The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano- Written By Himself- Chapter 2
Summary
TLDRIn Chapter 2 of 'The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano,' Equiano recounts his kidnapping from his African village, the heart-wrenching separation from his sister, and the harrowing journey that led to his enslavement. The chapter vividly describes the horrors of the Middle Passage, the inhumane conditions aboard the slave ship, and the despair that gripped him as he was transported to the West Indies. It also touches on the resilience of the human spirit, as Equiano and his fellow captives endure the cruelties of their captors and the unknown fate that awaits them.
Takeaways
- 😢 The narrator, Olaudah Equiano, recounts his traumatic experience of being kidnapped from his family and sold into slavery.
- 👪 Equiano's family was large, with many siblings, and he was particularly close to his only sister, who was also kidnapped.
- 🌳 He describes the rich and vibrant landscape of his homeland, with its abundant resources and diverse cultures.
- 🔍 During his captivity, Equiano witnessed and experienced the cruelties of the slave trade, including the inhumane conditions on slave ships.
- 🚢 The sight of the sea and a slave ship was Equiano's first encounter with the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade.
- 🌍 He endured multiple sales and transfers, each time being further removed from his homeland and culture.
- 😖 The emotional turmoil of being separated from his sister and the fear of never seeing her again deeply affected Equiano.
- 🏘️ Upon arrival in Barbados, Equiano was shocked by the unfamiliar architecture and the sight of people riding horses.
- 📦 The slaves were treated as commodities, being inspected, separated, and sold in a chaotic and distressing manner.
- ⛓ The harsh treatment and the dehumanizing conditions on the ship led to many slaves' deaths, highlighting the brutality of the Middle Passage.
Q & A
What is the main theme of Chapter 2 of 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano'?
-The main theme of Chapter 2 is the kidnapping and enslavement of the author, Olaudah Equiano, and his subsequent experiences, including his separation from his sister and the horrors he faces aboard a slave ship.
How does Equiano describe his early life before being kidnapped?
-Equiano describes his early life as being filled with love and care from his family, particularly his mother, and being trained in the art of war from a young age.
What was the method used by the kidnappers to abduct Equiano and his sister?
-The kidnappers got over the walls of their home, seized Equiano and his sister, stopped their mouths to prevent crying out, and ran off with them into the nearest wood.
How did Equiano and his sister react to their initial abduction?
-Equiano and his sister were initially unable to cry out or resist due to their mouths being stopped. They were overpowered by fatigue and grief, finding some relief only in sleep.
What was the emotional impact on Equiano when he was separated from his sister?
-The separation from his sister caused Equiano great distress and sorrow, leaving him in a state of distraction and leading him to cry and grieve continually.
How did Equiano's treatment change when he was sold to a chieftain?
-Equiano's treatment improved significantly when he was sold to a chieftain who had two wives and children. They used him well, comforted him, and his main employment was working the bellows for the chieftain who was a smith.
What was Equiano's initial reaction to seeing the sea and a slave ship?
-Equiano was initially filled with astonishment upon seeing the sea and a slave ship, which soon converted into terror when he was taken aboard.
How did Equiano perceive the Europeans on the slave ship?
-Equiano perceived the Europeans on the slave ship as bad spirits or savage people due to their different complexions, long hair, and the language they spoke.
What was Equiano's experience during the middle passage on the slave ship?
-Equiano's experience during the middle passage was filled with horrors. He was chained, faced an unbearable stench, and was severely flogged when he refused to eat. He also witnessed the cruelty and death of others on board.
How did Equiano feel when he arrived at Barbados and was sold?
-Equiano felt a mix of fear and relief upon arrival at Barbados. He was initially afraid that he and the other slaves would be eaten by the Europeans, but was somewhat relieved to learn they were to be sold to work instead.
What did Equiano observe about the treatment of slaves during the sale process in Barbados?
-Equiano observed that the sale process was chaotic and distressing for the slaves. Families and friends were separated, and the slaves were treated with little regard for their humanity, being 'pinned up together like so many sheep in a fold'.
Outlines
👶 Birth and Early Life of Olaudah Equiano
The first paragraph introduces Olaudah Equiano's autobiography, detailing his birth and early life in Africa. Equiano recounts his happy childhood, his father's status, and the importance of his mother in his upbringing. He describes the tradition of training children in the art of war and the cultural practices of his people. The paragraph takes a dramatic turn when Equiano and his sister are kidnapped, marking the beginning of his tragic separation from his family and the start of his journey into slavery.
