CHAPTER XXI.

by Solomon Northup

　　CHAPTER XXI.THE LETTER REACHES SARATOGA IS FORWARDED TO ANNE IS LAID BE-FORE HENRY B. NORTHUP THE STATUTE OF MAY 14, 1840 ITS PRO-VISIONS ANNE'S MEMORIAL TO THE GOVERNOR THE AFFIDAVITS AC-COMPANYING IT SENATOR SOULE's LETTER DEPARTURE OF THE AGENTAPPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR ARRIVAL AT MARKSVILLE THE HON.JOHN P. "WADDILL THE CONVERSATION ON NEW-YORK POLITICS ITSUGGESTS A FORTUNATE IDEA THE MEETING WITH BASS THE SECRETOUT LEGAL PROCEEDINGS INSTITUTED DEPARTURE OF NORTHUP ANDTHE SHERIFF FROM MARKSVILLE FOR BAYOU BCEUF ARRANGEMENTS ONTHE WAY REACH EPPs' PLANTATION DISCOVER HIS SLAVES IN THECOTTON FIELD THE MEETING THE FAREWELL.I am indebted to Mr. Henry B. Northu/p and oth-ers for many of the particulars contained in thischapter.The letter written by Bass, directed to Parker andPerry, and which was deposited in the post-office inMarksville on the 15th day of August, 1852, arrivedat Saratoga in the early part of September. Sometime previous to this, Anne had removed to GlensPalls, Warren county, where she had charge of thekitchen in Carpenter's Hotel. She kept house, how-ever, lodging with our children, and was only absentfrom them during such time as the discharge of herduties in the hotel required.M id

　　290 TWELVE YEARS A SLATE.Messrs. Parker and Perry, on receipt of the letter,forwarded it immediately to Anne. On reading itthe children were all excitement, and without delayhastened to the neighboring village of Sandy Hill,to consult Henry B. JNorthup, and obtain his adviceand assistance in the matter.Upon examination, that gentleman found amongthe statutes of the State an act providing for the re-covery of free citizens from slavery. It was passedMay 14, 1840, and is entitled "An act more effectu-ally to protect the free citizens of this State frombeing kidnapped or reduced to slavery." It providesthat it shall be the duty of the Governor, upon the re-ceipt of satisfactory information that any free citizen orinhabitant of this State, is wrongfully held in anotherState or Territory of the United States, upon the al-legation or pretence that such person is a slave, orby color of any usage or rule of law is deemed ortaken to be a slave, to take such measures to procurethe restoration of such person to liberty, as he shalldeem necessary. And to that end, he is authorizedto appoint and employ an agent, and directed to fur-nish him with such credentials and instructions as willbe likely to accomplish the object of his appointment.It requires the agent so appointed to proceed to col-lect the proper proof to establish the right of suchperson to his freedom ; to perform such journeys, takesuch measures, institute such legal proceedings, &c,as may be necessary to return such person to thisState, and charges all expenses incurred in carrying

　　ANNE'S MEMOEIAL TO THE GOVEENOB. 291the act into effect, upon 'moneys not otherwise ap-propriated in the treasury.*It was necessary to establish two facts to the satis-faction of the Governor : First, that I was a free citi-zen of JSTew-York ; and secondly, that I was wrong-fully held in bondage. As to the first point, therewas no difficulty, all the older inhabitants in the vi-cinity being ready to testify to it. The second pointrested entirely upon the letter to Parker and Perry,written in an unknown hand, and upon the letter pen-ned on board the brig Orleans, which, unfortunately,had been mislaid or lost.A memorial was prepared, directed to his excellen-cy, Governor Hunt, setting forth her marriage, mydeparture to "Washington city ; the receipt of the let-ters ; that I was a free citizen, and such other facts aswere deemed important, and was signed and verifiedby Anne. Accompanying this memorial were sever-al affidavits of prominent citizens of Sandy Hill andFort Edward, corroborating fully the statements itcontained, and also a request of several well knowngentlemen to the Governor, that Henry B. ISTorthupbe appointed agent under the legislative act.On reading the memorial and affidavits, his excel-lency took a lively interest in the matter, and on the23d day of November, 1852, under the seal of theState, " constituted, appointed and employed HenryB. IsTorthup, Esq., an agent, with full power to effect"my restoration, and to take such measures as would* See Appendix A.

