CHAPTER XVIII.

by Solomon Northup

　　CHAPTER XVIII.O'NEIL, THE TANNER CONVERSATION' WITH AUNT PHEBE OVERHEARD EPPSIN THE TANNING BUSINESS STABBING OF UNCLE ABRAM THE UGLYWOUND EPPS IS JEALOUS PATS EY IS MISSING HER RETURN FROMSHAW'S HARRIET, SHAW's BLACK WIFE EPPS ENRAGED PATSEY DE-NIES EH CHARGES SHE IS TIED DOWN NAKED TO FOUR STAKES THEINHUMAN FLOGGING FLAYING OF PATSEY THE BEAUTY OF THE DAY —THE BUCKET OF SALT WATER THE DRESS STIFF WITH BLOOD PATSEYGROWS MELANCHOLY HER IDEA OF GOD AND ETERNITY OF HEAVEN ANDFREEDOM THE EFFECT OF SLAVE -WHIPPING EPPs' OLDEST SON "THECHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN.""Wiley suffered severely at the hands of MasterEpps, as has been related in the preceding chapter,but in this respect he fared no worse than his unfor-tunate companions. " Spare the rod," was an ideascouted by our master. He was constitutionally sub-ject to periods of ill-humor, and at such times, how-ever little provocation there might be, a certainamount of punishment was inflicted. The circum-stances attending the last flogging but one that I re-ceived, will show how trivial a cause was sufficientwith him for resorting to the whip.A Mr. O'lSTiel, residing in the vicinity of the BigPine Woods, called upon Epps for the purpose of pur-

　　O'NIEL, THE TANNER. 251chasing me. He was a tanner and currier by occu-pation, transacting an extensive business, and intend-ed to place me at service in some department of hisestablishment, provided he bought me. Aunt Phebe,,while preparing the dinner-table in the great house,overheard their conversation. On returning to theyard at night, the old woman ran to meet me, design-ing, of course, to overwhelm me with the news. Sheentered into a minute repetition of all she had heard,and Aunt Phebe was one whose ears never failed todrink in every word of conversation uttered in herhearing. She enlarged upon the fact that "MassaEpps was g'wine to sell me to a tanner ober in dePine Woods," so long and loudly as to attract the at-tention of the mistress, who, standing unobserved onthe piazza at the time, was listening to our conver-sation." Well, Aunt Phebe," said I, " I'm glad of it. I'mtired of scraping cotton, and would rather be a tanner.I hope he'll buy me."O'Niel did not effect a purchase, however, the par-ties differing as to price, and the morning followinghis arrival, departed homewards. He had been gonebut a short time, when Epps made his appearance inthe field. ISTow nothing will more violently enrage amaster, especially Epps, than the intimation of one ofhis servants that he would like to leave him. Mis-tress Epps had repeated to him my expressions toAunt Phebe the evening previous, as I learned fromthe latter afterwards, the mistress having mentioned

　　252 TWELVE TEAKS A SLAVE.to her that she had overheard us. On entering thefield, Epps walked directly to me." So, Piatt, you're tired of scraping cotton, are you?You would like to change your master, eh ? You'refond of moving round — traveler — ain't ye ? Ah,yes — -like to travel for your health, may be? Feelabove cotton-scraping, I 'spose. So you're going intothe tanning business ? Good business — devilish finebusiness. Enterprising nigger ! B'lieve I'll go intothat business myself. Down on your knees, and stripthat rag off your back ! I'll try my hand at tanning."I begged earnestly, and endeavored to soften himwith excuses, but in vain. There was no other alter-native ; so kneeling down, I presented my bare backfor the application of the lash." How do you like tanning ?" he exclaimed, as therawhide descended upon my flesh. " How do youlike tanning f " he repeated at every blow. In thismanner he gave me twenty or thirty lashes, inces-santly giving utterance to the word " tanning," in oneform of expression or another. When sufficiently" tanned," he allowed me to arise, and with a half-malicious laugh assured me, if I still fancied the busi-ness, he would give me further instruction in it when-ever I desired. This time, he remarked, he had onlygiven me a short lesson in " tanning " — the next timehe would " curry me down."Uncle Abmm, also, was frequently treated withgreat brutality, although he was one of the kindestand most faithful creatures in the world. He was my

