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
loaded it before me and the crew, and swore that he would shoot me if
I cried any more. I had now no alternative; I therefore remained
silent, seeing not one white man on board who said a word on my
behalf. I hung in that manner from between ten and eleven o'clock at
night till about one in the morning; when, finding my cruel abuser
fast asleep, I begged some of his slaves to slack the rope that was
round my body, that my feet might rest on something. This they did at
the risk of being cruelly used by their master, who beat some of them
severely at first for not tying me when he commanded them. Whilst I
remained in this condition, till between five and six o'clock next
morning, I trust I prayed to God to forgive this blasphemer, who cared
not what he did, but when he got up out of his sleep in the morning
was of the very same temper and disposition as when he left me at
night. When they got up the anchor, and the vessel was getting under
way, I once more cried and begged to be released; and now, being
fortunately in the way of their hoisting the sails, they released me.
When I was let down, I spoke to one Mr. Cox, a carpenter, whom I knew
on board, on the impropriety of this conduct. He also knew the doctor,
and the good opinion he ever had of me. This man then went to the
captain, and told him not to carry me away in that manner; that I was
the doctor's steward, who regarded me very highly, and would resent
this usage when he should come to know it. On which he desired a young
man to put me ashore in a small canoe I brought with me. This sound
gladdened my heart, and I got hastily into the canoe and set off,
whilst my tyrant was down in the cabin; but he soon spied me out, when
I was not above thirty or forty yards from the vessel, and, running
upon the deck with a loaded musket in his hand, he presented it at me,
and swore heavily and dreadfully, that he would shoot me that instant,
if I did not come back on board. As I knew the wretch would have done
as he said, without hesitation, I put back to the vessel again; but,
as the good Lord would have it, just as I was alongside he was abusing
the captain for letting me go from the vessel; which the captain
returned, and both of them soon got into a very great heat. The young
man that was with me now got out of the canoe; the vessel was sailing
on fast with a smooth sea: and I then thought it was neck or nothing,
so at that instant I set off again, for my life, in the canoe, towards
the shore; and fortunately the confusion was so great amongst them on
board, that I got out of the reach of the musquet shot unnoticed,
while the vessel sailed on with a fair wind a different way; so that
they could not overtake me without tacking: but even before that could
be done I should have been on shore, which I soon reached, with many
thanks to God for this unexpected deliverance. I then went and told
the other owner, who lived near that shore (with whom I had agreed for
my passage) of the usage I had met with.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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