ime I
recovered my temper, voluntarily caused myself to be bound by the same
men who tried in vain before, and carried before my young master, that
he might do what he pleased with me. He took me to a gallows made for
the purpose of hanging cattle on, and suspended me on it. Afterwards
he ordered one of his hands to go to the peach orchard and cut him
three dozens of whips to punish me with. These were brought to him,
and that was all that was done with them, as I was released and went
to work after hanging on the gallows about an hour.

After I lived with my master thirteen years, being then about twenty
two years old, I married Meg, a slave of his who was about my age. My
master owned a certain Irishman, named Heddy, who about that time
formed a plan of secretly leaving his master. After he had long had
this plan in meditation he suggested it to me. At first I cast a deaf
ear on it, and rebuked Heddy for harboring in his mind such a rash
undertaking. But after he had persuaded and much enchanted me with
the prospect of gaining my freedom with such a method, I at length
agreed to accompany him. Heddy next inveigled two of his fellow
servants to accompany us. The place to which we designed to go was
the Mississippi. Our next business was to lay in a sufficient store
of provisions for our voyage. We privately collected out of our
master's store, six great old cheeses, two firkins of butter, and one
whole batch of new bread. When we had gathered all our own clothes
and some more, we took them all about midnight, and went to the water
side. We stole our master's boat, embarked, then directed our course
for the Mississippi river.

We mutually confederated not to betray or desert one another on pain
of death. We first steered our course for Montauk point, the east end
of Long-Island. After our arrival there we landed, and Heddy and I
made an incursion into the island after fresh water, while our two
comrades were left at a little distance from the boat, employed at
cooking. When Heddy and I had sought some time for water, he returned
to our companions, and I continued on looking for my object. When
Heddy had performed his business with our companions, who were engaged
in cooking, he went directly to the boat, stole all the clothes in it,
and then travelled away for East-Hampton, as I was informed. I
returned to my fellows not long after. They informed me that our
clothes were stolen, but could not determ