第 14 节
作者:寻找山吹      更新:2022-04-27 10:15      字数:9322
  in all his ways; for I believe him to have been a much
  worse man after his conversion than before。  Prior
  to his conversion; he relied upon his own depravity
  to shield and sustain him in his savage barbarity;
  but after his conversion; he found religious sanction
  and support for his slaveholding cruelty。  He made
  the greatest pretensions to piety。  His house was the
  house of prayer。  He prayed morning; noon; and
  night。  He very soon distinguished himself among
  his brethren; and was soon made a class…leader and
  exhorter。  His activity in revivals was great; and he
  proved himself an instrument in the hands of the
  church in converting many souls。  His house was the
  preachers' home。  They used to take great pleasure
  in coming there to put up; for while he starved us; he
  stuffed them。  We have had three or four preachers
  there at a time。  The names of those who used to
  come most frequently while I lived there; were Mr。
  Storks; Mr。 Ewery; Mr。 Humphry; and Mr。 Hickey。
  I have also seen Mr。 George Cookman at our house。
  We slaves loved Mr。 Cookman。  We believed him to
  be a good man。  We thought him instrumental in get…
  ting Mr。 Samuel Harrison; a very rich slaveholder; to
  emancipate his slaves; and by some means got the
  impression that he was laboring to effect the emanci…
  pation of all the slaves。  When he was at our house;
  we were sure to be called in to prayers。  When the
  others were there; we were sometimes called in and
  sometimes not。  Mr。 Cookman took more notice of
  us than either of the other ministers。  He could not
  come among us without betraying his sympathy for
  us; and; stupid as we were; we had the sagacity to
  see it。
  While I lived with my master in St。 Michael's;
  there was a white young man; a Mr。 Wilson; who
  proposed to keep a Sabbath school for the instruction
  of such slaves as might be disposed to learn to read
  the New Testament。  We met but three times; when
  Mr。 West and Mr。 Fairbanks; both class…leaders;
  with many others; came upon us with sticks and
  other missiles; drove us off; and forbade us to meet
  again。  Thus ended our little Sabbath school in the
  pious town of St。 Michael's。
  I have said my master found religious sanction
  for his cruelty。  As an example; I will state one of
  many facts going to prove the charge。  I have seen
  him tie up a lame young woman; and whip her with
  a heavy cowskin upon her naked shoulders; causing
  the warm red blood to drip; and; in justification
  of the bloody deed; he would quote this passage of
  Scripture〃He that knoweth his master's will; and
  doeth it not; shall be beaten with many stripes。〃
  Master would keep this lacerated young woman
  tied up in this horrid situation four or five hours at
  a time。  I have known him to tie her up early in the
  morning; and whip her before breakfast; leave her;
  go to his store; return at dinner; and whip her again;
  cutting her in the places already made raw with his
  cruel lash。  The secret of master's cruelty toward
  〃Henny〃 is found in the fact of her being almost
  helpless。  When quite a child; she fell into the fire;
  and burned herself horribly。  Her hands were so
  burnt that she never got the use of them。  She could
  do very little but bear heavy burdens。  She was to
  master a bill of expense; and as he was a mean man;
  she was a constant offence to him。  He seemed
  desirous of getting the poor girl out of existence。
  He gave her away once to his sister; but; being a
  poor gift; she was not disposed to keep her。  Finally;
  my benevolent master; to use his own words; 〃set
  her adrift to take care of herself。〃  Here was a re…
  cently…converted man; holding on upon the mother;
  and at the same time turning out her helpless child;
  to starve and die!  Master Thomas was one of the
  many pious slaveholders who hold slaves for the
  very charitable purpose of taking care of them。
  My master and myself had quite a number of
  differences。  He found me unsuitable to his purpose。
  My city life; he said; had had a very pernicious effect
  upon me。  It had almost ruined me for every good
  purpose; and fitted me for every thing which was
  bad。  One of my greatest faults was that of letting
  his horse run away; and go down to his father…in…
  law's farm; which was about five miles from St。
  Michael's。  I would then have to go after it。  My
  reason for this kind of carelessness; or carefulness;
  was; that I could always get something to eat when