🌳 Kidnapping and the Quest for Freedom
In the second paragraph, Equiano narrates his experience after being kidnapped, including his failed attempts to escape and the harsh realities of being held captive. He describes the kindness of one of his masters and the brief moments of hope when he contemplates escape. However, his plans are thwarted by an incident involving the accidental death of a chicken, leading to his punishment and subsequent sale. The paragraph highlights the cruelty and injustices Equiano faces, as well as his enduring spirit and desire for freedom.
🚣 Travels and Reunion with His Sister
The third paragraph continues Equiano's journey through Africa, detailing his travels with different captors and his encounters with various cultures and languages. A significant event is the unexpected reunion with his sister, which brings a momentary respite from their suffering. However, this joy is short-lived as they are once again separated, plunging Equiano into deeper despair. The paragraph captures the emotional turmoil and the harsh conditions that Equiano endures as he is moved further away from his homeland.
🌊 First Encounter with the Sea and Slave Ship
In the fourth paragraph, Equiano describes his arrival at the seacoast and his first sighting of the ocean and a slave ship. His initial awe quickly turns to terror as he is forced aboard the ship, where he witnesses the inhumane treatment of fellow captives. The paragraph vividly portrays the horrors of the Middle Passage, including the cramped and unsanitary conditions below deck, the brutality of the crew, and the despair felt by Equiano and the other enslaved Africans.
🚢 The Middle Passage and its Horrors
The fifth paragraph delves deeper into the horrors of the Middle Passage. Equiano recounts the physical and psychological torments, including the lack of fresh air, the stench, and the brutal punishment inflicted upon those who attempted to escape or resist. He also describes the crew's use of navigational tools, which he perceives as magic, adding to the sense of being in a foreign and terrifying world. The paragraph conveys the desperation and hopelessness felt by the captives as they are transported across the ocean to an uncertain fate.
🏝 Arrival in Barbados and the Slave Trade
The final paragraph of the provided text describes Equiano's arrival in Barbados and the process of being sold into slavery. He details the fear and confusion among the newly arrived Africans as they are examined and sorted like commodities. The paragraph also includes a critique of the slave traders, questioning the morality of separating families and friends, and highlighting the inhumanity of the slave trade. Equiano's narrative ends with a poignant reflection on the cruelty of slavery and the suffering it inflicts on its victims.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Kidnapping
💡Separation
💡Slave Ship
💡West Indies
💡Cultural Differences
💡Resistance
💡Dehumanization
💡African Traditions
💡Coercion
💡Survival
💡Inhumanity
Highlights
Introduction of Olaudah Equiano's early life and his kidnapping with his sister.
Equiano's separation from his sister and the emotional impact of their forced parting.
Equiano's experiences of being sold and the kindness of his first master's family.
Description of Equiano's work as a bellows worker and his observations on goldworking.
Equiano's attempts to escape and his longing for freedom and home.
The tragic incident with the chicken that led to Equiano's flight and subsequent capture.
Equiano's reflections on the kindness and cruelty he experienced from different masters.
Reunion and subsequent separation from his sister, deepening Equiano's despair.
Equiano's observations on the cultural and linguistic diversity he encounters during his travels.
First encounter with the sea and a slave ship, marking a turning point in Equiano's journey.
The horrors of the slave ship and Equiano's initial impressions of the crew.
Equiano's experiences of the Middle Passage, including the conditions and treatment on board.
The arrival in Barbados and the sale of the slaves, highlighting the brutality of the slave trade.
Equiano's reflections on the inhumanity of separating families and the emotional toll of slavery.
Conclusion of Chapter 2 with a critique of the slave trade and its impact on African families.
