Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave, Written by Himself by Henry Bibb

H >> Henry Bibb >> Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave, Written by Himself

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

They were disgusted at the conduct of Whitfield and cried out shame,
even in his presence. They told him that they would give a thousand
dollars for my wife and child, or any thing in reason. But no! he
would sooner see me to the devil than indulge or gratify me after my
having run away from him; and if they did not remove me from his
presence very soon, he said he should make them suffer for it.

But all this, and even the gory lash had yet failed to break the grasp
of poor Malinda, whose prospect of connubial, social, and future
happiness was all at stake. When the dear woman saw there was no help
for us, and that we should soon be separated forever, in the name of
Deacon Whitfield, and American slavery to meet no more as husband and
wife, parent and child--the last and loudest appeal was made on our
knees. We appealed to the God of justice and to the sacred ties of
humanity; but this was all in vain. The louder we prayed the harder he
whipped, amid the most heart-rending shrieks from the poor slave
mother and child, as little Frances stood by, sobbing at the abuse
inflicted on her mother.

"Oh! how shall I give my husband the parting hand never to meet
again? This will surely break my heart," were her parting words.

I can never describe to the reader the awful reality of that
separation--for it was enough to chill the blood and stir up the
deepest feelings of revenge in the hearts of slaveholding black-legs,
who as they stood by, were threatening, some weeping, some swearing
and others declaring vengeance against such treatment being inflicted
on a human being. As we left the plantation, as far as we could see
and hear, the Deacon was still laying on the gory lash, trying to
prevent poor Malinda from weeping over the loss of her departed
husband, who was then, by the hellish laws of slavery, to her,
theoretically and practically dead. One of the black-legs exclaimed
that hell was full of just such Deacon's as Whitfield. This occurred
in December, 1840. I have never seen Malinda, since that period. I
never expect to see her again.

The sportsmen to whom I was sold, showed their sympathy for me not
only by word but by deeds. They said that they had made the most
liberal offer to Whitfield, to buy or sell for the sole purpose of
reuniting husband and wife. But he stood out against it--they felt
sorry for me. They said they had bought me to speculate on, and were
not able to lose what they had paid for me. But they would make a
bargain with me, if I was willing, and would lay a plan, by which I
might yet get free. If I would use my influence so as to get some
person to buy me while traveling about with them, they would give me a
portion of the money for which they sold me, and they would also give
me directions by which I might yet run away and go to Canada.

This offer I accepted, and the plot was made. They advised me to act
very stupid in language and thought, but in business I must be spry;
and that I must persuade men to buy me, and promise them that I would
be smart.

We passed through the State of Arkansas and stopped at many places,
horse-racing and gambling. My business was to drive a wagon in which
they carried their gambling apparatus, clothing, &c. I had also to
black boots and attend to horses. We stopped at Fayettville, where
they almost lost me, betting on a horse race.

They went from thence to the Indian Territory, among the Cherokee
Indians, to attend the great races which were to take place there.
During the races there was a very wealthy half Indian of that tribe,
who became much attached to me, and had some notion of buying me,
after hearing that I was for sale, being a slaveholder. The idea
struck me rather favorable, for several reasons. First, I thought I
should stand a better chance to get away from an Indian than from a
white man. Second, he wanted me only for a kind of a body servant to
wait on him--and in this case I knew that I should fare better than I
should in the field. And my owners also told me that it would be an
easy place to get away from. I took their advice for fear I might not
get another chance so good as that, and prevailed on the man to buy
me. He paid them nine hundred dollars, in gold and silver, for me. I
saw the money counted out.

After the purchase was made, the sportsmen got me off to one side, and
according to promise they gave me a part of the money, and directions
how to get from there to Canada. They also advised me how to act until
I got a good chance to run away. I was to embrace the earliest
opportunity of getting away, before they should become acquainted with
me. I was never to let it be known where I was from, nor where I was
born. I was to act quite stupid and ignorant. And when I started I was
to go up the boundary line, between the Indian Territory and the
States of Arkansas and Missouri, and this would fetch me out on the
Missouri river, near Jefferson city, the capital of Missouri. I was to
travel at first by night, and to lay by in daylight, until I got out
of danger.