  I went there。  Master William Hamilton; my master's
  father…in…law; always gave his slaves enough to eat。
  I never left there hungry; no matter how great the
  need of my speedy return。  Master Thomas at length
  said he would stand it no longer。  I had lived with
  him nine months; during which time he had given
  me a number of severe whippings; all to no good
  purpose。  He resolved to put me out; as he said; to
  be broken; and; for this purpose; he let me for one
  year to a man named Edward Covey。  Mr。 Covey
  was a poor man; a farm…renter。  He rented the place
  upon which he lived; as also the hands with which
  he tilled it。  Mr。 Covey had acquired a very high
  reputation for breaking young slaves; and this repu…
  tation was of immense value to him。  It enabled him
  to get his farm tilled with much less expense to
  himself than he could have had it done without
  such a reputation。  Some slaveholders thought it not
  much loss to allow Mr。 Covey to have their slaves
  one year; for the sake of the training to which they
  were subjected; without any other compensation。
  He could hire young help with great ease; in con…
  sequence of this reputation。  Added to the natural
  good qualities of Mr。 Covey; he was a professor of
  religiona pious soula member and a class…leader in
  the Methodist church。  All of this added weight to
  his reputation as a 〃nigger…breaker。〃  I was aware of
  all the facts; having been made acquainted with
  them by a young man who had lived there。  I never…
  theless made the change gladly; for I was sure of
  getting enough to eat; which is not the smallest
  consideration to a hungry man。
  CHAPTER X
  I had left Master Thomas's house; and went to live
  with Mr。 Covey; on the 1st of January; 1833。  I was
  now; for the first time in my life; a field hand。  In
  my new employment; I found myself even more
  awkward than a country boy appeared to be in a
  large city。  I had been at my new home but one
  week before Mr。 Covey gave me a very severe whip…
  ping; cutting my back; causing the blood to run;
  and raising ridges on my flesh as large as my little finger。
  The details of this affair are as follows: Mr。 Covey
  sent me; very early in the morning of one of our
  coldest days in the month of January; to the woods;
  to get a load of wood。  He gave me a team of un…
  broken oxen。  He told me which was the in…hand ox;
  and which the off…hand one。  He then tied the end
  of a large rope around the horns of the in…hand ox;
  and gave me the other end of it; and told me; if
  the oxen started to run; that I must hold on upon
  the rope。  I had never driven oxen before; and of
  course I was very awkward。  I; however; succeeded in
  getting to the edge of the woods with little diffi…
  culty; but I had got a very few rods into the woods;
  when the oxen took fright; and started full tilt; carry…
  ing the cart against trees; and over stumps; in the
  most frightful manner。  I expected every moment
  that my brains would be dashed out against the
  trees。  After running thus for a considerable dis…
  tance; they finally upset the cart; dashing it with
  great force against a tree; and threw themselves into
  a dense thicket。  How I escaped death; I do not
  know。  There I was; entirely alone; in a thick wood;
  in a place new to me。  My cart was upset and shat…
  tered; my oxen were entangled among the young
  trees; and there was none to help me。  After a long
  spell of effort; I succeeded in getting my cart righted;
  my oxen disentangled; and again yoked to the cart。
  I now proceeded with my team to the place where
  I had; the day before; been chopping wood; and
  loaded my cart pretty heavily; thinking in this way
  to tame my oxen。  I then proceeded on my way
  home。  I had now consumed one half of the day。  I
  got out of the woods safely; and now felt out of
  danger。  I stopped my oxen to open the woods gate;
  and just as I did so; before I could get hold of my
  ox…rope; the oxen again started; rushed through the
  gate; catching it between the wheel and the body of
  the cart; tearing it to pieces; and coming within a
  few inches of crushing me against the gate…post。  Thus
  twice; in one short day; I escaped death by the
  merest chance。  On my return; I told Mr。 Covey
  what had happened; and how it happened。  He or…
  dered me to return to the woods again immediately。
  I did so; and he followed on after me。  Just as I got
  into the woods; he came up and told me to stop my
  cart; and