　　STABBING OF UNCLE ABEAM. 253cabin-mate for years. There was a benevolent ex-pression in the old man's face, pleasant to behold.He regarded us with a kind of parental feeling, alwayscounseling us witli remarkable gravity and delibe-ration.Returning from Marshall's plantation one afternoon,whither I had been sent on some errand of the mis-tress, I found him lying on the cabin floor, his clothessaturated with blood. He informed me that he hadbeen stabbed ! While spreading cotton on the scaf-fold, Epps came home intoxicated from Holmesville,He found fault with every thing, giving many ordersso directly contrary that it was impossible to executeany of them. Uncle Abram, whose faculties weregrowing dull, became confused, and committed someblunder of no particular consequence. Epps was soenraged thereat, that, with drunken recklessness, heflew upon the old man, and stabbed him in the back.It was a long, ugly wound, but did not happen topenetrate far enough to result fatally. It was sewedup by the mistress, who censured her husband withextreme severity, not only denouncing his inhumanity,but declaring that she expected nothing else than thathe would bring the family to poverty — that he wouldkill all the slaves on the plantation in Tsonie of hisdrunken fits.It was no uncommon thing with him to prostrateAunt Phebe with a chair or stick of wood ; but themost cruel whipping that ever I was doomed to wit-ness — one I can never recall with any other emotion

　　254 TWELVE TEAKS A SLAVE.than that of horror — was inflicted on the unfortunatePatsey.It has been seen that the jealousy and hatred ofMistress Epps made the daily life of her young andagile slave completely miserable. I am happy in thebelief that on numerous occasions I was the means ofaverting punishment from the inoffensive girl. InEpps' absence the mistress often ordered me to whipher without the remotest provocation. I would refuse,saying that I feared my master's displeasure, and sev-eral times ventured to remonstrate with her againstthe treatment Patsey received. I endeavored to im-press her with the truth that the latter was not re-sponsible for the acts of which she complained, butthat she being a slave, and subject entirely to hermaster's will, he alone was answerable.At length " the green-eyed monster " crept into thesoul of Epps also, and then it was that he joined withhis wrathful wife in an infernal jubilee over the girl'smiseries.On a Sabbath day in hoeing time, not long ago, wewere on the bayou bank, washing our clothes, as wasour usual custom. Presently Patsey was missing,Epps called aloud, but there was no answer. ~No onehad observed her leaving the yard, and it was a won-der with us whither she had gone. In the course ofa couple of hours she was seen approaching from thedirection of Shaw's. This man, as has been intima-ted, was a notorious profligate, and withal not on themost friendly terms with Epps. Harriet, his black

　　PATSEY's RET DEN FROM SHAWNS. 255wife, knowing Patsey's troubles, was kind to her, inconsequence of which the latter was in the habit ofgoing over to see her every opportunity. Her visitswere prompted by friendship merely, but the suspi-cion gradually entered the brain of Epps, that anotherand a baser passion led her thither — that it was notHarriet she desired to meet, but rather the unblush-ing libertine, his neighbor. Patsey found her masterin a fearful rage on her return. His violence soalarmed her that at first she attempted to evade directanswers to his questions, which only served to increasehis suspicions. She finally, however, drew herself upproudly, and in a spirit of indignation boldly deniedhis charges." Missus don't give me soap to wash with, as shedoes the rest," said Patsey, " and you know why. Iwent over to Harriet's to get a piece," and saying this,she drew it forth from a pocket in her dress and ex-hibited it to him. " That's what I went to Shaw's for,Massa Epps," continued she ; " the Lord knows thatwas all."" You lie, you black wench ! " shouted Epps." I don't lie, massa. If you kill me, I'll stick to that,"" Oh ! I'll fetch you down. I'll learn you to go toShaw's. I'll take the starch out of ye," he mutteredfiercely through his shut teeth.Then turning to me, he ordered four stakes to bedriven into the ground, pointing with the toe of hisboot to the places where he wanted them. "When thestakes were driven down, he ordered her to be strips

