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SAMUEL D. BURRIS. 747
was elected to buy Burris at the sale, providing that he was not ran up to a figure exceeding the amount in hand.
Flint's abhorrence of Slavery combined with his fearlessness, cool bearing, and perfect knowledge from what he bad read of the usages of traders at slave sales, without question admirably fitted him to play the part of a trader for the time being.
When the hour arrived, the doomed man was placed on the auction-block. Two traders from Baltimore were known to be present; how many others the friends of Burris knew not The usual opportunity was given to tradera and speculators to thoroughly examine the property on the block, and most skillfully was Burris examined from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head ; legs, arms and body, beiug handled as horse-jot:kiea treat horses. Flint watched the ways of the traders and followed for effect their example. The auctioneer began and soon had a bid of five hundred dollars. A Baltimore trader was now in the lead, when Flint, if we mistake not, bought off the trader for one hundred dollars. The bids were thus suddenly checked, and Burris was knocked down to Isaac S. Flint (a strange trader). Of course he had left his abolition name at home and had adopted one suited to the occasion. When the crier's hammer indicated the last bid, although Buvris had borne up heroically throughout the trying ordeal, he was not by any means aware of the fact that lie had fallen into the hands of friends, but, on the contrary, evidently lal>ore |