Transcripts
chapter 2 of the interesting narrative
of olaouda aguiano this is a librivox
recording all librivox recordings are in
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chapter 2 of the interesting narrative
of the life of olaoudo ecuano by olauda
ecuano chapter 2.
the author's birth and parentage his
being kidnapped with his sister their
separation surprise at meeting again are
finally separated account of the
different places and incidents the
author met with till his arrival on the
coast the effect the site of a slave
ship had on him he sails for the west
indies horrors of a slave ship arrives
at barbados where the cargo is sold and
dispersed
i hope the reader will not think i have
trespassed on his patience and
introducing myself to him with some
account of the manners and customs of my
country they had been implanted in me
with great care and made an impression
on my mind which time could not erase
and which all the adversity and variety
of fortune i have since experienced
served only to rivet and record for
whether the love of one's country be
real or imaginary or a lesson of reason
or an instinct of nature i still look
back with pleasure on the first scenes
of my life though that pleasure has been
for the most part mingled with sorrow
i've already acquainted the reader with
the time and place of my birth my father
besides many slaves had a numerous
family of which seven lived to grow up
including myself and a sister who was
the only daughter
as i was the youngest of the sons i
became of course the great favorite with
my mother and was always with her and
she used to take particular pains to
form my mind
i was trained up for my earliest years
in the art of war my daily exercise was
shooting and throwing javelins and my
mother adorned me with emblems after the
manner of our greatest warriors in this
way i grew up till i was turned the age
of 11 when an inn was put to my
happiness in the following manner
generally when the grown people in the
neighborhood were gone far in the fields
to labor the children assembled together
in some of the neighbor's premises to
play and commonly some of us used to get
up a tree to look out for any assailant
or kidnapper that might come upon us for
they sometimes took these opportunities
of our parents as absence to attack and
carry off as many as they could seize
one day as i was watching at the top of
the tree in our yard i saw one of those
people come into the yard of our next
neighbor but one to kidnap there being
many stout young people in it
immediately on this i gave the alarm of
the rogue and he was surrounded by the
stoutest of them who entangled him with
cords so that he could not escape till
some of the grown people came and
secured him
but alas along it was my fate to be thus
attacked and to be carried off when none
of the grown people were nigh
one day when all our people were gone
out to their works as usual and only i
and my dear sister were left to mine the
house two men and a woman got over our
walls and in a moment ceased us both and
without giving us time to cry out or
make resistance they stopped our mouths
and ran off with us into the nearest
wood
here they tied our hands and continued
to carry us as far as they could till
night came on when we reached a small
house where the robbers halted for
refreshment and spent the night
we were then unbound but weren't unable
to take any food and being quite
overpowered by fatigue and grief our
only relief was some sleep which allayed
our misfortune for a short time
the next morning we left the house and
continued traveling all the day for a
long time we kept the woods but at last
we came into a road which i believed i
knew
i had now some hopes of being delivered
for we had advanced but a little way
before i discovered some people at a
distance on which i began to cry out for
their assistance but my cries had no
other effect than to make them tie me
faster and stop my mouth and then they
put me into a large sack
they also stopped my sister's mouth and
tied her hands and in this manner we
proceeded till we were out of sight of
these people
when we went to rest the following night
they offered us some victuals but we
refused it and the only comfort we had
was in being in one another's arms all
that night and bathing each other with
our tears but alas we were soon deprived
of even the small comfort of weeping
together the next day proved greater
sorrow than i had yet experienced for my
sister and i were then separated while
we lay clasped in each other's arms it
was in vain that we besought them not to
part us she was torn from me and
immediately carried away while i was
left in a state of distraction not to be
described i cried and grieved
continually and for several days i did
not eat anything but what they forced
into my mouth
at length after many days traveling duri
during which i had often changed masters
i got into the hands of a chieftain in a
very pleasant country
this man had two wives and some children
and they all used me extremely well and
did all they could to comfort me
particularly the first wife who was
something like my mother
although i was a great many days journey
for my father's house yet these people
spoke exactly the same language with us
this first master of mine as i may call
him was a smith and my principal
employment was working his bellows which
were the same kind as i had seen in my
vicinity they were in some respects not
unlike the stoves here in gentlemen's
kitchens and we were covered over with
leather and in the middle of that
leather a stick was fixed and a person
stood up and worked it in the same
manner as is done to pump water out of a
cask with a hand pump
i believe it was gold he worked for it