　　256 TWELVE TEAKS A SLAVE.ped of every article of dress. Ropes were thenbrought, and the naked girl was laid upon her face,her wrists and feet each tied firmly to a stake. Step-ping to the piazza, he took down a heavy whip, andplacing it in my hands, commanded me to lash her.Unpleasant as it was, I was compelled to obey him.ISTowhere that day, on the face of the whole earth, Iventure to say, was there such a demoniac exhibitionwitnessed as then ensued.Mistress Epps stood on the piazza among her chil-dren, gazing on the scene with an air of heartless sat-isfaction. The slaves were huddled together at a lit-tle distance, their countenances indicating the sorrowof their hearts. Poor Patsey prayed piteously formercy, but her prayers were vain. Epps ground histeeth, and stamped upon the ground, screaming at me,like a mad fiend, to strike harder." Strike harder, or your turn will come next, youscoundrel," he yelled." Oh, mercy, massa ! — -oh! have mercy, do. Oh,God ! pity me," Patsey exclaimed continually, strug-gling fruitlessly, and the flesh quivering at everystroke."When I had struck her as many as thirty times, Istopped, and turned round toward Epps, hoping hewas satisried ; but with bitter oaths and threats, heordered me to continue. I inflicted ten or fifteenblows more. By this time her back was covered withlong welts, intersecting each other like net work.Epps was yet furious and savage as ever, demanding

　　THE STAKING OUT AXD FLOGGING OF THE GIRL PATSEY

　　FLAYING OF PATSEY. 257if she would like to go to Shaw's again, and swear-ing he would flog her until she wished she was in h — I.Throwing down the whip, I declared I could punishher no more. He ordered me to go on, threateningme with a severer flogging than she had received, inease of refusal. My heart revolted at the inhumanscene, and risking the consequences, I absolutely re-fused to raise the whip. He then seized it himself,and applied it with ten-fold greater force than I had.The painful cries and shrieks of the tortured Patsey,mingling with the loud and angry curses of Epps,loaded the air. She was terribly lacerated — I maysay, without exaggeration, literally flayed. Thelash was wet with blood, which flowed down hersides and dropped upon the ground. At length sheceased struggling. Her head sank listlessly on theground. Her screams and supplications graduallydecreased and died away into a low moan. She nolonger writhed and shrank beneath the lash when it bitout small pieces of her flesh. I thought that she wasdying !It was the Sabbath of the Lord. The fields smiledin the warm sunlight — the birds chirped merrilyamidst the foliage of the trees — peace and happinessseemed to reign everywhere, save in the bosoms ofEpps and his panting victim and the silent witnessesaround him. The tempestuous emotions that wereraging there were little in harmony with the calmand quiet beauty of the day. I could look on Eppsonly with unutterable loathing and abhorrence, and

　　258 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.thought within myself — " Thou devil, sooner or later,somewhere in the course of eternal justice, thou shaltanswer for this sin ! "Finally, he ceased whipping from mere exhaustion,and ordered Phebe to bring a bucket of salt and wa-ter. After washing her thoroughly with this, I wastold to take her to her cabin. Untying the ropes, Iraised her in my arms. She was unable to stand, andas her head rested on my shoulder, she repeated ma-ny times, in a faint voice scarcely perceptible, " Oh,Piatt — oh, Piatt !" but nothing further. Her dresswas replaced, but it clung to her back, and was soonstiff with blood. We laid her on some boards in thehut, where she remained a long time, with eyes closedand groaning in agony. At night Phebe appliedmelted tallow to her wounds, and so far as we wereable, all endeavored to assist and console her. Dayafter day she lay in her cabin upon her face, the sorespreventing her resting in any other position.A blessed thing it would have been for her — daysand weeks and months of misery it would have savedher — had she never lifted up her head in life again.Indeed, from that time forward she was not what shehad been. The burden of a deep melancholy weigh-ed heavily on her spirits. She no longer moved withthat buoyant and elastic step — there was not thatmirthful sparkle in her eyes that formerly distin-guished her. The bounding vigor — the sprightly,laughter-loving spirit of her youth, were gone. Shefell into a mournful and desponding mood, and often-

