As she was also so white as not to be known as of colored lineage, without a critical survey, and her child was white also, it was much easier for her to pass on unsuspected.

The boy wondered and grieved that she could not eat; and when, putting his arms round her neck, he tried to wedge some of his cake into her mouth, it seemed to her that the rising in her throat would choke her.

There is some sense in it, in your case; they have brought you up like a child, fed you, clothed you, indulged you, and taught you, so that you have a good education; that is some reason why they should claim you. But I have been kicked and cuffed and sworn at, and at the best only let alone; and what do I owe? I’ve paid for all my keeping a hundred times over. I won’t bear it. No, I won’t!” he said, clenching his hand with a fierce frown

I’m a man as much as he is. I’m a better man than he is.

No; there is another use that a man can be put to that is WORSE!

O yes! a machine for saving work, is it? He’d invent that, I’ll be bound; let a nigger alone for that, any time. They are all labor-saving machines themselves, every one of ‘em. No, he shall tramp

What business had his slave to be marching round the country, inventing machines, and holding up his head among gentlemen? He’d soon put a stop to it. He’d take him back, and put him to hoeing and digging, and “see if he’d step about so smart.”

Why, you silly child, who do you think would want to buy your Harry? Do you think all the world are set on him as you are, you goosie? Come, cheer up, and hook my dress.

poor creature

Whoever visits some estates there, and witnesses the good-humored indulgence of some masters and mistresses, and the affectionate loyalty of some slaves, might be tempted to dream the oft-fabled poetic legend of a patriarchal institution, and all that; but over and above the scene there broods a portentous shadow—the shadow of law.

Tom couldn’t get the hang on ‘t; and he spiled so many for me, that I had to break off with him, though he was a good-hearted fellow, and as fair a business hand as is goin’.”

Perhaps you laugh too, dear reader; but you know humanity comes out in a variety of strange forms now-a-days, and there is no end to the odd things that humane people will say and do.

I’ve seen ‘em as would pull a woman’s child out of her arms, and set him up to sell, and she screechin’ like mad all the time;—very bad policy—damages the article—makes ‘em quite unfit for service sometimes.

These critters ain’t like white folks

I’m a humane man,

throwing him a quarter of an orange

wild, grotesque songs common among the negroes

Some folks don’t believe there is pious niggers Shelby,” said Haley, with a candid flourish of his hand, “but I do. I had a fellow, now, in this yer last lot I took to Orleans—‘t was as good as a meetin, now, really, to hear that critter pray; and he was quite gentle and quiet like. He fetched me a good sum, too, for I bought him cheap of a man that was ‘bliged to sell out; so I realized six hundred on him. Yes, I consider religion a valeyable thing in a nigger, when it’s the genuine article, and no mistake.”

You mean honest, as niggers go

g, to come under the species. He was a short, thick-set man, with coarse, commonplace features, and that swaggering air of pretension which marks a low man who is trying to elbow his way upward in the world. He was much over-dressed, in a gaudy vest of many colors, a blue neckerchief, bedropped gayly with yellow spots, and arranged with a flaunting tie, quite in keeping with the general air of the man. His hands, large and coarse, were plentifully bedecked with rings; and he wore a heavy gold watch-chain, with a bundle of seals of portentous size, and a great variety of colors, attached to it,—which, in the ardor of conversation, he was in the habit of flourishing and jingling with evident satisfaction. His conversation was in free and easy defiance of Murray’s Grammar,* and was garnished at convenient intervals with various profane expressions, which not even the desire to be graphic in our account shall induce us to transcribe.

For convenience sake, we have said, hitherto, two gentlemen.

A smart Ne-gro, named Dago, who had been for many years a gravediggeramong the Spaniards, aged forty-six years.... Four old Negroes,born in Africa, from sixty to seventy, but sound, caulkers by trade,whose names are as follows:- the first was named Muri, and hewas killed (as was also his son named Diamelo); the second, Nacta;the third, Yola, likewise killed; the fourth, Ghofan; and six full-grown Negroes, aged from thirty to forty-five, all raw, and bornamong the AshanteesMartinqui, Yan, Lecbe, Mapenda, Yambaio,Akim; four of whom were killed;... a powerful Negro namedAtufal, who, being supposed to have been a chief in Africa, hisowners set great store by him.... And a small Negro of Senegal, butsome years among the Spaniards, aged about thirty, which Negro’sname was Babo;...

augury

askance

the servant for a moment surveyed his master, as, intoilet at least, the creature of his own tasteful hands.