was of a lovely bright yellow color and
was worn by the women on their wrists
and ankles
i was there i suppose about a month and
they at last used to trust me some
little distance from the house this
liberty i used in embracing every
opportunity to inquire the way to my own
home and i also sometimes for the same
purpose went with the maidens in the
cool of the evenings to bring pictures
of water from the springs for the use of
the house
i'd also remarked where the sun rose in
the morning and set in the evenings as i
had traveled along and i observed that
my father's house was towards the rising
of the sun
i therefore determined to seize the
first opportunity of making my escape
and to shape my course for that quarter
for i was quite oppressed and weighed
down by grief after my mother and
friends and my love of liberty ever
great was strengthened by the mortifying
circumstance of not daring to eat with
the freeborn children
although i was mostly their companion
while i was projecting my escape one day
an unlucky event happened which quite
disconcerted my plan and put an end to
my hopes
i used to be sometimes employed in
assisting an elderly woman slave to cook
and take care of the poultry and one
morning while i was feeding some
chickens i happened to toss a small
pebble at one of them which hit it on
the middle and directly killed it the
old slave having soon after missed the
chicken inquired after it and on my
relating the accident for i told her the
truth because my mother would never
suffer me to tell a lie she flew into a
violent passion threatened that i should
suffer for it and my master being out
she immediately went and told her
mistress what i had done
this alarmed me very much and i expected
an instant flogging which to me was
uncommonly dreadful for i had seldom
been beat at home i therefore resolved
to fly and accordingly i ran into a
thicket that was hard by and hid myself
in the bushes soon afterwards my
mistress and the slave returned and not
seeing me they searched all the house
but not finding me and i'm not making
answer when they called to me they
thought i had run away and the whole
neighborhood was raised in the pursuit
of me
in that part of the country as in ours
the houses and villages were skirted
with woods or shrubberies and the bushes
were so thick that a man could readily
conceal himself in them so as to loot
the strictest search the neighbors
continued the whole day looking for me
and several times many of them came
within a few yards of the place where i
lay hid i then gave myself up for lost
entirely and expected every moment when
i heard a wrestling among the trees to
be found out and punished by my master
but they never discovered me that they
were often so near that i even heard
their conjectures as they were looking
about for me and i now learned from them
that any attempt to return home would be
hopeless most of them suppose i fled
towards home but the distance was so
great and the way so intricate that they
thought i could never reach it and that
i should be lost in the woods when i
heard this i was seized with a violent
panic and abandoned myself to despair
night two began to approach and
aggravated all my fears i had before
entertained hopes of getting home and i
had determined when it should be dark to
make the attempt but i was now convinced
it was fruitless and i began to consider
that if possibly i could escape all
other animals i could not those of the
human kind and that not knowing the way
i must perish in the woods thus was i
like the hunted deer
every leaf and every whispering breath
conveyed a foe in every foe of death
i heard frequent wrestlings among the
leaves and being pretty sure they were
snakes i expected every instant to be
stung by them this increased my anguish
and the horror of my situation became
now quite insupportable i at length
quitted the thicket very faint and
hungry for i'd not eaten or drank
anything all day and crept to my
master's kitchen from whence i set out
at first and which was an open shed and
laid myself down in the ashes with an
ancient wish for death to relieve me
from all my pains i was scarcely awake
in the morning when the old woman slave
who was the first step came to light the
fire and saw me in the fireplace
she was very much surprised to see me
and could scarcely believe her own eyes
she now promised to intercede for me and
went for her master who soon after came
and having slightly reprimanded me
ordered me to be taken care of and not
to be ill-treated
soon after this my master's only
daughter and child by his first wife
sickened and died which affected him so
much that for some time he was almost
frantic and really would have killed
himself had he not been watched and
prevented however in a small time
afterwards he recovered and i was again
sold i was now carried to the left of
the sun's rising through many different
countries and a number of large woods
the people i was sold to used to carry
me very often when i was tired either on
their shoulders or on their backs i saw
many convenient well-built sheds along
the roads at proper distances to
accommodate the merchants and travelers
who lay in those buildings along with
their wives who often accompany them and
they always go well armed
from the time i left my own nation i
always found somebody that understood me
until i came to the seacoast languages
of different nations did not totally
differ nor were they so copious as those
of the europeans particularly the
english they were therefore easily
learned and while i was journeying thus
through africa i acquired two or three
different tongues
in this manner i had been traveling for
a considerable time when one evening to
my great surprise whom should i see