　　292 TWELVE TEAES A SLAVE.be most likely to accomplish it, and instructing himto proceed to Louisiana with all convenient dispatch.*The pressing nature of Mr. ISTorthup's professionaland political engagements delayed his departure un-til December. On the fourteenth day of that monthhe left Sandy Hill, and proceeded to "Washington.The Hon. Pierre Soule, Senator in Congress from Lou-isiana, Hon. Mr. Conrad, Secretary of "War, andJudge Nelson, of the Supreme Court of the UnitedStates, upon hearing a statement of the facts, and ex-amining his commission, and certified copies of thememorial and affidavits, furnished him with open let-ters to gentlemen in Louisiana, strongly urging theirassistance in accomplishing the object of his ap-pointment.Senator Soule especially interested himself in thematter, insisting, in forcible language, that it was theduty and interest of every planter in his State to aidin restoring me to freedom, and trusted the sentimentsof honor and justice in the bosom of every citizen ofthe commonwealth would enlist him at once in rnybehalf. Having obtained these valuable letters, Mr.Kbrthup returned to Baltimore, and proceeded fromthence to Pittsburgh. It was his original intention,under advice of friends at Washington, to go directlyto New Orleans, and consult the authorities of thatcity. Providentially, however, on arriving at themouth of Eed Piver, he changed his mind. Had hecontinued on, he would not have met with Bass, in* See Appendix B.

　　ARRIVAL AT MARKS VTLLE. 293which case the search for nie would probably havebeen fruitless.Taking passage on the first steamer that arrived,he pursued his journey up Red River, a sluggish,winding stream, flowing through a vast region ofprimitive forests and impenetrable swamps, almostwholly destitute of inhabitants. About nine o'clock inthe forenoon, January 1st, 1853, he left the steamboatat Marksville, and proceeded directly to MarksvilleCourt House, a small village four miles in the interior.From the fact that the letter to Messrs. Parker andPerry was post-marked at Marksville, it was supposedby him that I was in that place or its immediate vi-cinity. On reaching this town, he at once laid hisbusiness before the Hon. John P. "Waddill, a legalgentleman of distinction, and a man of fine geniusand most noble impulses. After reading the lettersand documents presented him, and listening to a rep-resentation of the, circumstances under which I hadbeen carried away into captivity, Mr. Waddill atonce proffered his services, and entered into the af-fair with great zeal and earnestness. He, in commonwith others of like elevated character, looked uponthe kidnapper with abhorrence. The title of his fel-low parishioners and clients to the property whichconstituted the larger proportion of their wealth, notonly depended upon the good faith in which slavesales were transacted, but he was a man in whosehonorable heart emotions of indignation were arousedby such an instance of injustice.

　　294 TWELVE TEAKS A SLATE.Marksville, although occupying a prominent posi-tion, and standing out in impressive italics on themap of Louisiana, is, in fact, but a small and insig-nificant hamlet. Aside from the tavern, kept by ajolly and generous boniface, the court house, inhabi-ted by lawless cows and swine in the seasons of va-cation, and a high gallows, with its dissevered ropedangling in the air, there is little to attract the at-tention of the stranger. ^H^Solomon ISTorthup was a name Mr. TVaddill flBnever heard, but he was confident that if there wasa slave bearing that appellation in Marksville or vi-cinity, his black boy Tom would know him. Tomwas accordingly called, but in all his extensive cir-cle of acquaintances there was no such personage.The letter to Parker and Perry was dated at BayouBceuf. At this place, therefore, the conclusion was,I must be sought. But here a difficulty suggesteditself, of a very grave character indeed. Bayou Bceuf,at its nearest point, was twenty-three miles distant,and was the name applied to the section of countryextending between fifty and a hundred miles, onboth sides of that stream. Thousands and thousandsof slaves resided upon its shores, the remarkablerichness and fertility of the soil having attractedthither a great number of planters. The informationin the letter was so vague and indefinite as to renderit difficult to conclude upon any specific course ofproceeding. It was finally determined, however, asthe only plan that presented any prospect of success 3