No sword drawnbefore James the First of England, no assassination in that timidKing’s presence, could have produced a more terrified aspect thanwas now presented by Don Benito.

In fact, like most menof a good, blithe heart, Captain Delano took to Negroes, notphilanthropically, but genially, just as other men to Newfoundlanddogs.

There is something in the Negro which, in a peculiar way, fits himfor avocations about one’s person. Most Negroes are natural valetsand hair-dressers; taking to the comb and brush congenially as tothe castanets, and flourishing them apparently with almost equalsatisfaction. There is, too, a smooth tact about them in thisemployment, with a marvellous, noiseless, gliding briskness, notungraceful in its way, singularly pleasing to behold, and still moreso to be the manipulated subject of. And above all is the great giftof good humour. Not the mere grin or laugh is here meant. Thosewere unsuitable. But a certain easy cheerfulness, harmonious inevery glance and gesture; as though God had set the whole Negroto some pleasant tune.

cuddy

aptain Delano wouldhave given the Spaniards alone, and in chief Don Benito; but thelatter objected; which disinterestedness, on his part, not a littlepleased the American; and so mouthfuls all around were givenalike to whites and blacks; excepting one bottle of cider, whichBabo insisted upon setting aside for his master.

the affair of the Spanish lad assailed with a knife by the slaveboy; an act winked at by Don Benito. Second, the tyranny in DonBenito’s treatment of Atufal, the black; as if a child should lead abull of the Nile by the ring in

Was it from foreseeing some possibleinterference like this, that Don Benito had, beforehand, given sucha bad character of his sailors, while praising the Negroes; though,indeed, the former seemed as docile as the latter the contrary? Thewhites, too, by nature, were the shrewder race. A man with someevil design, would not he be likely to speak well of that stupiditywhich was blind to his depravity, and malign that intelligencefrom which it might not be hidden? Not unlikely, perhaps. But ifthe whites had dark secrets concerning Don Benito, could then DonBenito be any way in complicity with the blacks? But they were toostupid. Besides, who ever heard of a white so far a renegade as toapostatize from his very species almost, by leaguing in against itwith Negroes? These difficulties recalled former ones.

There’s naked nature, now; pure tenderness and love, thoughtCaptain Delano, well pleased.

Sprawling at her lapped breasts was her wide-awake fawn, stark

ofvaletudinarian

febrile

don’t speak of me; Babo is nothing; what Babo has done was butduty

I have tothank those Negroes you see, who, though to your inexperiencedeyes appearing unruly, have, indeed, conducted themselves withless of restlessness than even their owner could have thoughtpossible under such circumstances.

inveigled

somnambulist

evinced

Sometimes the Negro gave hismaster his arm, or took his handkerchief out of his pocket for him;performing these and similar offices with that affectionate zealwhich transmutes into something filial or fraternal acts inthemselves but menial; and which has gained for the Negro therepute of making the most pleasing body-servant in the world; one,too, whom a master need be on no stiffly superior terms with, butmay treat with familiar trust; less a servant than a devotedcompanion

less good-naturedqualities of the Negroes

staid

wen

conglobated

bulwarks

Pyrenees

saya-y-manta.

Captain Delano’s surprise might have deepened into someuneasiness had he not been a person of a singularly undistrustfulgood nature, not liable, except on extraordinary and repeatedexcitement, and hardly then, to indulge in personal alarms, anyway involving the imputation of malign evil in man. Whether, inview of what humanity is capable, such a trait implies, along witha benevolent heart, more than ordinary quickness and accuracy ofintellectual perception, may be left to the wise to determine.

or to have been a servant to a Christian.

where we received her safe

ur son being nearest, we went to him first, to Portsmouth, where we met with him

thinking how it suffered with its wounds, and I was no way able to relieve it; and how it was buried by the heathen in the wilderness from among all Christians.

