It is generally believed that the majority of runaway slaves were males between the ages of sixteen and thirtyfive. Such a supposition, however, does not imply that the lot for female slaves was necessarily more tolerable, nor that bondwomen had any less keen a desire for freedom. Rather, male slaves were for the most part likelier to have opportunities for escape than their female counterparts. Bondmen were more frequently allowed to venture from their owners' property to run errands or even be leased to other masters or businesses that paid the slaves' wages to their owners. A slave charged with such responsibilities was already likely to have won a degree of trust from his owner that surely contributed to increased chances for escape. Indeed, the perception held by many whites of slaves' cheerful docility that helped spawn the "Sambo" stereotype was born of a...