A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. HavilandHaviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Religion
A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. Haviland
Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Freed persons; Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith), 1808-1898; Underground Railroad
He soon found me. I got my supper out of the way, and my men folks out
again at their work. I then inquired who directed him to me, and he
told me "two men six miles from this school said you was a frien' to my
people; an' I thought if folks knew you six miles off I would be safe
to come to you, 'case I wants to go to Canada right soon. I started
once before, and traveled three nights by the North star; and as
Indiana was a free State I thought I would stop and buy me some broad,
an' the people was mighty kind, and said I could rest a week, and they
would pay me for the work I did, to help me on to Canada. But firs' I
knew my master come for me, an' I seed him pay them money--s'pose 't
was reward."
This time he was so cautious that he would make a friend of no one
until he reached Michigan. They had always heard people were friends to
colored people in this State. He was six weeks from Kentucky, and had
not dared to make his condition known to any one, white or black, until
he saw a colored man in the yard at Dr Bailey's, of whom he inquired
for my house. I told him that his coat and pants were too ragged, and
that I must repair them. As he had not a second shirt, I took one of my
son's, and gave him a couple of towels, soap, and a pail of warm water,
and told him to take off his coat for me to mend, while he went up
stairs to the room over the kitchen to change his shirt. He hesitated
about taking off his coat, until I told him he must. "I am not your
mistress," said I, "and yet you must mind me." Tears started as he
slowly drew it off, when the torn and bloody shirtsleeves revealed the
long sears, and a few unhealed sores on his arms. Said I, "Are these
the marks of the slave whip?"
He nodded assent, while tears were falling.
"When was this done?"
"Two nights afore I lef'."
"What was jour offence?"
"Dis was what I got for runnin' off, an' I fainted, an' master dragged
me in my cabin, and didn't lock me in, 'case I's so weak. I reckon he
thought I's safe. But I got an ing'on to rub over the bottoms of my
shoes so dogs couldn't foller me, an' I got four loaves o' bread and a
big piece o' boiled meat, an' crawled into de barn an' tuck dis bag an'
buffalo-robe for my bed, an' dragged it into de woods, and tuck my bes'
frien', de Norf star, an' follered clean to dis place."
"What did you do for something to eat?"
"I tuck corn in de fiel'. When I foun' log heaps an' brush burnin' I
roasted a heap to las' a few days; but I was weak an' trimbly to start,
an' kep' so all de way."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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