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Show 3+ Incidc nts in the Life of a Sla vc Girl. to rro lntt he pai l llO hoed to lllY \VOnl:;. Ilo ~aiel ho wasb n' o lougcr a boy, and cYcry d ay 1n:u ic 11 1. ~ yoke nwre (l·a1ling. 11 e ha<l rai ·e<l hi .· htuH l against his ruasLcr~ and \vas t be pul>licly whipped lor the of!encc. lrClui;Hlcd hin1 of the po\rcrty aud hardshi l)S he JHU. t encounter ~unon g stran o·cr~. I told hin1 he 1night Lo caught aud Lrought Lack; an<l that \vas t errible to thiuJ~ of. lie oTcw vexed, and askc<l if poYerty ancl hn.rd:hips with frccuorn, were Hot preferable to onr trcailncnt in Inxery. " Linda," he continued, " ·we arc dogs here; foot-balls, caLtlc, c-rcry thing that's n1oan. No, 1 will not stay. Lot thmn briug n1c back. \V c don t die but once." Ilc wa right ; but it was lrarcl to give hiu1 up. " Go," saicll, "and Lrcak your 1nothcr's heart." !repented of 1ny word · ere they ·were out. " Linda," said he, . ·peaking a.· I luul not heanl him speak that cv·cning, " how could you ·ay that'? Poor 1noth r ! be kind to her, Linda ; and you , too, cousin Fanny." Oou ·in Fanny was a friend who had. lived some years with us. FarewelL· wore exchanged, and tho bright, kind boy, endeared to us by so 1nany acts of love, vanished. from our sight. It i not necessary to state ho\v he 1n~ule his oflcapc. Suffice it to ay, he \Yas on bi!:) way to New ·y urk when a violent stonn overtook the Yc.·scl. The captain said he n1ust puL into the ncarc t port. Thi,· alan 1ed Hen· jatnin, who was a ware that he woulcl lJe a.d \'erti sc<l in every port ncar his owu town. lii ~ o1n lJarrassnlcn twas The Slave who Dared to Feel like a Man. 35 noticed by tho captain. rro port Lhcy went. There tho ad \·crLi ·en1ou L 1ncL Lhc captain'~ \y \. H cnj ~.unin so exactly aiL'\v-crod. iLs tle~eription, that the captain laid hold on hirn, and. Lonnd hin1 in chain.. Tho .tonn pas ·cd, and Lltey procccdcJ. to Now York. Before reaching that lJOrt Henjarnin 1nanagcd to get oif his chains and throw tl1en1 overboard. lie o ·capcJ. fi~om the vessel, but vvas pursuccl, captured, and carried back to his 1na ·tor. 'Vlwn 1ny grandmother returned hon1c and found her youngo~t chilJ had fled, great \vas her . ·or row ; but, with charactori 'tie piety, ·he said, " God' · wj ll he done." Each 1norning, she jnquircd if any 11 cw: ha<l Leon heard frorn her hoy. Yes, new: u ns heard. 'l'hc 1na 'tor \Vas rej oicing over a letter, aunoun ·ing tho capture of hi~ 1nnnan chattel. That d.ay ·celUS but a.· yestcnlny, ~0 wen do I r - lUOJnbcr it. I ~aw hin1 lo<l thro ugh the ~tn·r·ts in chains, Lo jail. 11 is f'ace \Vas ghat~tly pale, yet l'ull of clctennination. llc had }Jogged one of tho sailors to go to his lllOLhvr':; h ou ~c autl ask her 11ot to JuecL J1inL lie .·aid. tho ·ight of hOI' ui ,· Lress woul(t take fro 1n hi1n all sci -control. Nhc yearned to sec hin1, and. she 'WCnL; but she crooned her~· elf in tho crowd, that it 1uight !Je as her child hacl sai<L \V c ·wore uot allow·cd io Yisi t hi n1; hut \VC l1~Hl known the jailer for years and. he was a kind-hcarie(l n1an. At rniclni ghL he opened tho jail door for 1ny granchnother and n1ysol i' i.o euLer, in di~guise. \Vhcn we entered the cell not a .·ound. broke the stillness. "Bcnja1nin, Benja.n1in!" \vhi. p red my grandn1othcr. No answer. "Benja1nin!" she again faltered. Thoro |
