So I was forced to go to Mr. Trewitt.  He agreed that, if I would pay him the same wages as I paid my late master, and the $600 he gave for me, he would give me my free papers.  He bought two canal boats, and, taking me out of Mr. Grice’s employment, set me to work them on the same terms as I did for my former master.  I was two years and a half in earning $600 to pay for myself the second time.  Just when I had completed the payment, he failed.  On Christmas eve he gave me a letter to take to Mr. Mews, at Newbegun Creek.  I was rather unwilling to take it, wishing to go to my wife; I told him, too, I was going to his office to settle with him.  He offered to give me two dollars to take the letter, and said he would settle when I came back:  then Mr. Shaw came from another room, and said his vessel was ready loaded, but he had nobody he could trust with his goods; he offered me five dollars to take the vessel down, and deliver the goods to Mr. Knox, who also was at Newbegun Creek.  The wind was fair, and the hands on board, so I agreed; it being Christmas eve, I was glad of something to carry to my wife.  I ran the vessel down to the mouth of the creek, and anchored; when the moon rose, I went up the river.  I reached the wharf, and commenced taking out the goods that night, and delivered them all safely to Mr. Knox next morning.  I then took the letter to Mr. Mews, who read it, and, looking up at me, said, ‘Well, you belong to me.’  I thought he was joking, and said, ‘How?  What way?’ He said, ’Don’t you recollect when Trewitt chartered Wilson Sawyer’s brig to the West Indies?’ I said, I did.  He told me Trewitt then came to him to borrow $600, which he would not lend, except he had a mortgage on me:  Trewitt was to take it up at a certain time, but never did.  I asked him whether he really took the mortgage on me.  He replied that he certainly thought Trewitt would have taken up the mortgage, but he had failed, and was not worth a cent, and he, Mews, must have his money.  I asked him whether he had not helped me and my young mistress in the court house, when master James fooled me before.  He said he did help me all he could, and that he should not have taken a mortgage on me, but that he thought Trewitt would take it up.  Trewitt must have received some of the last payments from me, after he had given the mortgage, and knew he should fail; for the mortgage was given two months before this time.

My head seemed to turn round and round; I was quite out of my senses; I went away towards the woods; Mr. Mews sent his waiter after me to persuade me to go back.  At first I refused, but afterwards went.  He told me he would give me another chance to buy myself, and I certainly should have my freedom that time.  He said Mr. Enoch Sawyer wanted to buy me, to be his overseer in the Swamp.  I replied I would never try again to buy myself, and that they had already got $1,200 from me.  My wife[1] (this was my second wife) belonged to Mr. Sawyer; he told