Sometimes it was a wonder to themselves how they could endure all the provocations and sufferings of the apprenticeship; it was only “by de mercy of God!”

They were asked why they did not complain to the special magistrates.  They replied, that it did no good, for the magistrates would not take any notice of their complaints, besides, it made the masters treat them still worse.  Said one, “We go to de magistrate to complain, and den when we come back de busha do all him can to vex us.  He wingle (tease) us, and wingle us; de book-keeper curse us and treaten us; de constable he scold us, and call hard names, and dey all strive to make we mad, so we say someting wrong, and den dey take we to de magistrate for insolence.”  Such was the final consequence of complaining to the magistrate.  We asked them why they did not complain, when they had a good magistrate who would do them justice.  Their answer revealed a new fact.  They were afraid to complain to a magistrate, who they knew was their friend, because their masters told them that the magistrate would soon be changed, and another would come who would flog them; and that for every time they dared to complain to the GOOD magistrate, they would be flogged when the BAD one came.  They said their masters had explained it all to them long ago.

We inquired of them particularly what course they intended to take when they should become free.  We requested them to speak, not only with reference to themselves, but of the apprentices generally, as far as they knew their views.  They said the apprentices expected to work on the estates, if they were allowed to do so.  They had no intention of leaving work.  Nothing would cause them to leave their estates but bad treatment; if their masters were harsh, they would go to another estate, where they would get better treatment.  They would be obliged to work when they were free; even more than now, for then they would have no other dependence.

One tried to prove to us by reasoning, that the people would work when they were free.  Said he, “In slavery time we work even wid de whip, now we work ’till better—­what tink we will do when we free?  Won’t we work den, when we get paid?” He appealed to us so earnestly, that we could not help acknowledging we were fully convinced.  However, in order to establish the point still more clearly, he stated some facts, such as the following: 

During slavery, it took six men to tend the coppers in boiling sugar, and it was thought that fewer could not possibly do the work; but now, since the boilers are paid for their extra time, the work is monopolized by three men.  They would not have any help; they did all the work “dat dey might get all de pay.”