost the use of their hands, and been incapacited for field labor, by its too frequent repetition.  ’My ——­ drivers,’[L] he added, ’have no discretion, and no humanity; if they have a pique against a nigger, they show him no mercy.’

The old shanty I have described was now the place of the Overseer’s confinement.  Open as it was at top, bottom, and sides, it seemed an unsafe prison-house; but Jim had rendered its present occupant secure by placing ‘de padlocks on him.’

‘Where did you catch him?’ asked the Colonel of Jim, as, followed by every darky on the plantation, we took our way to the old building.

’In de swamp, massa.  We got Sandy and de dogs arter him—­dey treed him, but he fit like de debil.’

‘Any one hurt?’

’Yas, Cunnel; he knifed Yaller Jake, and ef I hadn’t a gibin him a wiper, you’d a had anudder nigger short dis mornin’—­shore.’

‘How was it? tell me,’ said his master, while we paused, and the darkies gathered around.

’Wal, yer see, massa, we got de ole debil’s hat dat he drapped wen you had him down; den we went to Sandy’s fur de dogs—­dey scented him to onst, and off dey put for de swamp.  ’Bout twenty on us follored ’em.  He’d a right smart start on us, and run like a deer, but de hounds kotched up wid him ’bout whar he shot pore Sam.  He fit ’em and cut up de Lady awful, but ole Caesar got a hole ob him, and sliced a breakfuss out ob his legs.  Somehow, dough, he got away from de ole dog, and clum a tree.  ’T was more’n an hour afore we kotched up; but dar he war, and de houns baying ’way as ef dey know’d wat an ole debil he am.  I’d tuk one ob de guns—­you warn’t in de hous, massa, so I cudn’t ax you.’

‘Never mind that; go on,’ said the Colonel.

’Wal, I up wid de gun, and tole him ef he didn’t cum down I’d gib him suffin’ dat ’ud sot hard on de stummuk.  It tuk him a long w’ile, but—­he cum down.’  Here the darky showed a row of ivory that would have been a fair capital for a metropolitan dentist.

‘Wen he war down,’ he resumed, ’Jake war gwine to tie him, but de ole ‘gator, quicker dan a flash, put a knife enter him.’

‘Is Jake much hurt?’ interrupted the Colonel.

’Not bad, massa; de knife went fru his arm, and enter his ribs, but de ma’am hab fix him up, and she say he’ll be ‘round bery sudden.’

‘Well, what then?’ inquired the Colonel.