The same afternoon that the Indian bought me, he started with me to
his residence, which was fifty or sixty miles distant. And so great
was his confidence in me, that he intrusted me to carry his money. The
amount must have been at least five hundred dollars, which was all in
gold and silver; and when we stopped over night the money and horses
were all left in my charge.

It would have been a very easy matter for me to have taken one of the
best horses, with the money, and run off. And the temptation was truly
great to a man like myself, who was watching for the earliest
opportunity to escape; and I felt confident that I should never have a
better opportunity to escape full handed than then.

CHAPTER XIV.

_Character of my Indian Master.--Slavery among the Indians less
cruel.--Indian carousal.--Enfeebled health of my Indian Master.--His
death.--My escape.--Adventure in a wigwam.--Successful progress toward
liberty._

The next morning I went home with my new master; and by the way it is
only doing justice to the dead to say, that he was the most
reasonable, and humane slaveholder that I have ever belonged to. He
was the last man that pretended to claim property in my person; and
although I have freely given the names and residences of all others
who have held me as a slave, for prudential reasons I shall omit
giving the name of this individual.

He was the owner of a large plantation and quite a number of slaves.
He raised corn and wheat for his own consumption only. There was no
cotton, tobacco, or anything of the kind produced among them for
market. And I found this difference between negro slavery among the
Indians, and the same thing among the white slaveholders of the South.
The Indians allow their slaves enough to eat and wear. They have no
overseers to whip nor drive them. If a slave offends his master, he
sometimes, in a heat of passion, undertakes to chastise him; but it is
as often the case as otherwise, that the slave gets the better of the
fight, and even flogs his master;[4] for which there is no law to
punish him; but when the fight is over that is the last of it. So far
as religious instruction is concerned, they have it on terms of
equality, the bond and the free; they have no respect of persons, they
have neither slave laws nor negro pews. Neither do they separate
husbands and wives, nor parents and children. All things considered,
if I must be a slave, I had by far, rather be a slave to an Indian,
than to a white man, from the experience I have had with both.

A majority of the Indians were uneducated, and still followed up their
old heathen traditional notions. They made it a rule to have an Indian
dance or frolic, about once a fortnight; and they would come together
far and near to attend these dances. They would most generally
commence about the middle of the afternoon; and would give notice by
the blowing of horns. One would commence blowing and another would
answer, and so it would go all round the neighborhood. When a number
had got together, they would strike a circle about twenty rods in
circumference, and kindle up fires about twenty feet apart, all
around, in this circle. In the centre they would have a large fire to
dance around, and at each one of the small fires there would be a
squaw to keep up the fire, which looked delightful off at a distance.

But the most degrading practice of all, was the use of intoxicating
drinks, which were used to a great excess by all that attended these
stump dances. At almost all of these fires there was some one with rum
to sell. There would be some dancing, some singing, some gambling,
some fighting, and some yelling; and this was kept up often for two
days and nights together.

Their dress for the dance was most generally a great bunch of bird
feathers, coon tails, or something of the kind stuck in their heads,
and a great many shells tied about their legs to rattle while dancing.
Their manner of dancing is taking hold of each others hands and
forming a ring around the large fire in the centre, and go stomping
around it until they would get drunk or their heads would get to
swimming, and then they would go off and drink, and another set come
on. Such were some of the practises indulged in by these Indian
slaveholders.

My last owner was in a declining state of health when he bought me;
and not long after he bought me he went off forty or fifty miles from
home to be doctored by an Indian doctor, accompanied by his wife. I
was taken along also to drive the carriage and to wait upon him during
his sickness. But he was then so feeble, that his life was of but
short duration after the doctor commenced on him.

