"A storm am brewin' in de Souf,
- A storm am brewin' now.
Oh! hearken den, and shut your mouf,
- And I will tell you how:
And I will tell you how, ole boy,
- De storm of fire will pour,
And make de darkies dance for joy,
- As dey neber danced afore;
So shut your mouf as close as deafh,
And all you niggas hole your breafh,
- And I will tell you how.
"De darkies at de Norf am ris,
- And dey am comin' down—
Am comin' down, I know dey is,
- To do de white folks brown!
Dey'll turn ole Massa out to grass,
- And set de niggas free,
And when dat day am come to pass
- We'll all be dar to see!
So shut your mouf as close as deafh,
And all you niggas hole your breafh,
- And do de white folks brown!
"Den all de week will be as gay
- As am de Chris'mas time;
We'll dance all night and all de day,
- And make de banjo chime—
And make de banjo chime, I tink,
- And pass de time away,
Wid 'nuf to eat and nuf to drink,
- And not a bit to pay!
So shut your mouf as close as deafh,
And all you niggas hole your breafh,
- And make de banjo chime."
How to escape from prison was ever the thoughts by day and dreams by night of the incarcerated. Plans were concocted, partly put into execution, and then proved failures. Some of these caused increased suffering to the prisoners after their discovery; for, where the real parties could not be found, the whole were ill-treated as a punishment to the guilty. Tunnelling was generally the mode for escape; and tunnelling became the order of the day, or, rather, the work for the night. In the latter part of November, 1863, the unusual gaiety of the prisoners showed that some plan of exit from the prison was soon to be exhibited.
