CHAPTER XVI.

by Solomon Northup

　　CHAPTER XVI.OVERSEERS HOW THEY ARE ARMED AND ACCOMPANIED THE HOMICIDE —HIS EXECUTION AT MARKS VILLE SLAVE-DRIVERS APPOINTED DRIVERON REMOVING TO BAYOU BCEUF PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT EPPS' AT-TEMPT TO CUT PLAIT'S THROAT THE ESCAPB FROM HTM PROTECTEDBY THE MISTRESS FORBIDS READING AND WRITING OBTAIN A SHEETOF PAPER AFTER NINE YEARS' EFFORT THE LETTER ARMSBY, THEMEAN WHITE PARTIALLY CONFIDE IN HIM HIS TREACHERY EPPs'SUSPICIONS HOW THEY WERE QUIETED BURNING THE LETTER ARMS-BY LEAVES THE BAYOU DISAPPOINTMENT AND DESPAIR.With the exception of my trip to St. Mary's parish,and my absence during the cane-cutting seasons, Iwas constantly employed on the plantation of MasterEpps. He was considered but a small planter, nothaving a sufficient number of hands to require theservices of an overseer, acting in the latter capacityhimself. Not able to increase his force, it was hiscustom to hire during the hurry of cotton-picking.On larger estates, employing fifty or a hundred, orperhaps two hundred hands, an overseer is deemedindispensable. These gentlemen ride into the fieldon horseback, without an exception,to my knowledge,armed with pistols, bowie knife, whip, and accompa-nied by several dogs. They follow, equipped in thisfashion, in rear of the slaves, keeping a sharp lookout

　　224 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.upon tliem all. The requisite qualifications JXL_an_overseer are utter heartlessness, brutality and cruelty..It is liis business to produce large crops, and if that isaccomplished, no matter what amount of suffering itmay have cost. The presence of the dogs are neces-sary to overhaul a fugitive who may take to his heels,as is sometimes the case, when faint or sick, he is un-able to maintin his row, and unable, also, to en-dure the whip. The pistols are reserved for any dan-gerous emergency, there having been instances whensuch weapons were necessary. Goaded into uncon-trollable madness, even the slave will sometimes turnupon his oppressor. The gallows were standing atMarksville last January, upon which one was execu-ted a year ago for killing his overseer. It occurrednot many miles from Epps' plantation on Red River.The slave was given his task at splitting rails. Inthe course of the day the overseer sent him on anerrand, which occupied so much time that it was notpossible for him to perform the task. The next daylie was called to an account, but the loss of time oc-casioned by the errand was no excuse, and he wasordered to kneel and bare his back for the receptionof the lash. They were in the woods alone — beyondthe reach of sight or hearing. The boy submitteduntil maddened at such injustice, and insane withpain, he sprang to his feet, and seizing an axe, liter-ally chopped the overseer in pieces. He made no at-tempt whatever at concealment, but hastening to hismaster, related the whole affair, and declared himself

　　SLAVE DRIVERS. 225ready to expiate the wrong by the sacrifice of his life.He was led to the scaffold, and while the rope wasaround his neck, maintained an undismayed andfearless bearing, and with his last words justified theact.Besides the overseer, there are drivers tinder him,the number being in proportion to the number ofhands in the field. The drivers are black, who, inaddition to the performance of their equal share ofwork, are compelled to do the whipping of .....theirseveralgangs. Whips hang around their necks, andif they fail to use them^thoroughly, are whippedthemselves. They have a few privileges, however ;for example, in cane-cutting the hands are not allow-ed to sit down long enough to eat their dinners. Cartsfilled with corn cake, cooked at the kitchen, are driv-en into the field at noon. The cake is distributed bythe drivers, and must be eaten with the least possibledelay.When the slave ceases to perspire, as he often doeswhen taxed beyond his strength, he falls to the groundand becomes entirely helpless. It is then the dutyof the driver to drag him into the shade of the stand-ing cotton or cane, or of a neighboring tree, wherehe dashes buckets of water upon him, and uses othermeans of bringing out perspiration again, when he isordered to his place, and compelled to continue hislabor.At Huff Power, when I first came to Epps', Tom,one of Roberts' negroes, was driver. He was a burlyJ*