　　NEW-YORK POLITICS. 295that Northup and the brother of Waddill, a studentin the office of the latter, should repair to the Bayou,and traveling up one side and down the other itswhole length, inquire at each plantation for me. Mr.Waddill tendered the use of his carriage, and it wasdefinitely arranged that they should start upon theexcursion early Monday morning.It will he seen at once that this course, in all prob-ability, would have resulted unsuccessfully. It wouldhave been impossible for them to have gone into thefields and examine all the gangs at work. Theywere not aware that I was known only as Piatt ; andhad they inquired of Epps himself, he would havestated truly that he knew nothing of SolomonTTorthup.The arrangement being adopted, however, therewas nothing further to be done until Sunday hadelapsed. The conversation between" Messrs. Northupand "Waddill, in the course of the afternoon, turnedupon !New-York politics. -""I can scarcely comprehend the nice distinc-tions and shades of political parties in your State,"observed Mr. Waddill. " I read of soft-shells andhard-shells, hunkers and barnburners, woolly-headsand silver-grays, and am unable to understand theprecise difference between them. Pray, what is it VMr. ISTorthup, re-filling his pipe, entered into quitean elaborate narrative of the origin of the varioussections of parties, and concluded by saying there wasanother party in ISTew-York, known as free-soilers or

　　296 TWELVE YEARS A SLATE.abolitionists. " Tou have seen none of those in thispart of the country, I presume ?" Mr. Northup re-marked." .Never, but one," answered Waddill, laughingly." We have one here in Marksville, an eccentric crea-ture, who preaches abolitionism as vehemently as anyfanatic at the North. He is a generous, inoffensiveman, but always maintaining the wrong side of anargument. It affords us a deal of amusement. Heis an excellent mechanic, and almost indispensable inthis community. He is a carpenter. His name isBass."Some further good-natured conversation was had atthe expense of Bass' peculiarities, when "Waddill allat once fell into a reflective mood, and asked for themysterious letter again.'^Let me see — 1-e-t m-e s-e-e !" he repeated,thoughtfully to himself, running his eyes over the let-ter once more. " ' Bayou Bceuf, August 15.' August15 — post-marked here. ' He that is writing for me — '"Where did Bass work last summer?" he inquired,turning suddenly to his brother. His brother wasunable to inform him, but rising, left the office, andsoon returned with the intelligence that " Bass work-ed last summer somewhere on Bayou Bceuf."" He is the man," 'bringing down his hand emphat-ically on the table,' "who can tell us all about Sol-omon ISTorthup," exclaimed Waddill.Bass was immediately searched for, but could notbe found. After some inquiry, it was ascertained he

　　THE MEETING "WITH BASS. 297was at the landing on Red River. Procuring a con-veyance, young TVaddill and ISTorthup were not long-in traversing the few miles to the latter place. Ontheir arrival, Bass was found, just on the point of leav-ing, to be absent a fortnight or more. After an in-troduction, ISTorthup begged the privilege of speaking -.to him privately a moment. They walked togethertowards the river, when the following conversationensued :" Mr. Bass," said ISTorthup, " allow me to ask youif you were on Bayou Boeuf last August ? "" Tes, sir, I was there in August," was the reply." Did you write a letter for a colored man at thatplace to some gentleman in Saratoga Springs ? "" Excuse me, sir, if I say that is none of your busi=ness," answered Bass, stopping and looking his inter-rogator searchingly in the face." Perhaps I am rather hasty, Mr. Bass ; I beg yourpardon ; but I have come from the State of ]STew-Yorkto accomplish the purpose the writer of a letter dated-'-the 15th of August, post-marked at Marksville, hadin view. Circumstances have led me to think thatyou are perhaps the man who wrote it. I am insearch of Solomon ISTorthup. If you know him, I begyou to inform me frankly where he is, and I assureyou the source of any information you may give meshall not be divulged, if you desire it not to be."A long time Bass looked his new acquaintancesteadily in the eyes, without opening his lips. Heseemed to be doubting in his own mind if there wasM*

