He rejoiced much at his bargain, and I at his folly. We then set out for home on horse-back, I behind him, and had fifteen miles to ride; at length got home, and seeing my master’s palace, I took it for a pidgeon-house: being tired and hungry, they brought me some victuals called humeny and milk, which I thought very sweet and good. Next morning my master roused me by-times to grind my hoe, I looked very hard at him, and told him I was not used to that kind of work; he however took me to a field to shew me how to hill-up some corn; I told him the trade I was sent from London for, was much easier than this. In short, I could think of nothing but my old trade, and soon found means to break into a neighbour’s house, with an intent to rob them of what I could catch, with a fixed resolution to ruin myself and my master, for work did never agree with me; however, I got two gold rings, and some wearing apparel, which I brought to my mistress, knowing her to conceal other things for us, but she would have nothing to do with my prize: this caused me to run away, and make my case known to a justice of the peace, who had me apprehended, and sent for my master, upon my own discovery; I was sent to goal, but my master bailed me out till sessions, when I received sentence to be whipped and pilloried, which was rigourously executed: my master was obliged to make a fourfold gratification for the injury I had done the party robbed. My servitude being very intollerable to me, I determined to make a trial of another escape, and for that purpose took one of my master’s horses, a suit of his cloaths, and other necessaries for my journey; but not considering the expence, the danger in crossing the rivers, and having no pass from a magistrate, I was soon taken up, and brought back to my master, who gave me a terrible whipping, he fleed me from neck to rump, so that I was obliged to lie on my belly for several days and nights; and when I was well enough to walk, he sold me into the back settlements of Virginia, I believe four hundred miles within land where I was, when general Braddock came with his troops from Alexandria in Virginia, on his way to the Ohio, in the year 1755, where he was defeated with great slaughter by the French; my master and his family removed for fear of the French and the scalping parties of Indians, which were scouring the country all round, and committing the most shocking and inhuman murders. I got acquainted with serjeant Campbell, of colonel Dunbar’s regiment, and begged of him to let me go to the battle; he granted my request, and I got clear of my master. After our defeat, on the 9th of July, we had a very long and tiresome march back from the field of battle, near Fort du Quesne, to Philadelphia, in Pensylvania; when there being bare of cloathing, and in want of money, being withal very hungry, I took up my London trade, and soon stole a whole piece of handkerchiefs, a dozen in number; I tarried in Philadelphia till