While he lived, I waited on him according to the best of my ability. I
watched over him night and day until he died, and even prepared his
body for the tomb, before I left him. He died about midnight and I
understood from his friends that he was not to be buried until the
second day after his death. I pretended to be taking on at a great
rate about his death, but I was more excited about running away, than
I was about that, and before daylight the next morning I proved it,
for I was on my way to Canada.

I never expected a better opportunity would present itself for my
escape. I slipped out of the room as if I had gone off to weep for the
deceased, knowing that they would not feel alarmed about me until
after my master was buried and they had returned back to his
residence. And even then, they would think that I was somewhere on my
way home; and it would be at least four or five days before they would
make any stir in looking after me. By that time, if I had no bad luck,
I should be out of much danger.

After the first day, I laid by in the day and traveled by night for
several days and nights, passing in this way through several tribes of
Indians. I kept pretty near the boundary line. I recollect getting
lost one dark rainy night. Not being able to find the road I came into
an Indian settlement at the dead hour of the night. I was wet,
wearied, cold and hungry; and yet I felt afraid to enter any of their
houses or wigwams, not knowing whether they would be friendly or not.
But I knew the Indians were generally drunkards, and that occasionally
a drunken white man was found straggling among them, and that such an
one would be more likely to find friends from sympathy than an upright
man.

So I passed myself off that night as a drunkard among them. I walked
up to the door of one of their houses, and fell up against it, making
a great noise like a drunken man; but no one came to the door. I
opened it and staggered in, falling about, and making a great noise.
But finally an old woman got up and gave me a blanket to lie down on.

There was quite a number of them lying about on the dirt floor, but
not one could talk or understand a word of the English language. I
made signs so as to let them know that I wanted something to eat, but
they had nothing, so I had to go without that night. I laid down and
pretended to be asleep, but I slept none that night, for I was afraid
that they would kill me if I went to sleep. About one hour before day,
the next morning, three of the females got up and put into a tin
kettle a lot of ashes with water, to boil, and then poured into it
about one quart of corn. After letting it stand a few moments, they
poured it into a trough, and pounded it into thin hominy. They washed
it out, and boiled it down, and called me up to eat my breakfast of
it.

After eating, I offered them six cents, but they refused to accept it.
I then found my way to the main road, and traveled all that day on my
journey, and just at night arrived at a public house kept by an
Indian, who also kept a store. I walked in and asked if I could get
lodging, which was granted; but I had not been there long before three
men came riding up about dusk, or between sunset and dark. They were
white men, and I supposed slaveholders. At any rate when they asked if
they could have lodging, I trembled for fear they might be in pursuit
of me. But the landlord told them that he could not lodge them, but
they could get lodging about two miles off, with a white man, and they
turned their horses and started.

The landlord asked me where I was traveling to, and where I was from.
I told him that I had been out looking at the country; that I had
thought of buying land, and that I lived in the State of Ohio, in the
village of Perrysburgh. He then said that he had lived there himself,
and that he had acted as an interpreter there among the Maumee tribe
of Indians for several years. He then asked who I was acquainted with
there? I informed him that I knew Judge Hollister, Francis Hollister,
J.W. Smith, and others. At this he was so much pleased that he came up
and took me by the hand, and received me joyfully, after seeing that I
was acquainted with those of his old friends.

I could converse with him understandingly from personal acquaintance,
for I had lived there when I first ran away from Kentucky. But I felt
it to be my duty to start off the next morning before breakfast, or
sunrise. I bought a dozen of eggs, and had them boiled to carry with
me to eat on the way. I did not like the looks of those three men, and
thought I would get on as fast as possible for fear I might be pursued
by them.

I was then about to enter the territory of another slave State,
Missouri. I had passed through the fiery ordeal of Sibley, Gatewood,
and Garrison, and had even slipped through the fingers of Deacon
Whitfield. I had doubtless gone through great peril in crossing the
Indian territory, in passing through the various half civilized
tribes, who seemed to look upon me with astonishment as I passed
along. Their hands were almost invariably filled with bows and arrows,
tomahawks, guns, butcher knives, and all the various implements of
death which are used by them. And what made them look still more
frightful, their faces were often painted red, and their heads muffled
with birds feathers, bushes, coons tails and owls heads. But all this
I had passed through, and my long enslaved limbs and spirit were then
in full stretch for emancipation. I felt as if one more short struggle
would set me free.

