Part 4 (1/2)

Wilson having learned that I was not desirous of returning to him, wrote to Mr Thompson to send me home as soon as the last day ofme, and made efforts to that effect He sent me to Wilson to learn the price set for me I arrived in due time, when Wilson informed me that he would sell me to Thompson, but that he would not take less than twelve hundred dollars, cash

The proposition did not seem to please Thompson, but after a time he concluded to buy me, and sent his son to Wilson with the purchase money

The purchase at that particular time was lucky for me, as Wilson had written Thompson a very abusive letter, and it was received by Mr

Tho of the day on which his son went to Wilson's to buy ain was made, however, and I was duly transferred to my new master, by delivery and a bill of sale The personal matter between Wilson and Thompson soon blew over, and I was duly installed on the plantation as one of the chattel fixtures

I seemed to take a new lease of life from this time, and determined, if possible, to profit by former experiences and shun every appearance of ill-nature and evil intentions, and to gain the confidence of ht better do the work of my heavenly Master All nature seeing the will of God

I was invested with authority on the plantation by Mr Thompson, and was required to keep an eye on the overseer, and to report any enorht be committed by hieneral overseer, besides the usual field bosses; yet there were other slaves on the plantation who had the confidence of the ence and integrity

The position in which I was now placed was difficult and onerous; but I did my duty to the very best of my ability, and satisfactorily to my master The overseer soon found out that I was _his_ overseer; and he used everythat would degrade reatest forbearance and the very closest attention toto everything with the most scrupulous care he could find no fault with me, that had truth for its foundation But the constant and pertinacious maliciousness of the overseer, and rief

As a rule, when a bad and wicked enerally prevails, for a time, and is apparently successful in his schemes; and should he meet with failure at the onset his want of success only reater exertions and ed by the devil, and the devil being a hard driver, he either rushes to his own destruction or destroys the happiness or lives of others Thus I was placed in the crucible for further refineave way for some time; but God ith me, and in the end I prevailed The overseer's naed to that class of southern whites who are noted for their ignorance and brutality He could read and write a little,--just enough to ro's pass or a receipt for money paid on account of his employer In this respect I was far in advance of him, of which my master are, and which was one of the causes of Hines' excessive hatred of reat desire to ”put me down and ious, and entirely wanting in every attribute of a Christian He was also what in the South is termed a ”bully”--that is, he was free to use his pistols on the slightest occasion, when a his equals, but when in the presence of his superiors he was a cringing sycophant and coward He was a real coward, at best, in all places He did not want me on the plantation; and he was determined that he would so harrass me that I would become as reckless and devilish as himself, and thereby compel my master to send me to a slave-market to be sold

Hines concocted various tales and reported theed insubordination, laziness, refusal to work, etc, but all to no effect Finally he told my master that I was so disobedient that the rest of the slaves were affected by my conduct, and that I would ruin all the slaves on the plantation unless severe means were used to conquerhis story, that Jack, a fellow-servant of er days, had killed Prince, another fellow-servant, on Wilson's plantation, several years before; that I ht be imbued with the saht meet with the same fate of Prince

This murder occurred after I had been sold by Wilson to Tho permitted to return to Wilson's plantation once a year to visit and preach tothe hbor of Wilson's by the na to Scott he wished to tie him up and whip him Jack refused to be whipped by Scott or any one else, when Prince was called upon by his master (Scott) to help him secure Jack Prince was reluctant, but was commanded two or three times to take hold of Jack and hold him Jack told him not to approach hi he made the effort to tie Jack, when he was stabbed to the heart with a knife in Jack's hand, and expired almost instantly Jack made his escape for a short tied without a trial or an opportunity to make any defense Jack was captured in a corn-crib on Wilson's plantation, which made Thompson suppose the murder had been committed there

This recital, which was made in substance to Hines by my master, cowed the overseer considerably, and a house-servant as present during the conversation afterwards told me that Hines' face turned white as a sheet, and he trembled like a leaf

My master knew his overseer was a coward, and that if he could work upon his fears by supposing , he would probably save me from Hines' malice, and keep the overseer to his work Good overseers were hard to get in the South An intelligent Christian man would not have such a position under any circumstances, and the very best of the ”poor white trash” ould_, were unreliable and brutish; therefore Mr Thompson had to do the very best he could under the circumstances He did not believe Hines; yet he had to humor him, in a measure

After a few days Hines reported to Mr Thompson that he had heard me say that I would never be whipped by hi as I had life to resist, which was a most malicious falsehood What I did tell Hines was, that I would so conduct myself and so perform my work that he nor any other overseer on the plantation should never have cause to chastise me

The falsehood inflamed my master, and in his wrath he told Hines to whip ht commit, or kill me in the attelee; yet he dare not atte sure of sufficient force to carry theed me to pick six hundred pounds of cotton and deliver it at the weighing-house at night, under penalty, for a failure, of one hundred lashes on my bare back with a rawhide

This would not have been an extraordinary task in good cotton; but where we had to work that day the cotton was poor, and in that field the crop was not ainst fate all day, and prayed to Alhty God to help me in my hour of need, and keep me steadfast I kneas to be punished not for any fault or ratify a brute in human shape, and th The burden was hard to bear, yet I prayed for strength to bear it When called fro until all the other slaves had their cotton weighed When hed I was told by Hines that I had only picked four hundred pounds I verily believed this to be untrue, and felt convinced that I had picked at least five hundred pounds, for I was one of the best, if not the best, cotton-pickers in the country; and I had labored faithfully and rapidly all day, and did not lose a minute's time, unnecessarily

Hines turned to me and said, Go to your quarters; I will settle with you in the an new trials My duty and my Christianity instructed me to face the undeserved and unjust punishment manfully The devil and my human nature told race of a whipping was too much for me, and I succuements as I could, and concealed , so that I could take an early start in the night and travel behind -place, and when night caht me and reported what had been done for my capture