. Now was I full of joy, and yet not without sorrow; joy to see such a lovely sight, so many Christians together, and some of them my neighbors.

I have been in the midst of those roaring lions, and savage bears, that feared neither God, nor man, nor the devil, by night and day, alone and in company, sleeping all sorts together, and yet not one of them ever offered me the least abuse of unchastity to me, in word or action. Though some are ready to say I speak it for my own credit; but I speak it in the presence of God, and to His Glory.

but afterwards they assented to it, and seemed much to rejoice in it; some asked me to send them some bread, others some tobacco, others shaking me by the hand, offering me a hood and scarfe to ride in

with their black faces

But now our perverse and evil carriages in the sight of the Lord, have so offended Him, that instead of turning His hand against them, the Lord feeds and nourishes them up to be a scourge to the whole land.

They would pick up old bones, and cut them to pieces at the joints, and if they were full of worms and maggots, they would scald them over the fire to make the vermine come out, and then boil them, and drink up the liquor, and then beat the great ends of them in a mortar, and so eat them. They would eat horse’s guts, and ears, and all sorts of wild birds which they could catch; also bear, venison, beaver, tortoise, frogs, squirrels, dogs, skunks, rattlesnakes; yea, the very bark of trees; besides all sorts of creatures, and provision which they plundered from the English.

4. It was thought, if their corn were cut down, they would starve and die with hunger, and all their corn that could be found, was destroyed, and they driven from that little they had in store, into the woods in the midst of winter; and yet how to admiration did the Lord preserve them for His holy ends, and the destruction of many still amongst the English! strangely did the Lord provide for them; that I did not see (all the time I was among them) one man, woman, or child, die with hunger.

Thus did they scoff at us, as if the English would be a quarter of a year getting ready.

God seemed to leave his People to themselves, and order all things for His own holy ends.

Then I took it of the child, and eat it myself, and savory it was to my taste.

I went to see how she did, and she was well, considering her captive condition.

By which I certainly understood (though I suspected it before) that whatsoever the Indians told me respecting him was vanity and lies.

barbarous heathens

I had not seen my son a pretty while, and here was an Indian of whom I made inquiry after him, and asked him when he saw him. He answered me that such a time his master roasted him, and that himself did eat a piece of him, as big as his two fingers, and that he was very good meat. But the Lord upheld my Spirit, under this discouragement; and I considered their horrible addictedness to lying, and that there is not one of them that makes the least conscience of speaking of truth.

I told them the skin was off my back, but I had no other comforting answer from them than this: that it would be no matter if my head were off too.

through the good providence of God, I had a comfortable lodging that night.

squaw

But a sore time of trial, I concluded, I had to go through, my master being gone, who seemed to me the best friend that I had of an Indian, both in cold and hunger, and quickly so it proved.

sannup

I complained it was too heavy, whereupon she gave me a slap in the face, and bade me go;

she found me sitting and reading in my Bible; she snatched it hastily out of my hand, and threw it out of doors

“Nux,” which did much rejoice my spirit.

I desired them that they would carry me to Albany upon one of those horses, and sell me for powder: for so they had sometimes discoursed.

I boiled my peas and bear together, and invited my master and mistress to dinner; but the proud gossip, because I served them both in one dish, would eat nothing, except one bit that he gave her upon the point of his knife

During my abode in this place, Philip spake to me to make a shirt for his boy, which I did, for which he gave me a shilling. I offered the money to my master, but he bade me keep it; and with it I bought a piece of horse flesh. Afterwards he asked me to make a cap for his boy, for which he invited me to dinner. I went, and he gave me a pancake, about as big as two fingers. It was made of parched wheat, beaten, and fried in bear’s grease, but I thought I never tasted pleasanter meat in my life.

