great fear. While he was fast asleep I indulged
myself a great deal in looking about the room, which
to me appeared very fine and curious. The first
object that engaged my attention was a watch which
hung on the chimney, and was going. I was quite
surprised at the noise it made, and was afraid it would
tell the gentleman any thing I might do amiss:
and when I immediately after observed a picture hanging
in the room, which appeared constantly to look at
me, I was still more affrighted, having never seen
such things as these before. At one time I thought
it was something relative to magic; and not seeing
it move I thought it might be some way the whites
had to keep their great men when they died, and offer
them libation as we used to do to our friendly spirits.
In this state of anxiety I remained till my master
awoke, when I was dismissed out of the room, to my
no small satisfaction and relief; for I thought that
these people were all made up of wonders. In this
place I was called Jacob; but on board the African
snow I was called Michael. I had been some time
in this miserable, forlorn, and much dejected state,
without having any one to talk to, which made my life
a burden, when the kind and unknown hand of the Creator
(who in very deed leads the blind in a way they know
not) now began to appear, to my comfort; for one day
the captain of a merchant ship, called the Industrious
Bee, came on some business to my master’s house.
This gentleman, whose name was Michael Henry Pascal,
was a lieutenant in the royal navy, but now commanded
this trading ship, which was somewhere in the confines
of the county many miles off. While he was at
my master’s house it happened that he saw me,
and liked me so well that he made a purchase of me.
I think I have often heard him say he gave thirty
or forty pounds sterling for me; but I do not now
remember which. However, he meant me for a present
to some of his friends in England: and I was sent
accordingly from the house of my then master, one
Mr. Campbell, to the place where the ship lay; I was
conducted on horseback by an elderly black man, (a
mode of travelling which appeared very odd to me).
When I arrived I was carried on board a fine large
ship, loaded with tobacco, &c. and just ready to sail
for England. I now thought my condition much
mended; I had sails to lie on, and plenty of good victuals
to eat; and every body on board used me very kindly,
quite contrary to what I had seen of any white people
before; I therefore began to think that they were
not all of the same disposition. A few days after
I was on board we sailed for England. I was still
at a loss to conjecture my destiny. By this time,
however, I could smatter a little imperfect English;
and I wanted to know as well as I could where we were
going. Some of the people of the ship used to
tell me they were going to carry me back to my own
country, and this made me very happy. I was quite
rejoiced at the sound of going back; and thought if