Soon
after this the blacks who brought me on board went off, and left me abandoned
to despair. I now saw myself deprived of all chance of returning to my
native country, or even the least glimpse of hope of gaining the shore,
which I now considered as friendly; and I even wished for my former slavery
in preference to my present situation, which was filled with horrors of
every kind, still heightened by my ignorance of what I was to undergo.
I was not long suffered to indulge my grief; I was soon put down under
the decks, and there I received such a salutation in my nostrils as I
had never experienced in my life: so that, with the loathsomeness of the
stench, and crying together, I became so sick and low that I was not able
to eat, nor had I the least desire to taste anything. I now wished for
the last friend, death, to relieve me; but soon, to my grief, two of the
white men offered me eatables; and, on my refusing to eat, one of them
held me fast by the hands, and laid me across I think the windlass and
tied my feet, while the other flogged me severely. I had never experienced
any thing of this kind before; and although, not being used to the water,
I naturally feared that element the first time I saw it, yet nevertheless,
could I have got over the nettings, I would have jumped over the side,
but I could not; and, besides, the crew used to watch us very closely
who were not chained down to the decks, lest we should leap into the water:
and I have seen some of these poor African prisoners most severely cut
for attempting to do so, and hourly whipped for not eating. This was often
the case with myself. In a little time after, amongst the poor chained
men, I found some of my own nation, which in a small degree gave ease
to my mind. I inquired of these what was to be done with us; they gave
me to understand we were to be carried to these white people’s country
to work for them. I then was a little revived, and thought, if it were
no worse than working, my situation was not so desperate: but still I
feared I should be put to death, the white people looked and acted, as
I thought, in so savage a manner; for I had never seen among any people
such instances of brutal cruelty; and this not only shewn towards us blacks,
but also to some of the whites themselves. One white man in particular
I saw, when we were permitted to be on deck, flogged so unmercifully with
a large rope near the foremast, that he died in consequence of it; and
they tossed him over the side as they would have done a brute.
Simplified
transcript
Soon after
this, the blacks who brought me on board went back ashore and left me
in despair. I now saw that I had no chance of returning to my native country
or any hope of reaching the shore. I even wished for my former slavery
rather than being in this situation, which seemed evern worse because
I did not know what was going to happen to me. I was not allowed to indulge
my grief for very long. I was soon put down under the decks. The smell
was so bad that, together with the crying, I felt so ill that I could
not eat. But soon, to my grief, two of the white men offered me something
to eat. When I refused, one of them held me by the hands, laid me across
the windlass and tied my feet together, while the other flogged me severely.
I had never experienced anything like this before and, although I was
scared of the water, if I could have got over the nettings I would have
jumped overboard. But I could not, and, besides, the crew used to watch
those of us who were not chained to the decks very closely in case we
leapt into the water. I have seen some of the poor African prisoners very
badly whipped for trying to jump and hourly whipped for not eating. This
was often the case with me. I soon found, amongst the poor chained men,
some of my own nation, which helped a little bit. I asked them what would
happen to us and they told men that we were to be carried to the white
people's country to work for them. I felt a little better and thought
that if was to be no worse than working then my situation was not as bad
as it could be. But I was still afraid that I would be killed. The white
people looked and acted in such a savage manner - I had never seen such
cruel and brutal behaviour. This was not only towards us blacks but also
to some of the whites themselves. When we were on deck once, I saw a white
man flogged so badly that he died and they tossed his body over the side
as they would have done a brute.
Close
window
|