FOOTNOTES:

[4] This singular fact is corroborated in a letter read by the
publisher, from an acquaintance while passing through this country in
1849.

CHAPTER XV.

_Adventure on the Prairie.--I borrow a horse without leave.--Rapid
traveling one whole night.--Apology for using other men's horses.--My
manner of living on the road._

Early in the morning I left the Indian territory as I have already
said, for fear I might be pursued by the three white men whom I had
seen there over night; but I had not proceeded far before my fears
were magnified a hundred fold.

I always dreaded to pass through a prairie, and on coming to one which
was about six miles in width, I was careful to look in every direction
to see whether there was any person in sight before I entered it; but
I could see no one. So I started across with a hope of crossing
without coming in contact with any one on the prairie. I walked as
fast as I could, but when I got about midway of the prairie, I came to
a high spot where the road forked, and three men came up from a low
spot as if they had been there concealed. They were all on horse back,
and I supposed them to be the same men that had tried to get lodging
where I stopped over night. Had this been in timbered land, I might
have stood some chance to have dodged them, but there I was, out in
the open prairie, where I could see no possible way by which I could
escape.

They came along slowly up behind me, and finally passed, and spoke or
bowed their heads on passing, but they traveled in a slow walk and
kept but a very few steps before me, until we got nearly across the
prairie. When we were coming near a plantation a piece off from the
road on the skirt of the timbered land, they whipped up their horses
and left the road as if they were going across to this plantation.
They soon got out of my sight by going down into a valley which lay
between us and the plantation. Not seeing them rise the hill to go up
to the farm, excited greater suspicion in my mind, so I stepped over
on the brow of the hill, where I could see what they were doing, and
to my surprise I saw them going right back in the direction they had
just came, and they were going very fast. I was then satisfied that
they were after me and that they were only going back to get more
help to assist them in taking me, for fear that I might kill some of
them if they undertook it. The first impression was that I had better
leave the road immediately; so I bolted from the road and ran as fast
as I could for some distance in the thick forest, and concealed myself
for about fifteen or twenty minutes, which were spent in prayer to God
for his protecting care and guidance.

My impression was that when they should start in pursuit of me again,
they would follow on in the direction which I was going when they left
me; and not finding or hearing of me on the road, they would come back
and hunt through the woods around, and if they could find no track
they might go and get dogs to trace me out.

I thought my chance of escape would be better, if I went back to the
same side of the road that they first went, for the purpose of
deceiving them; as I supposed that they would not suspect my going in
the same direction that they went, for the purpose of escaping from
them.

So I traveled all that day square off from the road through the wild
forest without any knowledge of the country whatever; for I had
nothing to travel by but the sun by day, and the moon and stars by
night. Just before night I came in sight of a large plantation, where
I saw quite a number of horses running at large in a field, and
knowing that my success in escaping depended upon my getting out of
that settlement within twenty-four hours, to save myself from
everlasting slavery, I thought I should be justified in riding one of
those horses, that night, if I could catch one. I cut a grape vine
with my knife, and made it into a bridle; and shortly after dark I
went into the field and tried to catch one of the horses. I got a
bunch of dry blades of fodder and walked up softly towards the horses,
calling to them "cope," "cope," "cope;" but there was only one out of
the number that I was able to get my hand on, and that was an old
mare, which I supposed to be the mother of all the rest; and I knew
that I could walk faster than she could travel. She had a bell on and
was very thin in flesh; she looked gentle and walked on three legs
only. The young horses pranced and galloped off. I was not able to get
near them, and the old mare being of no use to me, I left them all.
After fixing my eyes on the north star I pursued my journey, holding
on to my bridle with a hope of finding a horse upon which I might ride
that night.

