But to resume the sadder part of my picture, (for the digression I have been led into may be termed one of the “lights” of slavery,) slaves’ crimes and slaves’ punishments. Upon the “allowance days,” as they were called, the negroes were very flush of provisions; and having no thoughts of a “rainy day,” or, in other words, putting by a portion for the other days of the week, they sold them for anything that took their fancy. The consequence of this was, that for the rest of the week they were in a state of starvation, and unless any friend ministered to their wants, they very likely entered their master’s provision grounds, and stole part of the productions. This, of course, was discovered in the morning, the culprits generally detected, and they received their punishment, varying in degrees of severity, according to the disposition of their masters. At one time this system of bartering the food given them by their owners for indifferent articles was so prevalent, that complaints were laid before the house of assembly; and in the year 1814, an act passed which was intended as a preventive against this practice. Another crime of slaves was to milk the cattle upon the estates, and sell the milk in town; and this again called for the use of the whip. Molasses and sugar were also stolen in great quantities, and sold to persons making ginger drink; sugar-cakes, as they are termed, which are composed of sugar, molasses, ginger, and cocoa-nut, boiled up together; and many other different sweets. Even persons who ought to have known better, encouraged slaves in stealing, by buying of them sugar for domestic purposes. This also called for the interposition of the law; and slaves so offending were to be whipped, and sent to work in the street-gang. I have mentioned the street-gang in a former chapter; but it may be well to remark, that the slaves comprising it were worked two and two together, by having an iron collar round their necks, and connected by a chain, not exactly the size and thickness of that formerly shewn in “Aldermanbury;”[7] but rather like those used upon the convicts in the different dockyards in England.