CHAPTER XVII.

by Solomon Northup

　　CHAPTER XVII.WILEY DISREGARDS THE COUNSELS OF AUNT PHEBE AND UNCLE ABRAM,AND IS CAUGHT BY THE PATROLLERS THE ORGANIZATION AND DUTIESOF THE LATTER "WILEY RUNS AWAY SPECULATIONS IN REGARD TOHIM HIS UNEXPECTED RETURN HIS CAPTURE ON RED RIVER, ANDCONFINEMENT IN ALEXANDRIA JAIL DISCOVERED BY JOSEPH B. ROB-ERTS SUBDUING DOGS IN ANTICIPATION OF ESCAPE THE FUGITIVESIN THE GREAT PINE WOODS CAPTURED BY ADAM TAYDEM AND THEINDIANS AUGUSTUS KILLED BY DOGS NELLY, ELDRET's SLAVE WOMANTHE STORY OF CELESTE THE CONCERTED MOVEMENT LEW CHEENEY,THE TRAITOR THE IDEA OF INSURRECTION.The year 1850, down to which, time I have now ar-rived, omitting many occurrences uninteresting to thereader, was an unlucky year for my companion "Wiley,the husband of Phebe, whose taciturn and retiringnature has thus far kept him in the background. Not-withstanding Wiley seldom opened his mouth, andrevolved in his obscure and unpretending orbit with-out a grumble, nevertheless the warm elements of so-ciality were strong in the bosom of that silent " nig-ger." In the exuberance of his self-reliance, disre-garding the philosophy of Uncle Abram, and settingthe counsels of Aunt Phebe utterly at naught, he hadthe fool-hardiness to essay a nocturnal visit to a neigh-boring cabin without a pass.

　　WILET T S INDISCRETION. 237So attractive was "the society in which he foundhimself, that "Wiley took little note of the passinghours, and the light began to break in the east beforehe was aware. Speeding homeward as fast as hecould run, he hoped to reach the quarters before thehorn would sound ; but, unhappily, he was spied onthe way by a company of patrollers.How it is in other dark places of slavery, I do notknow, but on Bayou Boeuf there is an organization ofpatrollers, as they are styled, whose business it is toseize and whip any slave they may find wanderingfrom the plantation. They ride on horseback, headedby a captain, armed, and accompanied by dogs. Theyhave the right, either by law, or by general consent,to inflict discretionary chastisement upon a black mancaught beyond the boundaries of his master's estatewithout a pass, and even to shoot him, if he attemptsto escape. Each company has a certain distance toride up and down the bayou. They are compensatedby the planters, who contribute in proportion to thenumber of slaves they own. The clatter of their hor-ses' hoofs dashing by can be heard at all hours of thenight, and frequently they may be seen driving aslave before them, or leading him by a rope fastenedaround his neck, to his owner's plantation."Wiley fled before one of these companies, thinkinghe could reach his cabin before they could overtakehim ; but one of their dogs, a great ravenous hound,griped him by the leg, and held him fast. The pa-trollers whipped him severely, and brought him, a

　　238 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.prisoner, to Epps. From liim lie received anotherflagellation still more severe, so that the cuts of thelash and the bites of the dog rendered him sore, stiffand miserable, insomuch he was scarcely able to move.It was impossible in such a state to keep up his row,and consequently there was not an hour in the daybut "Wiley felt the sting of his master's rawhide onhis raw and bleeding back. His sufferings becameintolerable, and finally he resolved to run away.| "Without disclosing his intentions to run away evento his wife Phebe, he proceeded to make arrange-ments for carrying his plan into execution. Havingcooked his whole week's allowance, he cautiously leftthe cabin on a Sunday night, after the inmates of thequarters were asleep. When the horn sounded in themorning, Wiley did not make his appearance. Searchwas made for him in the cabins, in the corn-crib, inthe cotton-house, and in every nook and corner of thepremises. Each of us was examined, touching anyknowledge we might have that could throw light uponhis sudden disappearance or present whereabouts.Epps raved and stormed, and mounting his horse, gal-loped to neighboring plantations, making inquiriesin all directions. The search was fruitless. Nothingwhatever was elicited, going to show what had be-come of the missing man. The dogs were led to theswamp, but were unable to strike his trail. Theywould circle away through the forest, then* noses tothe ground, but invariably returned in a short timeto the spot from whence they started.

　　wilet's capture on red river. 239Wiley had escaped, and so secretly and cautiouslyas to elude and baffle all pursuit. Days and evenweeks passed away, and nothing could be heard ofhim. Epps did nothing but curse and swear. It wasthe only topic of conversation among us when alone.We indulged in a great deal of speculation in regardto him, one suggesting he might have been drownedin some bayou, inasmuch as he was a poor swimmer ;another, that perhaps he might have been devouredby alligators, or stung by the venomous moccasin,whose bite is certain and sudden death. The warmand hearty sympathies of us all, however, werewith poor Wiley, wherever he might be. Many anearnest prayer ascended from the lips of Uncle Abram,beseeching safety for the wanderer.In about three weeks, when all hope of ever seeinghim again was dismissed, to our surprise, he one dayappeared among us. On leaving the plantation, heinformed us, it was his intention to make his wayback to South Carolina — to the old quarters of Mas-ter Buford. During the day he remained secreted,sometimes in the branches of a tree, and at nightpressed forward through the swamps. Finally, onemorning, just at dawn, he reached the shore of RedRiver. While standing on the bank, considering howhe could cross it, a white man accosted him, and de-manded a pass. Without one, and evidently a runa-way, he was taken to Alexandria, the shire town ofthe parish of Rapides, and confined in prison. Ithappened several days after that Joseph B. Roberts,