brought to the house where i was but my
dear sister
as soon as she saw me she gave a loud
shriek and ran into my arms i was quite
overpowered neither of us could speak
but for a considerable time clung to
each other and mutual embraces unable to
do anything but weep
our meeting affected all who saw us and
indeed i must acknowledge in honor of
those stable destroyers of human rights
that i never met with any ill treatment
or saw any offer to their slaves except
tying them when necessary to keep them
from running away
when these people knew we were brother
and sister they indulged us together and
the man to whom i suppose we belonged
lay with us he in the middle while she
and i held one another by the hands
across his breast all night and thus for
a while we forgot our misfortunes and
the joy of being together
but even this small carver was soon to
have an end for scarcely had the fatal
morning appeared when she was again torn
from me forever
i was now more miserable if possible
than before the small relief which her
presence gave me from pain was gone and
the wretchedness of my situation was
redoubled by my anxiety after her fate
and my apprehensions lest her suffering
should be greater than mine when i could
not be with her to alleviate them yes
thou dear partner of all my childish
sports thou sharer of my joys and
sorrows happy should i have ever
esteemed myself to encounter every
misery for you and to procure your
freedom by the sacrifice of my own
though you were early forced for my arms
your image has always been riveted in my
heart from which neither time nor
fortune have been able to remove it so
that while the thoughts of your
sufferings have dampened my prosperity
they have mingled with adversity and
increased its bitterness
to that heaven which protects the weak
from the strong i commit the care of
your innocence and virtues if they have
not already received their full award
and if your youth and delicacy have not
long since fallen victims to the
violence of the african trader the
pestilential stench of a guinea ship the
seasoning in the european colonies are
the lash and lust of a brutal and
unrelenting overseer
i did not long remain after my sister i
was again sold and carried through a
number of places till after traveling a
considerable time i came to a town
called tinma in the most beautiful
country i have yet seen in africa it was
extremely rich and there were many
rivellets which flowed through it and
supplied a large pond in the center of
the town where the people washed here i
first saw and tasted coconuts which i
thought superior to any nuts i had ever
tasted before and the trees which were
loaded were also interspersed amongst
the houses which had commodious shades
adjoining and were in the same manner as
ours the insides being neatly plastered
and whitewashed
here i also saw and tasted for the first
time sugarcane their money consisted of
little white shells the size of the
fingernail i was sold here for 172 of
them by a merchant who lived and brought
me there i had been about two or three
days at his house when a wealthy widow a
neighbor of his came there one evening
and brought with her and only son a
young gentleman about my own size and
age
here they saw me and haven't taken a
fancy to me i was bought of the merchant
went home with them her house and
promises were situated close to one of
those rivalets i have mentioned and were
the finest i ever saw in africa they
were very extensive and she had a number
of slaves to attend her the next day i
was washed and perfumed and when meal
time came i was led into the presence of
my mistress and ate and drank before her
with her son
this filled me with astonishment and i
could scarce help expressing my surprise
surprise that the young gentleman should
suffer me who was bound to eat with him
who was free and not only so but that he
would not at any time either eat or
drink till i had taken first because i
was the eldest which was agreeable to
our custom
indeed everything here and all their
treatment of me made me forget that i
was a slave
the language of these people resembled
resembled ours so nearly that we
understood each other perfectly
they had also the very same customs as
we there were likewise slaves daily to
attend us while my young master and i
with other boys sported with our darts
and bows and arrows as i have been used
to do at home
in this resemblance to my former happy
state i passed about two months
and i now began to think i was to be
adopted into the family and was
beginning to be reconciled to my
situation and to forget by degrees my
misfortunes when all at once the
delusion vanished for without the least
previous knowledge one morning early
while my dear master and companion was
still asleep i was awakened out of my
reverie to fresh sorrow and hurried away
even amongst the uncircumcised
thus at the very moment i dreamed of the
greatest happiness i found myself most
miserable and it seemed as if fortune
wished to give me this taste of joy only
to render the reverse more poignant
the change i now experienced was as
painful as it was sudden and unexpected
it was a change indeed from a state of
bliss to a scene which is inexpressible
by me as it discovered to me an element
i had never before beheld until then had
no idea of and wherein such instances of
hardship and cruelty continually
occurred as i can never reflect on but
with horror
all the nations and people i had
hitherto passed through resembled our
own in their manners customs and
language but i came at length to a
country the inhabitants of which
differed from us in all those
particulars i was very much struck with
this difference especially when i came
among the people who did not circumcise
and ate without washing their hands they