　　226 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.fellow, and severe in the extreme. After Epps' re-moval to Bayou Boeuf, that distinguished honor wasconferred upon myself. Up to the tune of my de-parture I had to wear a whip about my neck in thefield. If Epps was present, I dared not show anylenity, not having the Christian fortitude of a certainwell-known Uncle Tom sufficiently to brave his wrath,by refusing to perform the office. In that way, only,I escaped the immediate martyrdom he suffered, and,withal, saved my companions much suffering, as itproved in the end. Epps, I soon found, whetheractually in the field or not, had his eyes pretty gen-erally upon us. From the piazza, from behind someadjacent tree, or other concealed point of observation,he was perpetually on the watch. If one of us hadbeen backward or idle through the day, we were aptto be told all about it on returning to the quarters,and as it was a matter of principle with him. to re-prove every offence of that kind that came within hisknowledge, the offender not only was certain of re-ceiving a castigation for his tardiness, but I likewisewas punished for permitting it.If, on the other hand, he had seen me use the lashfreely, the man was satisfied. " Practice makes per-fect," truly ; and during my eight years' experienceas a driver, I learned to handle the whip with mar-velous dexterity and precision, throwing the lash■within a hair's breadth of the back, the ear, the nose,without, however, touching either of them. If Eppswas observed at a distance, or we had reason to ap-

　　APPOINTED DRIVER. , 227prehend lie was sneaking somewhere in the vicinity,I would commence plying the lash vigorously, when,according to arrangement, they would squirm andscreech as if in agony, although not one of them hadin fact been even grazed. Patsey would take occa-sion, if he made his appearance presently, to mumblein his hearing some complaints that Piatt was lash-ing them the whole time, and Uncle Abram, with anappearance of honesty peculiar to himself, would de-clare roundly I had just whipped them worse thanGeneral Jackson whipped the enemy at New-Orleans,If Epps was not drunk, and in one of his beastly hu-mors, this was, in general, satisfactory. If he was,some one or more of us must suffer, as a matter ofcourse. Sometimes his violence assumed a dangerousform, placing the lives of his human stock in jeop-ardy. On one occasion the drunken madman thoughtto amuse himself by cutting my throat.He had been absent at Holmesville, in attendance ata shooting-match, and none of us were aware of hisreturn. While hoeing by the side of Patsey, she ex- 1claimed, in a low voice, suddenly, " Piatt, d'ye seeold Hog-Jaw beckoning me to come to him ?"Glancing sideways, I discovered him in the edgeof the field, motioning and grimacing, as was his habitwhen half-intoxicated. Aware of his lewd intentions,Patsey began to cry. I whispered her not to look up,and to continue at her work, as if she had not ob-served him. Suspecting the truth of the matter,however, he soon staggered up to me in a gr8at rage.

　　228 TWELVE TEARS A SLAVE." What did you say to Pats ?•" he demanded, withan oath. I made him some evasive ariswer, whichonly had the effect of increasing his violence." How long have you owned this plantation, say,you d d nigger ?" he inquired, with a malicioussneer, at the same time taking hold of my shirt col-Jar with one hand, and thrusting the other into hispocket. " ]STow I'll cut your black throat ; that'swhat I'll do," drawing his knife from his pocket ashe said it. But with one hand he was unable toopen it, until finally seizing the blade in his teeth, Isaw he was about to succeed, and felt the necessityof escaping from him, for in his present reckless state,it was evident he was not joking, by any means. Myshirt was open in front, and as I turned round quicklyand sprang from him, while he still retained his gripe,it was stripped entirely from my back. There wasno difiiculty now in eluding him. He would chaseme until out of breath, then stop until it was recov-ered, swear, and renew the chase again. ISTow hewould command me to come to him, now endeavorto coax me, but I was careful to keep at a respectful]distance. In this manner we made the circuit of thefield several times, he making desperate plunges, andI always dodging them, more amused than frightened,well knowing that when his sober senses returned,he would laugh at his own drunken folly. At lengthI observed the mistress standing by the yard fence,watching our half-serious, half-comical manoeuvres.Shooting past him, I ran directly to her. Epps, on

