The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By HimselfEquiano, Olaudah
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The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By Himself
Equiano, Olaudah
Enslaved persons -- Great Britain -- Biography; Enslaved persons -- United States -- Biography; Equiano, Olaudah, 1745-1797
many years with Mr. William Kirkpatrick, a gentleman of the island of
St. Kitts, from whom he parted by consent, though he afterwards tried
many schemes to inveigle the poor man. He had applied to many captains
who traded to St. Kitts to trepan him; and when all their attempts and
schemes of kidnapping proved abortive, Mr. Kirkpatrick came to our
ship at Union Stairs on Easter Monday, April the fourth, with two
wherry boats and six men, having learned that the man was on board;
and tied, and forcibly took him away from the ship, in the presence
of the crew and the chief mate, who had detained him after he had
notice to come away. I believe that this was a combined piece of
business: but, at any rate, it certainly reflected great disgrace on
the mate and captain also, who, although they had desired the
oppressed man to stay on board, yet he did not in the least assist to
recover him, or pay me a farthing of his wages, which was about five
pounds. I proved the only friend he had, who attempted to regain him
his liberty if possible, having known the want of liberty myself. I
sent as soon as I could to Gravesend, and got knowledge of the ship in
which he was; but unluckily she had sailed the first tide after he was
put on board. My intention was then immediately to apprehend Mr.
Kirkpatrick, who was about setting off for Scotland; and, having
obtained a _habeas corpus_ for him, and got a tipstaff to go with me
to St. Paul's church-yard, where he lived, he, suspecting something of
this kind, set a watch to look out. My being known to them occasioned
me to use the following deception: I whitened my face, that they might
not know me, and this had its desired effect. He did not go out of his
house that night, and next morning I contrived a well plotted
stratagem notwithstanding he had a gentleman in his house to personate
him. My direction to the tipstaff, who got admittance into the house,
was to conduct him to a judge, according to the writ. When he came
there, his plea was, that he had not the body in custody, on which he
was admitted to bail. I proceeded immediately to that philanthropist,
Granville Sharp, Esq. who received me with the utmost kindness, and
gave me every instruction that was needful on the occasion. I left him
in full hope that I should gain the unhappy man his liberty, with the
warmest sense of gratitude towards Mr. Sharp for his kindness; but,
alas! my attorney proved unfaithful; he took my money, lost me many
months employ, and did not do the least good in the cause: and when
the poor man arrived at St. Kitts, he was, according to custom, staked
to the ground with four pins through a cord, two on his wrists, and
two on his ancles, was cut and flogged most unmercifully, and
afterwards loaded cruelly with irons about his neck. I had two very
moving letters from him, while he was in this situation; and also was
told of it by some very respectable families now in London, who saw
him in St.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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