cooked also in iron pots and had
european cutlasses and crossbows which
were unknown to me and fought with their
fists amongst themselves their women
were not so modest as ours for they ate
and drank and slept with their men but
above all i was amazed to see no
sacrifices or offerings among them
in some of those places the people
ornamented themselves with scars and
likewise filed their teeth very sharp
they wanted sometimes to ornament me in
the same manner but i would not suffer
them hoping that i might sometimes be
among the people who did not thus
disfigure themselves as i thought they
did
at last i came to the banks of a large
river which was covered with canoes in
which the people appeared to live with
their household utensils and provisions
of all kinds
i was beyond measure astonished at this
as i had never before seen any water
larger than a pond or a rivalet and my
surprise was mingled with no small fear
when i was put into one of these canoes
and we began to paddle and move along
the river
we continued going on this thus till
night and when we came to land and made
fires on the banks each family by
themselves some dragged their canoes on
shore others stayed and cooked in theirs
and laid in them all night
those on the land had mats on of which
they had made tents some in the shape of
little houses in these we slept and
after the morning meal we embarked again
and proceeded as before
i was often very much astonished to see
some of the women as well as the men
jump into the water dive to the bottom
come up again and swim about
thus i continued to travel sometimes by
land sometimes by water through
different countries and various nations
till at the end of six or seven months
after i had been kidnapped i arrived at
the seacoast it would be tedious and
uninteresting to relate all the
incidents which befell me during this
journey and which i have not yet
forgotten of the various hands i passed
through and the manners and customs of
all the different people among whom i
lived i shall therefore only observe
that in all the places where i was the
soil was exceedingly rich the pompkins
iaidis plantains yams etc etc were in
great abundance and of incredible size
there were also vast quantities of
different gums they're not used for any
purpose and everywhere a great deal of
tobacco
the cotton even grew wild and there was
plenty of redwood i saw no mechanics
whatever and all the way except such as
i have mentioned the chief employment in
all these countries was agriculture and
both the males and females as with us
were brought up to it and trained in the
arts of war the first object which
saluted my eyes when i arrived on the
coast was the sea and a slave ship which
was then riding at anchor and waiting
for its cargo these filled me with
astonishment which was soon converted
into terror when i was carried on board
i was immediately handled and tossed up
to see if i were sound by some of the
crew and i was now persuaded that i had
gotten into a world of bad spirits and
that they were going to kill me their
complexions too differing so much from
ours their long hair and the language
they spoke which was very different from
any i've ever heard united confirming me
this belief
indeed such were the horrors of my views
and fears at the moment that if ten
thousand worlds had been my own i would
have freely parted with them all to
exchange my condition with that of the
meanest slave in my own country
when i looked around the ship too and
saw a large furnace or copper boiling
and a multitude of black people of every
description chained together every one
of their countenances expressing
dejection and sorrow i no longer doubted
of my fate and quite overpowered with
horror and anguish i fell motionless on
the deck and fainted
when i recovered a little i found some
black people about me who i believed
were some of those who brought me on
board and have been receiving their pay
they talked to me in order to cheer me
but all in vain
i asked them if we were not to be eaten
by those white men with horrible looks
red faces and loose hair they told me i
was not and one of the crew brought me a
small portion of spiritus liquor and a
wine glass but being afraid of him i
would not take it out of his hand
one of the blacks therefore took it from
him and gave it to me and i took a
little down my palate which instead of
reviving me as they thought it would
threw me into the greatest consternation
at the strange feeling it produced
having never tasted any such liquor
before
soon after that the blacks who brought
me on board went off and left me
abandoned to despair i now saw myself
deprived of all chance of returning to
my native country or even the least
glimpse of hope of gaining the shore
which i now considered as friendly and i
even wish for my former slavery and
preference to my present situation which
was filled with horrors of every kind
still heightened by my ignorance of what
i was to undergo
i was not long suffered to indulge my
grief i was soon put down under the
decks and there i received such a
salutation in my nostrils as i had never
experienced in my life so that with the
loathsomeness of the stench and crying
together i became so sick and low that i
was not able to eat nor had i the least
desire to taste anything i now wish for
the last friend death to relieve me but
soon to my grief two of the white men
offered me edibles and on my refusing to
eat one of them held me fast by the
hands and laid me across i think the
windlass and tied my feet while the
other flogged me severely i had never
experienced anything of this kind before
and although not being used to the water
i naturally feared that element the
first time i saw it yet nevertheless