　　240 TWELVE YEAES A SLAVE.uncle of Mistress Epps, was in Alexandria, and goinginto the jail, recognized him. Wiley had worked onhis plantation, when Epps resided at Huff Power.Paying the jail fee, and writing him a pass, under-neath which was a note to Epps, requesting him notto whip him on his return, Wiley was sent back toBayou Boeuf. It was the hope that hung upon thisrequest, and which Roberts assured him would be re-spected by his master, that sustained him as he ap-proached the house. The request, however, as maybe readily supposed, was entirely disregarded. Afterbeing kept in suspense three days, Wiley Was stripped,and compelled to endure one of those inhuman flog-gings to which the poor slave is so often subjected.It was the first and last attempt of Wiley to run away.The long scars upon his back, which he will carrywith him to the grave, perpetually remind him of thedangers of such a step.There was not a day throughout the ten years I be-longed to Epps that I did not consult with myself uponthe prospect of escape. I laid many plans, which atthe time I considered excellent ones, but one after theother they were all abandoned. ISTo man who hasnever been placed in such a situation, can comprehendthe thousand obstacles thrown in the way of the flyingslave. Every white man's hand is raised against him— the patrollers are watching for him — the houndsare ready to follow on his track, and the nature ofthe country is such as renders it impossible to passthrough it with any safety. I thought, however, thai;

　　FUGITIVES IN THE PINE WOODS. 241the time might come, perhaps, when I should he run-ning through the swamps again. I concluded, in thatcase, to be prepared for Epps' dogs, should they pur-sue me. He possessed several, one of which was anotorious slave-hunter, and the most fierce and savageof his breed. While out hunting the coon or theopossum, I never allowed an opportunity to escape,when alone, of whipping them severely. In this man-.,ner I succeeded at length in subduing them com-pletely. They feared me, obeying my voice at oncewhen others had no control over them whatever.Had they followed and overtaken me, I doubt notthey would have shrank from attacking me.Notwithstanding the certainty of being captured,the woods and swamps are, nevertheless, continuallyfilled with runaways. Many of them, when sick, orso worn out as to be unable to perform their tasks,escape into the swamps, willing to suffer the punish-ment inflicted for such offences, in order to obtain aday or two of rest.While I belonged to Ford, I was unwittingly themeans of disclosing the hiding-place of six or eight,who had taken up their residence in the " Great Pine"Woods." Adam Taydem frequently sent me fromthe mills over to the opening after provisions. Thewhole distance was then a thick pine forest. Aboutten o'clock of a beautiful moonlight night, whilewalking along the Texas road, returning to the mills,carrying a dressed pig in a bag swimg over myshoulder, I heard footsteps behind me, and turningK 18

　　242 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.round, beheld two black men in the dress of slavesapproaching at a rapid pace. When within a shortdistance, one of them raised a club, as if intending tostrike me ; the other snatched at the bag. I managedto dodge them both, and seizing a pine knot, hurledit with such force against the head of one of themthat he was prostrated apparently senseless to theground. Just then two more made their appearancefrom one side of the road. Before they could grappleme, however, I succeeded in passing them, and takingto my heels, fled, much aftrighted, towards the mills."When Adam was informed of the adventure, hehastened straightway to the Indian village, and arous-ing Cascalla and several of his tribe, started in pur-suit of the highwaymen. I accompanied them to thescene of attack, when we discovered a puddle ofblood in the road, where the man whom I had smit-ten with the pine knot had fallen. After searchingcarefully through the woods a long time, one of Cas-calla's men discovered a smoke curling up throughthe branches of several prostrate pines, whose topshad fallen together. The rendezvous was cautiouslysurrounded, and all of them taken prisoners. Theyhad escaped from a plantation in the vicinity of La-rnourie. and had been secreted there three weeks.They had no evil design upon me, except to frightenme out of my pig. Having observed me passingtowards Ford*s just at night-fall, and suspecting thenature of my errand, they had followed me, seen mebutcher and dress the porker, and start on my return.

　　AUGUSTUS KILLED BY DOGS. 243They had been pinched for food, and were drivento this extremity by necessity. Adam conveyedthem to the parish jail, and was liberally rewarded.Not unfrequently the runaway loses his life in theattempt to escape. Epps' premises were bounded Cione side by Carey's, a very extensive sugar planta-tion. He cultivates annually at least fifteen hundredacres of cane, manufacturing twenty-two or twenty-three hundred hogsheads of sugar ; an hogshead anda half being the usual yield of an acre. Besides thishe also cultivates five or six hundred acres of corn andcotton. He owned last year one hundred and fiftythree field hands, besides nearly as many children, andyearly hires a drove during the busy season from thisside the Mississippi.One of his negro drivers, a pleasant, intelligent,boy, was named Augustus. During the holidays, andoccasionally while at work in adjoining fields, I ha