IN 1853 at Pepperwick, the largest rice plantation in South Carolina, all of the slaves, field hands and house servants, are called out to watch. Storyteller Old George, whose tales remind them of their lives before captivity, is caged and buried in wood chips up to his neck.
Fifteen-year-old Mozay, the educated slave companion and servant to Clarence Little, the rice planter's son, stands with the other boys. With only a look from Old George,...