　　PROTECTED BY THE MISTRESS. 229discovering her, did not follow. He remained about,the field an hour or more, during which time I stoodby the mistress, having related the particulars ofwhat had taken place. Now, she was aroused again,denouncing her husband and Patsey about equally.Finally, Epps came towards the house, by this timenearly sober, walking demurely, with his hands be-hind his back, and attempting to look as innocent asa child.As he approached, nevertheless, Mistress Epps be-gan to berate him roundly, heaping upon him manyrather disrespectful epithets, and demanding for whatreason he had attempted to cut my throat. Eppsmade wondrous strange of it all, and to my surprise,swore by all the saints in the calendar he had notspoken to me that day." Piatt, you lying nigger, have I?" was his brazenappeal to me.It is not safe to contradict a master, even by theassertion of a truth. So I was silent, and when he en-tered the house I" returned to the field, and the affairwas never after alluded to.Shortly after this time a circumstance occurred thatcame nigh divulging the secret of my real name andhistory, which I had so long and carefully concealed,and upon which I was convinced depended my finalescape. Soon after he purchased me, Epps askedme if I could write and read, and on being informedthat I had received some instruction in those branchesof education, he assured me, with emphasis, if he ever

　　230 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.caught Hie with a book, or with, pen and ink, he wouldgive me a hundred lashes. He said he wanted me tounderstand that he bought " niggers" to work and notto educate. He never inquired a word of my pastlife, or from whence I came. The mistress, however,cross-examined me frequently about Washington,which she supposed was my native city, and morethan once remarked that I did not talk nor act likethe other " niggers," and she was sure I had seen moreof the world than I admitted.My great object always was to invent means of get-ting a letter secretly into the post-office, directed tosome of my friends or family at the North. The diffi-culty of such an achievement cannot be comprehend-ed by one unacquainted with the severe restrictionsimposed upon me. In the first place, I was deprivedof pen, ink, and paper. In the second place, a slavecannot leave his plantation without a pass, nor will apost-master mail a letter for one without written in-structions from his owner. I was in slavery nineyears, and always watchful and on the alert, before Imet with the good fortune of obtaining a sheet of pa-per. "While Epps was in New-Orleans, one winter,disposing of his cotton, the mistress sent me to Holmes-ville, with an order for several articles, and amongthe rest a quantity of foolscap. I appropriated a sheet,concealing it in the cabin, under the board on whichI slept.After various experiments I succeeded in makingink, by boiling white maple bark, and with a feather

　　THE LETTE2, 231*plucked from the wing of a duck, manufactured apen. "When all were asleep in the cabin, by the lightof the coals, lying upon my plank couch, I managedto complete a somewhat lengthy epistle. It was di-rected to an old acquaintance at Sandy Hill, statingmy condition, and urging him to take measures to re-store me to liberty. This letter I kept a long time,contriving measures by which it could be safely de-posited in the post-office. At length, a low fellow, bythe name of Armsby, hitherto a stranger, came intothe neighb orKoocITseeking a situation as overseer.He applied to Epps, and was about the plantation forseveral days. He next went over to Shaw's, near by,and remained with him several weeks. Shaw wasgenerally surrounded by such worthless characters,being himself noted as a gambler and unprincipledman. He had made a wife of his slave Charlotte, anda brood of young mulattoes were growing up in hishouse. Armsby became so much reduced at last,that he was compelled to labor with the slaves. Awhite man working in the field is a rare and unusualspectacle on Bayou Bceuf. I improved every oppor-tunity of cultivating his acquaintance privately, de-siring to obtain his confidence so far as to be willingto intrust the letter to his keeping. He visited Marks-ville repeatedly, he informed me, a town some twentymiles distant, and there, I proposed to myself, the let-ter should be mailed.Carefully deliberating on the most proper mannerof approaching him on the subject, I concluded final-

　　232 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.lj to ask him simply if he would deposit a letter forme in the Marksville post-office the next time he vis-ited that place, without disclosing to him that the let-ter was written, or any of the particulars it contained ;for I had fears that he might betray me, and knewthat some inducement must be held out to him of apecuniary nature, before it would be safe to confidein him. As late as one o'clock one night I stole noise-lessly from my cabin, and, crossing the field to Shaw's,found him sleeping on the piazza. I had but a fewpicayunes — the proceeds of my fiddling performan-ces, but all I had in the world I promised him if hewould do me the favor required. I begged him notto expose me if he could not grant the request. Heassured me, upon his honor, he would deposit it in theMarksville post-office, and that he would keep it aninviolable secret forever. Though the letter was inmy pocket at the time, I dared not then deliver it tohim, but stating I would have it written in a day ortwo, bade him good night, and returned to my cab-in. It was impossible for me to expel the suspicionsI entertained, and all night I lay awake, revolving inmy mind the safest course to pursue. I was willingto risk a great deal to accomplish my purpose, butshould the letter by any means fall into the hands ofEpps, it would be a death-blow to my aspirations. Iwas " perplexed in the extreme."My suspicions were well-founded, as the sequel de-monstrated. The next day but one, while scraping cot-ton in the field, Epps seated himself on the line fence

