with her wrists and ankles securely fastened with the straps.
Dinah now stripped her, and, since her head and feet were lower than the middle of her body, which was raised by the curve of the bench, the part of her person to be operated upon was thrown well up. She would have had a good figure except that her bottom was out of all proportion. It was too big. But nevertheless it was fairly- well shaped, with well-rounded cheeks meeting each other closely. Her thighs were large, too, and she had a sturdy pair of legs. Her skin was smooth and of a clear yellow tint.
Randolph took up the paddle and, standing at the culprit’s left side, said: Now you bitch, I’ll make your fat bottom smart. You’ve cost me four-hundred dollars, and I intend to take the value out of your yellow hide.
He raised the paddle high in the air over the trembling, crying woman, who, in dread of the coming stroke, drew in the cheeks of her bottom till the division between them looked like a fine line.
Down came the paddle with great force. There was a resounding smack on the upper part of the right cheek of her bottom. She gave a convulsive start and gasped for breath. Then she uttered a long, shrill squeal, and, at the same instant, a great, red, blister-like patch, the exact size and shape of the blade of the paddle, sprang up on her yellow skin.
The second stroke fell on the left cheek, and again the loud sounding smack was followed by a shriek. Another round patch showed red on her skin.
Randolph went on paddling with great severity, laying the strokes alternately on the right and on the left side of her bottom and striking a fresh place each time. Sophie screamed and writhed, twisting herself about in agony and jerking her tortured bottom from side to side on the bench as far as the straps binding her would allow, at one moment arching her loins and at the next instant flattening herself down with a shriek as the paddle smacked horribly on the flesh.
She wriggled and squirmed. She cried and screamed. She pleaded and prayed for mercy.
But Randolph was pitiless. He gave her several more strokes, then finished up by applying two extra-hard smacks, one to the upper part of each thigh, extracting from her louder shrieks and making her writhe more convulsively.
It had been a most severe punishment. Sophie’s bottom had become a dark purple color, the cheeks were quite swollen and the skin had a puffy appearance.
Randolph now threw down the paddle and told Dinah to release the woman. As soon as she was unstrapped, Sophie rolled off the bench and lay crying loudly. While she was being paddled, the other women had looked on in silence, the majority of them showing no signs of emotion, but some of the younger girls having tears in their eyes. They had all, with few exceptions, seen each other at various times receive a whipping, and everyone of them, without exception, had been whipped herself more or less frequently.
Randolph now told Dinah and Milly to take Sophie away and attend to her. They lifted the sufferer up, and, putting their arms round her-(she could hardly put one foot before the other)-led her wailing out of the hall, where they bathed her blistered bottom with cold water. Randolph then ordered a couple of the women to take the bench and the paddle back to the shed where they were kept. The other women and girls were sent to their work, and I was left alone with him in the hall.
Being well aware that whipping a woman always excited him, I felt pretty sure that I was going to be poked. I was not wrong. Putting his arm around my waist, he led me into the drawing room and made me lean over the high end of the sofa. Then he turned up my petticoats, let down my drawers and gave me a strong rogering from behind. He then went out, and I went up to my room to make myself tidy, for I was in rather a dishevelled state after his vigorous onslaught.
When I had removed all traces of what had occurred, I rang for Rosa and sent her to see how Sophie was getting on. When she came back she said: Dinah is bathin’ Sophie’s bottom with cold water. It looks drefful sore an’ it’s swelled up twice its size. I’se never seen such a bottom as dat woman’s got. She won’t be able to do no work for three or four days. I’se never had de paddle, an’ I hopes I never shall. It’s far wuss dan de switch.
I sent Rosa away and went into the garden, where I sat till Randolph came back to lunch. In the afternoon we went for a long ride together.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The weeks passed, and, in their course, the tide of war flowed nearer to us at Woodlands. The Federal troops had entered Virginia, and many skirmishes had taken place with various results. Then came the battle of Bull Run, in which, as you know, the Federals were utterly defeated.
When the news of the Confederate victory arrived at Woodlands, Randolph was jubilant. He said to me that the damned Yankees soon would be driven out of Virginia. He gave the field hands a couple of days’ holiday with an extra supply of food and liquor; the house women also had a treat and were allowed to invite their sweethearts to a dance in the servants’
quarters. I was very sorry to hear of the defeat of the Federal troops, but I did not think that they would be driven out of Virginia.
A short time after the battle of Bull Run, Randolph was summoned to Richmond to attend the first meeting of the Congress of the Confederates States. Since he expected to be away a considerable time, he gave me full instructions about what he wished me to do regarding the affairs on the plantation. He told me that I was to write twice a week, telling him exactly how things were going. He want away a couple of days later, and I was for the second time left alone; but on this occasion I had full charge of everything at Woodlands.
Randolph had lately been treating me with a little more consideration, and, though I had not the least love for him, I missed his company a little at first. Soon, however, I settled down contentedly to my solitary Me and did what I could to keep up the usual routine of work on the plantation, my efforts being well assisted by the overseers, who had been told to take any orders which I might give them. They were trustworthy men, and, though rather rough creatures, were always civil to me. I determined that as long as I was mistress on the plantation there should be as little whipping as possible, at least so far as the women were concerned. So I gave orders that no woman or girl was to be whipped in any way without my sanction. The overseers were very much surprised at my order, but I believe that they obeyed it; at any rate, as far as I knew, no woman or girl was whipped during the time I was in charge of the estate.
The days passed quietly and uneventfully on the plantation, but outside of it, everything was in a most disturbed state. Fighting was always going on somewhere. The Federal troops were concentrating in force, and were pressing on Richmond. Many of the neighboring plantations had been occupied by parties of the union soldiers, and I was daily expecting them to make their appearance at Woodlands. I wrote twice a week to Randolph, giving him particulars of everything which happened, and he wrote to me once a week, his letters always being business ones without a word of love.
At last, the boys in blue did come. One afternoon about four o’clock I happened to be looking out of one of the drawing-room windows when I saw a party of soldiers-led by an officer and accompanied by an army wagon- coming up the avenue towards the house. In a few minutes they halted on the terrace, piled their arms and unpacked the wagon, which contained blankets and other things belonging to the soldiers. My heart began to beat with excitement, and I sat down on the sofa to wait the denouement to the affair.
In a minute or two, Dinah ushered in an officer, who saluted me politely and said: Madam, I have been ordered to occupy this plantation, but I assure you that you shall not be interfered with in any way. I will put my men in the slaves’ quarters, but I must ask you to give me a room in the house.
I rose to my feet, smiling. It did my heart good to see the dear old blue uniform again. I am very glad to see you and your men, Sir, I said; I am a Northern woman and all my sympathies are with you. Take a seat, and I will have a room prepared for you at once.
He took a chair, looking very much surprised. Then I rang the bell for Dinah, and gave her the requisite