There one of them asked me why I wept. I could hardly tell what to say: Yet I answered, they would kill me. “No,” said he, “none will hurt you.” Then came one of them and gave me two spoonfuls of meal to comfort me, and another gave me half a pint of peas; which was more worth than many bushels at another time.

I observed they asked one another questions, and laughed, and rejoiced over their gains and victories.

King Philip

The First Remove

I asked them whether I might not lodge in the house that night, to which they answered, “What, will you love English men still?”

Oh the roaring, and singing and dancing, and yelling of those black creatures in the night, which made the place a lively resemblance of hell

Now away we must go with those barbarous creatures, with our bodies wounded and bleeding, and our hearts no less than our bodies.

dolefulest

We were not ready for so great a mercy as victory and deliverance. If we had been God would have found out a way for the English to have passed this river, as well as for the Indians with their squaws and children, and all their luggage.

I cannot but take notice of the strange providence of God in preserving the heathen.

When the Sabbath came they bade me go to work. I told them it was the Sabbath day, and desired them to let me rest, and told them I would do as much more tomorrow; to which they answered me they would break my face.

e first week of my being among them I hardly ate any thing; the second week I found my stomach grow very faint for want of something; and yet it was very hard to get down their filthy trash; but the third week, though I could think how formerly my stomach would turn against this or that, and I could starve and die before I could eat such things, yet they were sweet and savory to my taste.

my mistress to give me one spoonful of the meal, but she would not give me a taste.

Jehu

The occasion (as I thought) of their moving at this time was the English army, it being near and following them.

Oh, the hideous insulting and triumphing that there was over some Englishmen’s scalps that they had taken (as their manner is) and brought with them.

“Wait on the Lord, Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine Heart, wait I say on the Lord.”

One of the Indians that came from Medfield fight, had brought some plunder, came to me, and asked me, if I would have a Bible, he had got one in his basket. I was glad of it, and asked him, whether he thought the Indians would let me read? He answered, yes.

sister Sarah

The occasion of his coming to see me at this time, was this: there was, as I said, about six miles from us, a small plantation of Indians, where it seems he had been during his captivity

my son

When I came in sight, she would fall aweeping; at which they were provoked, and would not let me come near her, but bade me be gone; which was a heart-cutting word to me.

. She was about ten years old, and taken from the door at first by a Praying Ind. and afterward sold for a gun.

I went to see my daughter Mary,

six years, and five months old.

Then I took oaken leaves and laid to my side, and with the blessing of God it cured me also; yet before the cure was wrought, I may say, as it is in Psalm 38.5-6 “My wounds stink and are corrupt, I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day long.”

sometimes one Indian would come and tell me one hour that “your master will knock your child in the head,” and then a second, and then a third, “your master will quickly knock your child in the head.”

I then remembered how careless I had been of God’s holy time; how many Sabbaths I had lost and misspent, and how evilly I had walked in God’s sight; which lay so close unto my spirit, that it was easy for me to see how righteous it was with God to cut off the thread of my life and cast me out of His presence forever. Yet the Lord still showed mercy to me, and upheld me; and as He wounded me with one hand, so he healed me with the other.

It may be easily judged what a poor feeble condition we were in, there being not the least crumb of refreshing that came within either of our mouths from Wednesday night to Saturday night, except only a little cold water.

merciless enemies

he Lord renewed my strength still, and carried me along, that I might see more of His power; yea, so much that I could never have thought of, had I not experienced it.

inhumane creatures

One of the Indians carried my poor wounded babe upon a horse; it went moaning all along, “I shall die, I shall die.”

You must keep these stories as long as the world lasts; tell them to your children and grandchildren generation after generation. One person will remember them better than another. When you go to a man or a woman to ask for one of these stories carry something to pay for it, bread or meat, or whatever you have. I know all that happened in the world before this; I have told it to you. When you visit one another, you must tell these things, and keep them up always.

He stopped work and listened and when the voice again asked, "Shall I tell you stories?" he found that it came from the stone,

As soon as the boy promised to give the birds, the stone began telling what happened long ago.

. His foster mother tied the birds in little bundles of three or four and distributed them among her neighbors.

if he became a good hunter he would always be prosperous.