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
The next morning we discovered that the vessel which had caused such a
fury in the captain was an English sloop. They soon came to an anchor
where we were, and, to my no small surprise, I learned that Doctor
Irving was on board of her on his way from the Musquito shore to
Jamaica. I was for going immediately to see this old master and
friend, but the captain would not suffer me to leave the vessel. I
then informed the doctor, by letter, how I was treated, and begged
that he would take me out of the sloop: but he informed me that it was
not in his power, as he was a passenger himself; but he sent me some
rum and sugar for my own use. I now learned that after I had left the
estate which I managed for this gentleman on the Musquito shore,
during which the slaves were well fed and comfortable, a white
overseer had supplied my place: this man, through inhumanity and
ill-judged avarice, beat and cut the poor slaves most unmercifully;
and the consequence was, that every one got into a large Puriogua
canoe, and endeavoured to escape; but not knowing where to go, or how
to manage the canoe, they were all drowned; in consequence of which
the doctor's plantation was left uncultivated, and he was now
returning to Jamaica to purchase more slaves and stock it again. On
the 14th of October the Indian Queen arrived at Kingston in Jamaica.
When we were unloaded I demanded my wages, which amounted to eight
pounds and five shillings sterling; but Captain Baker refused to give
me one farthing, although it was the hardest-earned money I ever
worked for in my life. I found out Doctor Irving upon this, and
acquainted him of the captain's knavery. He did all he could to help
me to get my money; and we went to every magistrate in Kingston (and
there were nine), but they all refused to do any thing for me, and
said my oath could not be admitted against a white man. Nor was this
all; for Baker threatened that he would beat me severely if he could
catch me for attempting to demand my money; and this he would have
done, but that I got, by means of Dr. Irving, under the protection of
Captain Douglas of the Squirrel man of war. I thought this exceedingly
hard usage; though indeed I found it to be too much the practice there
to pay free men for their labour in this manner. One day I went with a
free negroe taylor, named Joe Diamond, to one Mr. Cochran, who was
indebted to him some trifling sum; and the man, not being able to get
his money, began to murmur. The other immediately took a horse-whip to
pay him with it; but, by the help of a good pair of heels, the taylor
got off. Such oppressions as these made me seek for a vessel to get
off the island as fast as I could; and by the mercy of God I found a
ship in November bound for England, when I embarked with a convoy,
after having taken a last farewell of Doctor Irving. When I left
Jamaica he was employed in refining sugars; and some months after my
arrival in England I learned, with much sorrow, that this my amiable
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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