both feet to the bone, and split both his insteps, and then master took
his knife and stuck it into him in many places; after he done him that
way, he put him into the barn to shucking corn. For a long time he was
not able to work; when he did partly recover, he was set to work again."

We ceased to record anything further concerning Richmond, although not a
fourth part of what Harry narrated was put upon paper. The account was
too sickening and the desire to hear Harry's account of himself too
great to admit of further delay; so Harry confined himself to the
sufferings and adventures which had marked his own life. Briefly he gave
the following facts: "I have been treated bad. One day we were grubbing
and master said we didn't do work enough. 'How came there was no more
work done that day?' said master to me. I told him I did work. In a more
stormy manner he 'peated the question. I then spoke up and said: 'Massa,
I don't know what to say.' At once massa plunged his knife into my neck
causing me to stagger. Massa was drunk. He then drove me down to the
black folk's houses (cabins of the slaves). He then got his gun, called
the overseer, and told him to get some ropes. While he was gone I said,
'Massa, now you are going to tie me up and cut me all to pieces for
nothing. I would just as leave you would take your gun and shoot me down
as to tie me up and cut me all to pieces for nothing.' In a great rage
he said 'go.' I jumped, and he put up his gun and snapped both barrels
at me. He then set his dogs on me, but as I had been in the habit of
making much of them, feeding them, &c. they would not follow me, and I
kept on straight to the woods. My master and the overseer cotched the
horses and tried to run me down, but as the dogs would not follow me
they couldn't make nothing of it. It was the last of August a year ago.
The devil was into him, and he flogged and beat four of the slaves, one
man and three of the women, and said if he could only get hold of me he
wouldn't strike me, 'nary-a-lick,' but would tie me to a tree and empty
both barrels into me.

[Illustration: ]

In the woods I lived on nothing, you may say, and something too. I had
bread, and roasting ears, and 'taters. I stayed in the hollow of a big
poplar tree for seven months; the other part of the time I stayed in a
cave. I suffered mighty bad with the cold and for something to eat. Once
I got me some charcoal and made me a fire in my tree to warm me, and it