　　patsey's idea of god, &c. 259times would start up in her sleep, and with raisedhands, plead for mercy. She became more silentthan she was, toiling all day in our midst, not utteringa word. A care-worn, pitiful expression settled onher face, and it was her humor now to weep, ratherthan rejoice. If ever there was a broken heart —one crushed and blighted by the rude grasp of suffer-ing and misfortune — it was Patsey's.She had been reared no better than her master's vbeast — 'looked upon merely as a valuable and hand-some animal — and consequently possessed but a.lim-ited amount of knowledge. And yet a faint lightcast its rays over her intellect, so that it was notwholly dark. She had a dim perception of God andof eternity, and a still more dim perception of a Sav-iour who had died even for such as her. She entertained but confused notions of a future life — not com-prehending the distinction between the corporeal andspiritual existence. Happiness, in her mind, was ex-emption from stripes — from labor — from the crueltyof masters and overseers. Her idea of the joy ofheaven was simply rest, and is fully expressed in theselines of a melancholy bard :" I ask no paradise on high,With cares on earth oppressed,The only heaven for which I sigh,Is rest, eternal rest."It is a mistaken opinion that prevails in some quar-ters, that the slave does not understand the term —does not comprehend the idea of freedom. Even on

　　260 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.Bayou Bosuf, where I conceive slavery exists in itsmost abject and cruel form — where it exhibits fea-tures altogether unknown in more northern States — ■the most ignorant of them generally know full wellits meaning. They understand the privileges andexemptions that belong to it — that it would bestowupon them the fruits of their own labors, and that itwould secure to them the enjoyment of domestic hap-piness. They do not fail to observe the differencebetween their own condition and the meanest whiteman's, and to realize the injustice of the laws whichplace it in his power not only to appropriate theprofits of their industry, but to subject them to un-merited and unprovoked punishment, without reme-dy, or the right to resist, or to remonstrate.Patsey's life, especially after her whipping, was onelong dream of liberty. Far away, to her fancy animmeasurable distance, she knew there was a land offreedom. A thousand times she had, heard thatsomewhere in the distant North there were noslaves — no masters. In her imagination it was anenchanted region, the Paradise of the earth. To dwellwhere the black man may work for himself — live inhis own cabin — till his own soil, was a blissful dreamof Patsey's — a dream, alas ! the fulfillment of whichshe can never realize.The effect of these exhibitions of brutality on thehousehold of the slave-holder, is apparent. Epps'oldest son is an intelligent lad of ten or twelve yearsof age. It is pitiable, sometimes, to see him chas-

　　EPPS' OLDEST SON. 261tising, for instance, the venerable Uncle Abram. Hewill call the old man to account, and if in his child-ish judgment it is necessary, sentence him to a cer-tain number of lashes, which he proceeds to inflictwith much gravity and deliberation. Mounted on hispony, he often rides into the field with his whip, play-ing the overseer, greatly to his father's delight.Without discrimination, at such times, he applies therawhide, urging the slaves forward with shouts, andoccasional expressions of profanity, while the old manlaughs, and commends him as a thorough-going boy." The child is father to the man," and with suchtraining, whatever may be his natural disposition, itcannot well be otherwise than that, on arriving at ma-turity, the sufferings and miseries of the slave willbe looked upon with entire indifference. The influ-ence of the iniquitous system necessarily fosters anunfeeling and cruel spirit, even in the bosoms of thosewho, among their equals, are regarded as humaneand generous.Young Master Epps possessed some noble qualities,yet no process of reasoning could lead him to com-prehend, that in the eye of the Almighty there is nodistinction of color. He looked upon the black mansimply as an animal, differing in no respect from anyother animal, save in the gift of speech and the pos-session of somewhat higher instincts, and, therefore,the more valuable. To work like his father's mules —to be whipped and kicked and scourged through life —to address the white man with hat in hand, and eyes

　　262 TWELVE YEAES A SLAVE.bent servilely on the earth, in his mind, was the natu-ral and proper destiny of the slave. Brought up withsuch ideas — in the notion that we stand without thepale of humanity — no wonder the oppressors of mypeople are a pitiless and unrelenting race.