could i have got over the nettings i
would have jumped over the side but i
could not and besides the crew used to
watch us very closely who were not
chained down to the decks unless we
should leap into the water
and i have seen some of those poor
african prisoners most severely cut for
attempting to do so and hourly whipped
for not eating this indeed was often the
case with myself
in a little time after amongst the poor
chained men i found some of my own
nation which in a small degree gave ease
to my mind i inquired of these what was
to be done with us they gave me to
understand we were to be carried to
these white people's country to work for
them i then was a little relieved and
thought if it were no worse than working
my situation was not so desperate but
still i feared i should be put to death
the white people looked and acted as i
thought and so savage a manner for i'd
never seen among any people such
instances of brutal cruelty and this not
only shown towards us blacks but also to
some of the whites themselves
one white man in particular i saw when
we were permitted to be on deck flogged
so unmercifully with a large rope near
the foremast that he died in consequence
of it and they tossed him over the side
as they would have done a brute
this made me fear these people the more
and i expected nothing less than to be
treated in the same manner i could not
help expressing my fears and
apprehensions to some of my countrymen i
asked them if these people had no
country but lived in this hollow place
the ship they told me they did not but
came from a distant one
then said i how come how come sit in all
our country we never heard of them they
told me because they lived so very far
off i then asked where were there women
had they any like themselves i was told
they had and why said i do we not see
them they answered because they were
left behind
i asked how does the vessel go
they told me they could not tell but
that there were claws put upon the mask
by the help of the ropes i saw and then
the vessel went on and the white men had
some spell or magic they put in the
water when they liked in order to stop
the vessel i was exceedingly amazed at
this count and really thought they were
spirits i therefore wished much to be
from amongst them for i expected they
would sacrifice me but my wishes were
vain for we were so quartered that was
impossible for any of us to make our
escape
while we stayed on the coast i was
mostly on deck and one day to my great
astonishment i saw one of these vessels
coming in with the sails up
as soon as the whites saw it they gave a
great shout at which we were amazed and
the more so as the vessel appeared
larger by approaching nearer
at last she came to an anchor in my
sight and when the anchor was let go i
and my countrymen who saw it were lost
in astonishment to observe the vessel
stop and were not convinced it was done
by magic
soon after this the other ship got our
boats out and they came on board of us
and the people of both ships seemed very
glad to see each other
several of the strangers also shook
hands with us black people and made
motions with their hands signifying i
suppose we were to go to their country
but we did not understand them
at last when the ship we were in had
gotten all her cargo they made ready
with many fearful noises and we were all
put under deck so that we could not see
how they managed the vessel but this
disappointment was the least of my
sorrow
the stench of the hold while we were on
the coast was so intolerably lose them
that it was dangerous to remain there
for any time and some of us have been
permitted to stay on the deck for the
fresh air but now that the whole ship's
cargo were confined together it became
absolutely pestilential
the closeness of the place and the heat
of the climate adds to the number in the
ship which was so crowded that each had
scarcely room to turn himself almost
suffocated us this produced copious
perspiration so that the air student
became unfit for respiration from a
variety of lifts and smells and brought
on a sickness among the slaves of which
many died thus falling victims to the
improvident avarice as i may call it of
their purchasers the wretched situation
was again aggravated by the galling of
the chains now becoming insupportable
and the filth of the necessary tubs into
which the children often fell and were
almost suffocated the shrieks of the
women in the grounds of the dying
rendered the hole a scene of horror
almost inconceivable
happily perhaps for myself i was soon
reduced so low here that it was thought
necessary to keep me almost always on
deck and from my extreme youth i was not
put in fetters in this situation i
expected every hour to share the fate of
my companions some of whom were almost
daily brought up upon deck at the point
of death which i began to hope with soon
putting into my miseries
often did i think many of the
inhabitants of the deep much more happy
than myself i envied them the freedom
they enjoyed and has often wished i
could change my condition for theirs
every circumstance i met with served
only to render my state more painful and
heighten my apprehensions and my opinion
of the cruelty of the whites
one day they had taken a number of
fishes and when they killed and
satisfied themselves with as many as
they thought fit to our astonishment who
were on the deck rather than give any of
them to us to eat as we expected they
tossed the remaining fish into the sea
again although we begged and prayed for
some as well as we could but in vain
and some of my countrymen being pressed
by hunger took an opportunity when they
thought no one saw them of trying to get
a little privately but they were
discovered and the attempt procured them
