wood by the fireplace, and with it broke the girl’s nose and breastbone, and thus ended her life.  I will not say that this most horrid murder produced no sensation in the community.  It did produce sensation, but not enough to bring the murderess to punishment.  There was a warrant issued for her arrest, but it was never served.  Thus she escaped not only punishment, but even the pain of being arraigned before a court for her horrid crime.

Whilst I am detailing bloody deeds which took place during my stay on Colonel Lloyd’s plantation, I will briefly narrate another, which occurred about the same time as the murder of Demby by Mr. Gore.

Colonel Lloyd’s slaves were in the habit of spending a part of their nights and Sundays in fishing for oysters, and in this way made up the deficiency of their scanty allowance.  An old man belonging to Colonel Lloyd, while thus engaged, happened to get beyond the limits of Colonel Lloyd’s, and on the premises of Mr. Beal Bondly.  At this trespass, Mr. Bondly took offence, and with his musket came down to the shore, and blew its deadly contents into the poor old man.

Mr. Bondly came over to see Colonel Lloyd the next day, whether to pay him for his property, or to justify himself in what he had done, I know not.  At any rate, this whole fiendish transaction was soon hushed up.  There was very little said about it at all, and nothing done.  It was a common saying, even among little white boys, that it was worth a half-cent to kill a “nigger,” and a half-cent to bury one.

CHAPTER V

As to my own treatment while I lived on Colonel Lloyd’s plantation, it was very similar to that of the other slave children.  I was not old enough to work in the field, and there being little else than field work to do, I had a great deal of leisure time.  The most I had to do was to drive up the cows at evening, keep the fowls out of the garden, keep the front yard clean, and run of errands for my old master’s daughter, Mrs. Lucretia Auld.  The most of my leisure time I spent in helping Master Daniel Lloyd in finding his birds, after he had shot them.  My connection with Master Daniel was of some advantage to me.  He became quite attached to me, and was a sort of protector of me.  He would not allow the older boys to impose upon me, and would divide his cakes with me.

I was seldom whipped by my old master, and suffered little from any thing else than hunger and cold.  I suffered much from hunger, but much more from cold.  In hottest summer and coldest winter, I was kept almost naked—­no shoes, no stockings, no jacket, no trousers, nothing on but a coarse tow linen shirt, reaching only to my knees.  I had no bed.  I must have perished with cold, but that, the coldest nights, I used to steal a bag which was used for carrying corn to the mill.  I would crawl into this bag, and there sleep on the cold, damp, clay floor, with my head in and feet out.  My feet have been so cracked with the frost, that the pen with which I am writing might be laid in the gashes.