I found a road leading pretty nearly in the direction which I wanted
to travel, and I kept it. After traveling several miles I found
another large plantation where there was a prospect of finding a
horse. I stepped up to the barn-yard, wherein I found several horses.
There was a little barn standing with the door open, and I found it
quite an easy task to get the horses into the barn, and select out the
best looking one of them. I pulled down the fence, led the noble beast
out and mounted him, taking a northern direction, being able to find a
road which led that way. But I had not gone over three or four miles
before I came to a large stream of water which was past fording; yet I
could see that it had been forded by the road track, but from high
water it was then impassible. As the horse seemed willing to go in I
put him through; but before he got in far, he was in water up to his
sides and finally the water came over his back and he swam over. I got
as wet as could be, but the horse carried me safely across at the
proper place. After I got out a mile or so from the river, I came into
a large prairie, which I think must have been twenty or thirty miles
in width, and the road run across it about in the direction that I
wanted to go. I laid whip to the horse, and I think he must have
carried me not less than forty miles that night, or before sun rise
the next morning. I then stopped him in a spot of high grass in an old
field, and took off the bridle. I thanked God, and thanked the horse
for what he had done for me, and wished him a safe journey back home.

I know the poor horse must have felt stiff, and tired from his speedy
jaunt, and I felt very bad myself, riding at that rate all night
without a saddle; but I felt as if I had too much at stake to favor
either horse flesh or man flesh. I could indeed afford to crucify my
own flesh for the sake of redeeming myself from perpetual slavery.

Some may be disposed to find fault with my taking the horse as I did;
but I did nothing more than nine out of ten would do if they were
placed in the same circumstances. I had no disposition to steal a
horse from any man. But I ask, if a white man had been captured by the
Cherokee Indians and carried away from his family for life into
slavery, and could see a chance to escape and get back to his family;
should the Indians pursue him with a determination to take him back or
take his life, would it be a crime for the poor fugitive, whose life,
liberty, and future happiness were all at stake, to mount any man's
horse by the way side, and ride him without asking any questions, to
effect his escape? Or who would not do the same thing to rescue a
wife, child, father, or mother? Such an act committed by a white man
under the same circumstances would not only be pronounced proper, but
praiseworthy; and if he neglected to avail himself of such a means of
escape he would be pronounced a fool. Therefore from this act I have
nothing to regret, for I have done nothing more than any other
reasonable person would have done under the same circumstances. But I
had good luck from the morning I left the horse until I got back into
the State of Ohio. About two miles from where I left the horse, I
found a public house on the road, where I stopped and took breakfast.
Being asked where I was traveling, I replied that I was going home to
Perrysburgh, Ohio, and that I had been out to look at the land in
Missouri, with a view of buying. They supposed me to be a native of
Ohio, from the fact of my being so well acquainted with its location,
its principal cities, inhabitants, &c.

The next night I put up at one of the best hotels in the village where
I stopped, and acted with as much independence as if I was worth a
million of dollars; talked about buying land, stock and village
property, and contrasting it with the same kind of property in the
State of Ohio. In this kind of talk they were most generally
interested, and I was treated just like other travelers. I made it a
point to travel about thirty miles each day on my way to Jefferson
city. On several occasions I have asked the landlords where I have
stopped over night, if they could tell me who kept the best house
where I would stop the next night, which was most generally in a small
village. But for fear I might forget, I would get them to give me the
name on a piece of paper as a kind of recommend. This would serve as
an introduction through which I have always been well received from
one landlord to another, and I have always stopped at the best houses,
eaten at the first tables, and slept in the best beds. No man ever
asked me whether I was bond or free, black or white, rich or poor;
but I always presented a bold front and showed the best side out,
which was all the pass I had. But when I got within about one hundred
miles of Jefferson city, where I expected to take a Steamboat passage
to St. Louis, I stopped over night at a hotel, where I met with a
young white man who was traveling on to Jefferson City on horse back,
and was also leading a horse with a saddle and bridle on.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12