　　298 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.not an attempt to practice some deception upon him.Finally he said, deliberately — ■" I have done nothing to be ashamed of. I am theman who wrote the letter. If you have come to res-cue Solomon Northup, I am glad to see you."" "When did you last see him, and where is he ? "Northup inquired." I last saw him Christmas, a week ago to-day.He is the slave of Edwin Epps, a planter on BayouBoeuf, near Holmesville. He is not known as Solo-mon Northup ; he is called Piatt."The secret was out — the mystery was unraveled.Through the thick, black cloud, amid whose dark anddismal shadows I had walked twelve years, broke thestar that was to light me back to liberty. All mis-trust and hesitation were soon thrown aside, and thetwo men conversed long and freely upon the subjectuppermost in their thoughts. Bass expressed theinterest he had taken in my behalf — his intention ofgoing north in the Spring, and declaring that he hadresolved to accomplish my emancipation, if it were inhis power. He described the commencement andprogress of his acquaintance with me, and listenedwith eager curiosity to the account given him of myfamily, and the history of my early life. Before sep-arating, he drew a map of the bayou on a strip of paperwith a piece of red chalk, showing the locality of Epps 5plantation, and the road leading most directly to it.Northup and his young companion returned toMarksville, where it was determined to commence

　　LEGAL PEOCEEDmGS. 299legal proceedings to test the question of my right tofreedom. I was made plaintiff, Mr. ISTorthup actingas my guardian, and Edwin Epps defendant. Theprocess to be issued was in the nature of replevin, di-rected to the sheriff of the parish, commanding himto take me into custody, and detain me until the de-cision of the court. By the time the papers were dulydrawn up, it was twelve o'clock at night — too late toobtain the necessary signature of the Judge, who resi-ded some distance out of town. Further business wastherefore suspended until Monday morning.Everything, apparently, was moving along swim-mingly, until Sunday afternoon, when Waddill calledat ISTorthup's room to express his apprehension of dif-ficulties they had not expected to encounter. Basshad become alarmed, and had placed his affairs inthe hands of a person at the landing, communicatingto him his intention of leaving the State. This per-son had betrayed the confidence reposed in him to acertain extent, and a rumor began to float about thetown, that the stranger at the hotel, who had beenobserved in the company of lawyer Waddill, was afterone of old Epps' slaves, over on the bayou. Eppswas known at Marksville, having frequent occasionto visit that place during the session of the courts, andthe fear entertained by Mr. Northup's adviser was,that intelligence would be conveyed to him in thenight, giving him an opportunity of secreting me be-fore the arrival of the sheriff.This apprehension had the effect of expediting mat-

　　800 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.ters considerably. The sheriff, who lived in one direc-tion from the village, was requested to hold himselfin readiness immediately after midnight, while theJudge was informed he would be called upon at thesame time. It is but justice to say, that the authori-ties at Marksville cheerfully rendered all the assist-ance in their power.As soon after midnight as bail could be perfected,and the Judge's signature obtained, a carriage, con-taining Mr. Northup and the sheriff, driven by thelandlord's son, rolled rapidly out of the village ofMarksville, on the road towards Bayou Boeuf.It was supposed that Epps would contest the issueinvolving my right to liberty, and it therefore sug-gested itself to Mr. JSTorthup, that the testimony of thesheriff, describing my first meeting with the for-mer, might perhaps become material on the trial.It was accordingly arranged during the ride, that,before I had an opportunity of speaking to Mr.Northup, the sheriff should propound to me cer-tain questions agreed upon, such as the number andnames of my children, the name of my wife beforemarriage, of places I knew at the North, and so forth.If my answers corresponded with the statements giv-en him, the evidence must necessarily be consideredconclusive.At length, shortly after Epps had left the field, withthe consoling assurance that he would soon return andwarm us, as was stated in the conclusion of the pre-ceding chapter, they came in sight of the plantation,

