conscientious, and faithfully performed his duty to the best of his power. How he happened to obtain the little learning he had, I do not know. For at the time of which I am speaking, I believe the one-half of the men in the county, of his humble rank in life, could not write their own names. But it must be recollected that this was soon after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, and the men of whom I am speaking had grown up under the English Government. And the parents in our neighborhood, who could not read themselves, eagerly sent their children to this school. It had generally about thirty scholars, —which was a large number considering its retired situation and the sparse population about it.

The only exciting event which occurred while I was at this school was barring-out the school-master. I mention it to show the usages and the habits of the times in the part of the State in which my family lived. It was the custom of the school to have a fortnight's holiday at Christmas; and the day it was to commence was always announced by the school-master a week beforehand. The object of barring him out was to compel him to begin the holidays some days But it was not so much for the purpose gaining a few more days of idleness, as for the pleasure and excitement of the feat. And, strange as it may appear at this day, the parents of the scholars all knew of the plan, and were always ready to advise as

sooner.

of

to the best mode of defence, and encouraged the children to fight bravely and conquer the master, if he should prove obstinate and break in.

The barring-out to which I was a party, was carefully planned among the boys some days before it was executed. It was the custom of the school-master to give us a recess every day from twelve o'clock until one, to give us an opportunity of eating our dinners, (which we all brought with us,) and for recreation. This hour was technically called in the school, playtime, during which the teacher always went to his own house, distant a few hundred yards, for his own dinner, and never returned to the school-house until playtime was over. When the hour was out, he soon appeared at the door and shouted with a loud voice, "Come to books," and, upon this signal, it was the duty of the scholars to hasten to their places. The boys determined that on the appointed day the barring-out should take place at playtime. Accordingly, as soon as the recess commenced, and the school-master was out of hearing, the benches were heaped against the door, and the window nailed up, and a strong fire made, to prevent him from ascending the low roof of the cabin and coming down the chimney; and after eating our frugal dinners, we awaited with some anxiety his return. The girls who belonged to the school were of course excluded from the garrison.

He returned at the usual hour, and appeared sur

prised when he found the door closed against him. He ordered us to open it. We refused unless he would agree that the holidays should commence on that day. He seemed offended, and threatened us; and after trying to force the door by his own strength, and failing, he took a rail from a fence at hand and began striking the door with considerable force, as if he was determined to break in. We began to think there would be a real fight. But after thumping the door for some time, and trying the window, and threatening to keep us confined there all the ensuing night unless we surrendered, he finally yielded to our demands, and we unbarred the door and let him in. After some good-natured conversation on both sides, we took leave of him in our usual respectful manner, calling him "Master," as was the usage of the time, and returned to our homes in triumph.

But I doubt whether he intended to do more than he supposed to be necessary for the purpose of showing that he did not connive in our attempt to gain an addition to the customary holiday, by which he would, in truth, profit as well as ourselves. For the schoolhouse belonged to him, and any injury done to it would have been his own loss; and, moreover, he knew very well that if he broke in, and any of the scholars were injured in the fight, it would be resented by the parents and injure his school; yet it sometimes happened in the country that the master of the

school lost his temper, and a serious fight ensued. Our master, however, was a good-natured man, and saw the folly of such a conflict, when he must have been sure that the scholars were abetted by their parents. As for my part of the business, then a child of eight or nine years of age, I had very little in forming the plan, and should have been of very little service if it had come to blows. But every boy on such occasions was expected to be present to share the fortunes of his comrades, unless excused on the score of sickness or near relationship to the master. This was to show that it was the united action of the school, and not of a part only, and to prevent favoritism after the holidays, if the master should take offence at what was done. And any boy, however small, would have lost caste with his fellows if he had absented himself, unless his absence was previously sanctioned by them. Upon the occasion of which I am speaking, there were several small boys present as well as myself; but there were several well-grown lads in the school, well advanced in their teens, who would have been able to manage the master if he had proved obstinate and forced his way in.

When it was found useless to send us longer to this school, my elder brother and myself were placed at a grammar-school in the county, about ten miles off, which was kept by a man by the name of Hunter, and in which the pupils never exceeded a certain

number: I think twenty. He was a Scotchman, and had been, on his arrival in this country, employed as tutor in the family of one of the wealthy gentlemen of the county. He had the reputation of being an accomplished classical scholar; and his school, which had been established some years before I went to it, enjoyed a high reputation. The pupils all boarded in his house. Here I began the study of the Latin grammar. But I had made very little progress before the school was broken up. We had not been there more than two or three months before the conduct of the teacher struck the scholars as much altered and strange. He absented himself more than usual from the school, was observed to be often talking to himself as he walked about the grounds, and was often absent and odd when hearing our lessons. And one day, soon after the scholars had assembled, he came in and dismissed us, telling us to go home. He gave no reason for what he did; but we supposed he found himself too sick to attend to the school, and supposed we should all return again in a short time. But it turned out that his mind had become disordered, and he was drowned in the Patuxent River a few weeks afterwards. It was said that he fancied himself a disembodied spirit, and that he could walk on or through water without danger, and was drowned in attempting to walk across the river where, in the channel, it was deep enough to float large ships.