Читать книгу Chains and Freedom: or, The Life and Adventures of Peter Wheeler, a Colored Man Yet Living онлайн

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“Well, I got to my new master’s, and all was mighty good, and the children says, “Oh! dis black boy fader bought, and he shall sleep with me;” and the children most worshipped me, and mistress gin me a great hunk of gingerbread, and I thought I had the nicest place in the world. But my joy was soon turned into sorrow. I slept that night on a straw bed, and nothin’ but an old ragged coverlid over me; and next morning I didn’t go down to make a fire, for old master always used to do that himself; and so when I comes down, master scolds at me, and boxes my ears pretty hard, and says, ‘I didn’t buy you to play the gentleman, you black son of a bitch—I got ye to work.’

“Well, I began to grow home-sick; and when he was cross and abusive, I used to think of mistress.

“Master was a cabinet-maker; and so next day, says he, ‘I’m agoin’ to make you larn the trade,’ and he sets me to planin’ rough cherry boards; and when it come night, my arms was so lame I couldn’t lift ’em to my head, pushin’ the jack-plane; and he kept me at this cabinet work till the first day of May, when I got so I could make a pretty decent bedstead. I come to live with him the first of March, and now he begins to fix and git ready for to move out to the new countries. Well, when we was a packin’ up the tools, I happened to hit a chisel agin’ a hammer, and dull it a little, and he gets mad, and cuffs me, and thrashes me ’bout the shop, and swears like a pirate. I says, ‘Master, I sartinly didn’t mean to do it.’ ‘You lie, you black devil, you did,’ he says; ‘and if you say another word, I’ll split your head open with the broad-axe.’ Well, I felt bad ’nough, but said nothin’. He advertised all his property pretty much, and sold it at vendue; and now we was nearly ready for a start. Master had promised to let me go and see sister Hagar, and mother, a few days afore we started; and as he was gone, mistress told me I might go. So I had liberty, and I detarmined to use it. I had catched six large muskrats, and had the skins, and thinks I to myself, what’s mine is my own; and so I went up stairs, and wraps a paper round ’em, and flings ’em out the window, and puts out with them for town, and sold ’em for a quarter of a dollar a piece. I went Friday; but I didn’t see mother, for she was gone away, and Sunday I spent visiting Hagar, and that night I got home. While I was gone they had found out the skins was a missin’; and soon as I’d got home, I see somethin’ was to pay; for master looked dreadful wrothy when I come in, and none of the family said a word, ‘how de,’ nor nothing, only Lecta, one of the gals, asked me how the folks did, and if I had a good visit; and she kept a talkin’, and finally, the old lady kind a scowled at her, (you see the muskrat skins set hard on her stomach,) and finally, master looked at me cross enough to turn milk sour, and says he, ‘Nigger, do you know anything ’bout them skins?’ Says I, ‘No, Sir;’ and I lied, it’s true, but I was scart. And says he, ‘you lie, you black devil.’ So I stuck to it, and kept a stickin’ to it, and he kept a growing madder, and says he, ‘If you don’t own it, I’ll whip your guts out.’ So he goes and gits a long whip and bed-cord, and that scart me worser yit, and I had to own it, and I confessed I had the money I got for ’em, all but a sixpence I had spent for gingerbread; and he searched my pocket, and took it all away, and half a dollar besides, that Mary Brown gin me to remember her by!! ☜—and then he gin me five or six cuts over the head, and says he, ‘Now, you dam nigger, if I catch you in another such lie, I’ll cut your dam hide off on ye;’ and then he drives me off to bed, without any supper; and he says, ‘If you ain’t down airly to make a fire, I’ll be up arter ye with a raw hide.’