　　REACH EPPS' PLANTATION. 301and discovered us at work. Alighting from the car-riage, and directing the driver to proceed to the greathouse, with instructions not to mention to any onethe object of their errand until they met again, JSTorth-up and the sheriff turned from the highway, and cametowards us across the cotton field. "We observed them,on looking up at the carriage — one several rods inadvance of the other. It was a singular and unusualthing to see white men approaching us in that man-ner, and especially at that early hour in the morning',and Uncle Abram and Patsey made some remarks,expressive of their astonishment. Walking up toBob, the sheriff inquired :" Where's the boy they call Piatt ? "" Thar he is, massa," answered Bob, pointing to me,and twitching off his hat.I wondered to myself what business he could pos-sibly have with me, and turning round, gazed at himuntil he had approached within a step. During mylong residence on the bayou, I had become familiarwith the face of every planter within many miles ;but this man was an utter stranger — certainly I hadnever seen him before." Your name is Piatt, is it ? " he asked." Yes, master," I responded.Pointing towards Northup, standing a few rods dis-tant, he demanded — " Do you know that man ? "I looked in the direction indicated, and as my eyesrested on his countenance, a world of images throngedmy brain ; a multitude of well-known faces — Anne's,

　　302 TWELVE TEARS A SLAVE.and the dear children's, and my old dead father's ; allthe scenes and associations of childhood and youth ;all the friends of other and happier days, appearedand disappeared, flitting and floating like dissolvingshadows before the vision of my imagination, until atlast the perfect memory of the man recurred to me,and throwing up my hands towards Heaven, I ex-claimed, in a voice louder than I could utter in a lessexciting moment —" Henry B. Mrthup ! Thank God — thank God ! "In an instant I comprehended the nature of his busi-ness, and felt that the hour of my deliverance was athand. I started towards him, but the sheriff steppedbefore me."Stop a moment," said he ; "have you any othername than Piatt ? "" Solomon Northup is my name, master," I replied." Have you a family 2 " he inquired." I had a wife and three children."" What were your children's names ? "" Elizabeth, Margaret and Alonzo."" And your wife's name before her marriage % "u Anne Hampton."" "Who married you ? "" Timothy Eddy, of Fort Edward."" Where does that gentleman live ? " again pointingto Xorthup, who remained standing in the same placewhere I had first recognized him." He lives in Sandy Hill, Washington county, !NewYork," was the reply.

　　THE MEETING. 303He was proceeding to ask further questions, but Ipushed past him, unable longer to restrain myself.I seized my old acquaintance by both hands. I couldnot speak, I could not refrain from tears." Sol," he said at length, " I'm glad to see you."I essayed to make some answer, but emotion chokedall utterance, and I was silent. The slaves, utterlyconfounded, stood gazing upon the scene, their openmouths and rolling eyes indicating the utmost wonderand astonishment. For ten years I had dwelt amongthem, in the field and in the cabin, borne the samehardships, partaken the same fare, mingled my griefswith theirs, participated in the same scanty joys ;nevertheless, not until this hour, the last I was to re-main among them, had the remotest suspicion of mytrue name, or the slightest knowledge of my real his-tory, been entertained by any one of them.~Not a word was spoken for several minutes, duringwhich time I clung fast to Northup, looking up intohis face, fearful I should awake and find it all adream." Throw down that sack," Northup added, finally ;" your cotton-picking days are over. Come with usto the man you live with."I obeyed him, and walking between him and thesheriff, we moved towards the great house. It wasnot until we had proceeded some distance that I hadrecovered my voice sufficiently to ask if my familywere all living. He informed me he had seen Anne,Margaret and Elizabeth but a short time previously ;