　　epps' SUSPICIONS. 233between Shaw's plantation and his own, in snch a po-sition as to overlook the scene of our labors. Pres-ently Armsby made his appearance, and, mountingthe fence, took a seat beside him. They remainedtwo or three hours, all of which time I was in an ag-ony of apprehension.That night, while broiling my bacon, Epps enteredthe cabin with his rawhide in his hand." "Well, boy," said he, " I understand I've got alarned nigger, that writes letters, and tries to getwhite fellows to mail 'em. Wonder if you know whohe is ?"My worst fears were realized, and although it maynot be considered entirely creditable, even under thecircumstances, yet a resort to duplicity and downrightfalsehood was the only refuge that presented itself." Don't know nothing about it, Master Epps," I an-swered him, assuming an air of ignorance and sur-prise ; " Don't know nothing at all about it, sir."" "Wan't you over to Shaw's night before last ?" heinquired." No, master," was the reply." Hav'nt you asked that fellow, Armsby, to mail aletter for you at Marksville ?"" "Why, Lord, master, I never spoke three words tohim in all my life. I don't know what you mean."" Well," he continued, " Armsby told me to-day thedevil was among my niggers ; that I had one thatneeded close watching or he would run away ; andwhen I axed him why, he said you come over to

　　234 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.Shaw's, and waked him up in the night, and wantedhim to carry a letter to Marksville. What have yougot to say to that, ha ?"" All I've got to say, master," I replied, " is, thereis no truth in it. How could I write a letter withoutany ink or paper ? There is nobody I want to writeto, 'cause I haint got no friends living as I know of.That Armsby is a lying, drunken fellow, they say, andnobody believes him anyway. Ton know I alwaystell the truth, and that I never go off the plantationwithout a pass. ]STow, master, I can see what thatArmsby is after, plain enough. Did'nt he want youto hire him for an overseer ?"" Yes, he wanted me to hire him," answered Epps." That's it," said I, " he wants to make you believewe're all going to run away, and then he thinks you'llhire an overseer to watch us. He just made that sto-ry out of whole cloth, 'cause he wants to get a situa-tion. It's all a lie, master, you may depend on't."Epps mused awhile, evidently impressed with theplausibility of my theory, and exclaimed,"I'm d — d, Piatt, if I don't believe you tell thetruth. He must take me for a soft, to think he cancome it over me with them kind of yarns, musn't he ?Maybe he thinks he can fool me ; maybe he thinksI don't know nothing— can't take care of my ownniggers, eh ! Soft soap old Epps, eh ! Ha, ha, ha !D — n Arnisby! Set the dogs on him, Piatt," andwith many other comments descriptive of Armsby'sgeneral character, and his capability of taking care of

　　DISAPPOINTMENT AND DESPAIR. 235his own business, and attending to his own " niggers,"Master Epps left the cabin. As soon as he was goneI threw the letter in the fire, and, with a despondingand despairing heart, beheld the epistle which hadcost me so much anxiety and thought, and which Ifondly hoped would have been my forerunner to theland of freedom, writhe and shrivel on its bed of coals,and dissolve into smoke and ashes. Armsby, thetreacherous wretch, was driven from Shaw's planta-tion not long subsequently, much to my relief, for Ifeared he might renew his conversation, and perhapsinduce Epps to credit him.I knew not now whither to look for deliverance.Hopes sprang up in my heart only to be crushed andblighted. The summer of my life was passing away ;I felt I was growing prematurely old ; that a fewyears more, and toil, and grief, and the poisonous mi-asmas of the swamps would accomplish their workupon me — would consign me to the grave's embrace,to moulder and be forgotten. Repelled, betrayed, cutoff from the hope of succor, I could only prostratemyself upon the earth and groan in unutterable an-guish. The hope of rescue was the only light thatcast a ray of comfort on my heart. That was nownickering, faint and low ; another breath of disap-pointment would extinguish it altogether, leaving meto grope in midnight darkness to the end of life.