some very severe floggings
one day when we had a smooth see a
moderate wind two of my weird countrymen
who were chained together i was near
them at the time preferring death to
such a life of misery somehow made
through the nettings and jumped into the
sea
immediately another quite dejected
fellow who on account of his illness was
suffered to be out of irons also
followed their example and i believe
many more would very soon have done the
same if they had not been prevented by
the ship's crew who were instantly
alarmed
those of us that were the most active
were in a moment put down under the deck
and there was such a noise and confusion
amongst the people of the ship as i had
never heard before to stop her and get
the boat out to go after the slaves
however two of the wretches were drowned
but they got the other and afterwards
flogged him on mercifully for thus
attempting to prefer death to slavery
in this manner we continue to undergo
more hardships than i can now relate
hardships which are inseparable from
this accursed trade many a time we were
near suffocation from the want of fresh
air which we were often without for
whole days together
this and the stench of the necessary
tubs carried off many
during our passage i first saw flying
fishes which surprised me very much they
used frequently to fly across the ship
and many of them fell on the deck i also
now first saw the use of the quadrant
i'd often with astonishment seen the
mariners make observations with it and i
could not think what it meant the
elastic noticed in my surprise and one
of them willing to increase it as well
as to gratify my curiosity made me one
day look through it the clouds appeared
to me to be land which disappeared as
they passed along this height in my
wonder and i was now more persuaded than
ever that i was in another world and
that everything about me was magic
at last we came inside of the island of
barbados at which the whites on board
gave a great shout and made many signs
of joy to us we did not know what to
think of this but as the vessel drew
near we plainly saw the harbor and other
ships of different kinds and sizes and
we soon anchored amongst them off
bridgetown
many merchants of planners now came on
board through though it was in the
evening they put us in separate parcels
and examined us attentively they also
made us jump and pointed to the land
signifying we were to go there
we thought by this we should be eaten by
these ugly men as they appeared to us
and when soon after we were all put down
on the deck again there was much dread
and trembling among us and nothing but
bitter cries to be heard all the night
from these apprehensions in so much that
at last the white people got some old
slaves from the land to pacify us
they told us we were not to be eaten but
to work and were soon to go on land
where we should see many of our country
people this report eased us much and
sure enough soon after we were landed
there came to us africans of all
languages we were conducted immediately
to the merchant's yard where we were all
pinned up together like so many sheep in
a fold without regard to sex or age
as every object was new to me everything
i saw filled me with surprise what
struck me first was that the houses were
built with stories and in every other
respect different from those in africa
but i was still more astonished on
seeing people on horseback i did not
know what this could mean and indeed i
thought these people were full of
nothing but magical arts
while i was in this astonishment one of
my fellow prisoners spoke to a
countryman of his about the horses who
said they were the same kind they had in
their country
i understood them that they were from a
distant part of africa and i thought it
odd i had not seen any horses there but
afterwards when i came to converse with
different africans i found they had many
horses amongst them and much larger than
those i then saw
we were not many days in the merchant's
custody before we were sold after their
usual manner which is this
on a signal given as the beat of a drum
the buyers rush it once into the yard
where the slaves are confined and make
choice of that parcel they like best
the noise and clamor with which this is
attended and the eagerness visible in
the countenances of the buyers serve not
a little to increase the apprehensions
of the terrified africans who may well
be supposed to consider them as the
ministers of that destruction to which
they think themselves devoted
in this manner without scruple our
relations and friends separated most of
them never to see each other again
i remember in the vessel in which i was
brought over in the men's apartment
there were several brothers who in the
sale were sold in different lots and it
was very moving on this occasion to see
and hear their cries at parting
oh ye nominal christians might not an
african ask you learned you this from
your god who says unto you do unto all
men as you and men should do unto you
is it not enough that we are torn from
our country and friends to toil for your
luxury and lust of gain must every
tender feeling be likewise sacrificed to
your avarice
are the dearest friends and malaysians
now rendered more dear by their
separation from their kindred still to
be parted from each other and thus
prevented from cheering the gloom of
slavery with the small comfort of being
together and mingling their sufferings
and sorrows
why are parents to lose their children
brothers their sisters or husbands their
wives
surely this is a new refinement in
cruelty which while it has no advantage
to atone for it thus aggravates distress
and adds fresh horrors even to the
wretchedness of slavery
end of chapter two
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