　　304 TWELVE TEARS A SLAVE.that Alonzo was also living, and all were well. Mymother, however, I could never see again. As I be-gan to recover in some measure from the sudden andgreat excitement which so overwhelmed me, I grewfaint and weak, insomuch it was with difficulty I couldwalk. The sheriff took hold of my arm and assistedme, or I think I should have fallen. As we enteredthe yard, Epps stood by the gate, conversing with thedriver. That young man, faithful to his instructions,was entirely unable to give him the least informationin answer to his repeated inquiries of what was goingon. By the time we reached him he was almost asmuch amazed and puzzled as Bob or Uncle Abram.Shaking hands with the sheriff, and receiving anintroduction to Mr. Northup, he invited them into thehouse, ordering me, at the same time, to bring insome wood. It was some time before I succeeded incutting an armful, having, somehow, unaccountably,lost the power of wielding the axe with any mannerof precision. When I entered with it at last, thetable was strewn with papers, from one of whichKorthup was reading. I was probably longer thannecessity required, in placing the sticks upon the fire,being particular as to the exact position of each indi-vidual one of them. I heard the words, " the saidSolomon ISTorthup," and " the deponent further says,"and " free citizen of New- York," repeated frequently,and from these expressions understood that the secretI had so long retained from Master and Mistress Epps,was finally developing. I lingered as long as pru-

　　^- ~ ^. ovff. JSCENE IN THE COTTON FIELD, SOLOMON DELIVERED UP.

　　MEETING AT EPPs' HOUSE. 305dence permitted, and was about leaving the room,when Epps inquired," Piatt, do you know this gentleman ? "" Yes, master," I replied, " I have known him aslong as I can remember."" Where does he live ? "" He lives in Eew-York."" Did you ever live there ? "" Yes, master — born and bred there."" You was free, then. Now you d d nigger,"he exclaimed, " why did you not tell me that when Ibought you % "" Master Epps," I answered, in a somewhat differ-ent tone than the one in which I had been accustomedto address him — " Master Epps, you did not take thetrouble to ask me ; besides, I told one of my owners —the man that kidnapped me — that I was free, andwas whipped almost to death for it."" It seems there has been a letter written for you bysomebody. Now, who is it ? " he demanded, authori-tatively. I made no reply." I say, who wrote that letter ? " he demandedagain." Perhaps I wrote it myself," I said." You haven't been to Marksville post-office andhack before light, I know."He insisted upon my informing him, and I insistedI would not. He made many vehement threats againstthe man, whoever he might be, and intimated thebloody and savage vengeance he would wreak upon20

　　306 TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE.him, when he found him out. His whole mannerand language exhibited a feeling of anger towards theunknown person who had written for me, and of fret-fulness at the idea of losing so much property. Ad-dressing Mr. Korthup, he swore if he had only had anhour's notice of his coming, he would have saved himthe trouble of taking me back to New- York ; that hewould have run me into the swamp, or some otherplace out of the way, where all the sheriffs on earthcouldn't have found me.I walked out into the yard, and was entering thekitchen door, when something struck me in the back.Aunt Phebe, emerging from the back door of thegreat house with a pan of potatoes, had thrown oneof them with unnecessary violence, thereby givingme to understand that she wished to speak to me amoment confidentially. Running up to me, she whis-pered in my ear with great earnestness," Lor a' mity, Piatt ! what d'ye think ? Dem twomen come after ye. Heard 'em tell massa you free —got wife and tree children back thar whar you comefrom. Goin' wid 'em? Fool if ye don't — wish Icould go," and Aunt Phebe ran on in this manner ata rapid rate.Presently Mistress Epps made her appearance inthe kitchen. She said many things to me, and won-dered why I had not told her who I was. She ex-pressed her regret, complimenting me by saying shehad rather lose any other servant on the plantation,Had Patsey that day stood in my place, the measure

