Next morning Huckstep demanded of me whether I had whipped Sarah the day before; I replied in the affirmative.  Upon this he called Sarah forward and made her show her back, which bore no traces of recent whipping.  He then turned upon me and told me that the blows intended for Sarah should be laid on my back.  That night the overseer, with the help of three of the hands, tied me up to a large tree—­my arms and legs being clasped round it, and my body drawn up hard against it by two men pulling at my arms and one pushing against my back.  The agony occasioned by this alone was almost intolerable.  I felt a sense of painful suffocation, and could scarcely catch my breath.

A moment after I felt the first blow of the overseer’s whip across my shoulders.  It seemed to cut into my very heart.  I felt the blood gush, and run down my back.  I fainted at length under the torture, and on being taken down, my shoes contained blood which ran from the gashes in my back.  The skin was worn off from by breast, arms, and thighs, against the rough bark of the tree.  I was sick and feverish, and in great pain for three weeks afterwards; most of which time I was obliged to lie with my face downwards, in consequence of the extreme soreness of my sides and back, Huckstep himself seemed concerned about me, and would come frequently to see me, and tell me that he should not have touched me had it not been for “the cursed peach brandy.”

Almost the first person that I was compelled to whip after I recovered, was the man who pushed at my back when I was tied up to the tree.  The hands who were looking on at that time, all thought he pushed me much harder than was necessary:  and they expected that I would retaliate upon him the injury I had received.  After he was tied up, the overseer told me to give him a severe flogging, and left me.  I struck the tree instead of the man.  His wife, who was looking on, almost overwhelmed me with her gratitude.

At length one morning, late in the fall of 1835, I saw Huckstep, and a gentleman ride out to the field.  As they approached, I saw the latter was my master.  The hands all ceased their labor, and crowded around him, inquiring about old Virginia.  For my own part, I could not hasten to greet him.  He had too cruelly deceived me.  He at length came towards me, and seemed somewhat embarrassed.  “Well James,” said he, “how do you stand it here?” “Badly enough,” I replied.  “I had no thought that you could be so cruel as to go away and leave me as you did.”  “Well, well, it was too bad, but it could not be helped—­you must blame Huckstep for it.”  “But,” said I, “I was not his servant; I belonged to you, and you could do as you pleased.”  “Well,” said he, “we will talk about that by and by.”  He then inquired of Huckstep where big Sarah was.  “She was sick and died,” was the answer.  He looked round amoung the slaves again, and inquired for Harry.  The overseer told him that Harry undertook to kill him,