After Hetty died all her labours fell upon me, in addition to my own.  I had now to milk eleven cows every morning before sunrise, sitting among the damp weeds; to take care of the cattle as well as the children; and to do the work of the house.  There was no end to my toils—­no end to my blows.  I lay down at night and rose up in the morning in fear and sorrow; and often wished that like poor Hetty I could escape from this cruel bondage and be at rest in the grave.  But the hand of that God whom then I knew not, was stretched over me; and I was mercifully preserved for better things.  It was then, however, my heavy lot to weep, weep, weep, and that for years; to pass from one misery to another, and from one cruel master to a worse.  But I must go on with the thread of my story.

One day a heavy squall of wind and rain came on suddenly, and my mistress sent me round the corner of the house to empty a large earthen jar.  The jar was already cracked with an old deep crack that divided it in the middle, and in turning it upside down to empty it, it parted in my hand.  I could not help the accident, but I was dreadfully frightened, looking forward to a severe punishment.  I ran crying to my mistress, “O mistress, the jar has come in two.”  “You have broken it, have you?” she replied; “come directly here to me.”  I came trembling; she stripped and flogged me long and severely with the cow-skin; as long as she had strength to use the lash, for she did not give over till she was quite tired.—­When my master came home at night, she told him of my fault; and oh, frightful! how he fell a swearing.  After abusing me with every ill name he could think of, (too, too bad to speak in England,) and giving me several heavy blows with his hand, he said, “I shall come home to-morrow morning at twelve, on purpose to give you a round hundred.”  He kept his word—­Oh sad for me!  I cannot easily forget it.  He tied me up upon a ladder, and gave me a hundred lashes with his own hand, and master Benjy stood by to count them for him.  When he had licked me for some time he sat down to take breath; then after resting, he beat me again and again, until he was quite wearied, and so hot (for the weather was very sultry), that he sank back in his chair, almost like to faint.  While my mistress went to bring him drink, there was a dreadful earthquake.  Part of the roof fell down, and every thing in the house went—­clatter, clatter, clatter.  Oh I thought the end of all things near at hand; and I was so sore with the flogging, that I scarcely cared whether I lived or died.  The earth was groaning and shaking; every thing tumbling about; and my mistress and the slaves were shrieking and crying out, “The earthquake! the earthquake!” It was an awful day for us all.