　　THE FAEEWELL. 307of my mistress' joy would have overflowed. !Nowthere was no one left who could mend a chair or apiece of furniture — no one who was of any use aboutthe house — no one who could play for her on the vio-lin — and Mistress Epps was actually affected to tears.Epps had called to Bob to bring up his saddle horse.The other slaves, also, overcoming their fear of thepenalty, had left their work and come to the yard.They were standing behind the cabins, out of sight ofEpps. They beckoned me to come to them, and withall the eagerness of curiosity, excited to the highestpitch, conversed with and questioned me.. If I couldrepeat the exact words they uttered, with the sameemphasis — if I could paint their several attitudes, andthe expression of their countenances — it would beindeed an interesting picture. In their estimation, Ihad suddenly arisen to an immeasurable height — hadbecome a being of immense importance.The legal papers having been served, and arrange-ments made with Epps to meet them the next day atMarksville, ISTorthup and the sheriff entered thecarriage to return to the latter place. As I was aboutmounting to the driver's seat, the sheriff said I oughtto bid Mr. and Mrs. Epps good bye. I ran back tothe piazza where they were standing, and taking offmy hat, said," Good-bye, missis."" Good-bye, Piatt," said Mrs. Epps, kindly." Good-bye, master."" Ah ! you d — d nigger," muttered Epps, in a surly,

　　308 TWELVE YEAE8 A SLAVE.malicious tone of voice, " you needn't feel so cussedtickled — you ain't gone yet — I'll see about this busi-ness at Marksville to-morrow."I was only a " niggei^ and knew my place, but feltas strongly as if I bad been a white man, that itwould have been an inward comfort, had I dared tohave given him a parting kick. On my way back tothe carriage, Patsey ran from behind a cabin andthrew her arms about my neck." Oh ! Piatt," she cried, tears streaming down herface, "you're goin' to be free — you're goin' way offyonder where we'll neber see ye any more. You'vesaved me a good many whippins, Piatt ; I'm gladyou're goin' to be free — but oh! de Lord, de Lord!what'll become of me ?"I disengaged myself from her, and entered thecarriage. The driver cracked his whip and away werolled. I looked back and saw Patsey, with droopinghead, half reclining on the ground ; Mrs. Epps was onthe piazza ; Uncle Abrarn, and Bob, and Wiley, andAunt Phebe stood by the gate, gazing after me. Iwaved my hand, but the carriage turned a bend ofthe bayou, hiding them from my eyes forever."We stopped a moment at Carey's sugar house,where a great number of slaves were at work, suchan establishment being a curiosity to a Northern man.Epps dashed by us on horseback at full speed — onthe way, as we learned next day, to the " PineWoods," to see William Ford, who had brought meinto the country.

　　DEPASTURE HOMEWAPwD. 309Tuesday, the fourth of January, Epps and his coun-sel, the Hon. H. Taylor, ISTorthup, Waddill, the Judgeand sheriff of Avoyelles, and myself, met in a roomin the village of Marksville. Mr. Northup stated thefacts in regard to me, and presented his commission,and the affidavits accompanying it. The sheriff de-scribed the scene in the cotton field. I was alsointerrogated at great length. Finally, Mr. Taylorassured his client that he was satisfied, and that liti-gation would not only be expensive, but utterly use-less. In accordance with his advice, a paper wasdrawn up and signed by the proper parties, whereinEpps acknowledged he was satisfied of my right tofreedom, and formally surrendered me to the authori-ties of New- York. It was also stipulated that it beentered of record in the recorder's office of Avoy-elles.*Mi*. Northup and myself immediately hastened tothe landing, and taking passage on the first steamerthat arrived, were soon floating down Red River, upwhich, with such desponding thoughts, I had beenborne twelve years before.* See Appendix 0.