From: jthomp@mainz-emh2.army.mil (JEFFREY THOMPSON)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american
Subject: A tribute to our forefathers [continued]
Date: 14 Oct 1992 03:57:50 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

Subject:  I Saw a Slave Ship {continued}

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 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 expereinced anything of this kind before; and although, not
being used to the water, I naturally feared the 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 watchus 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
indeed 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 waas 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. This made me fear these people the more; and I expected nothing less
than to be treated in the same manner.

I could not help expressing my fears and apprehensions to some of my countrymen:
I asked them if these people had no country, but lived in this hollow place
(the ship)? They told me they did not, but ccame from a distance one.

"Then," said I, "how comes it in all our country we never heard of them!'"
They told me because they lived so very far off. I then asked where were their
women? Had they any like themselves? I was told they had: "And why," said I,
"do we not see them?" They answered, because they were left behind.

I asked how the vessel could go? They told me thhey couuld not tell; but that
there were cloth put upon the masts by the help of the ropes I saw, and then
thhe vessel went on; and the White men had some spell or magic they put in the
water when they liked in order to stop the vessel. I was exceedingly amazed at
this account, and really thought they were spirits. I therefore wished much
to be from amongst them, for I expected they would sacrifice me: but my
wishes were vain; for we were so quartered that it was impossible for any of
us to make our escape.

To be continued...