Chapter 10 Summary

Chapter 10 begins in January 1833 when Douglass goes to work for Mr. Covey. It was an awkward time for Douglass, because he was accustomed to living in the city, and now he was to work as a field hand on Covey's farm. Covey told him one day to drive a cart pulled by oxen into the woods to bring back firewood that had been chopped by Douglass. Because he had never used oxen before, Douglass lost control of the cart and oxen more than once. Although he was almost killed, he made it back with the firewood, but he damaged the cart and a gate in the process. As a result, he was subjected to a violent beating by Covey which left his back bruised and bloody. This became the first in a series of such beatings he was to receive while working for...