children; nor did they seem to know any in turn. Sometimes my master would
come out and give a biscuit to me, and another to one of his own white
boys; but I did not perceive the difference between us. I had no brothers
or sisters, but there were other colored families living in the same
kitchen, and the children playing in the same yard, with me and my mother.

When I was ten or eleven years old, my master set me regularly to cutting
wood, in the yard in the winter, and working in the garden in the summer.
And when I was fifteen years of age, he gave me the care of the pleasure
horses, and made me his carriage driver; but this did not exempt me from
other labor, especially in the summer. Early in the morning I used to take
his three horses to the plantation, and turn them into the pasture to
graze, and myself into the cotton or cornfield, with a hoe in my hand, to
work through the day; and after sunset I would take these horses back to
the city, a distance of three miles, feed them, and then attend to any
other business my master or any of his family had for me to do, until bed
time, when with my blanket in my hand, I would go into the dining room to
rest through the night. The next day the same round of labor would be
repeated, unless some of the family wished to ride out, in which case I
must be on hand with the horses to wait upon them, and in the meantime
work about the yard. On Sunday I had to drive to Church twice, which with
other things necessary to be done, took the whole day. So my life went
wearily on from day to day, from night to night, and from week to week.

When I began to work, I discovered the difference between myself and my
master's white children. They began to order me about, and were told to do
so by my master and mistress. I found, too, that they had learned to read,
while I was not permitted to have a book in my hand. To be in the
possession of anything written or printed, was regarded as an offence. And
then there was the fear that I might be sold away from those who were dear
to me, and conveyed to the far South. I had learned that being a slave I
was subject to this worst (to us) of all calamities; and I knew of others
in similar situations to myself, thus sold away. My friends were not
numerous; but in proportion as they were few they were dear; and the
thought that I might be separated from them forever, was like that of
having the heart wrenched from its socket; while the idea of being
c