Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-12-08
WHOLE NO. 79l.

SET upon by these vermin, and suspicious OF pOiS-
on, he sucked tho wound, resolved to Keep awake
now as long as he could Ifo did MOI know how
lcng be had slept but he could hear the incessant
snort, snort, snort, of steamboat, with the long
uubroken wash Of tho vessel, and knew that the
brig was in the tow Of steGm.:ug, and 30 not
yet out Of the river.
At length there was a change in the noises
Orders were shouted above, heavy feet were rush
ing about there was hustle Of pulling and haul-
ing, grinding and tapping, thudding OF ropes On
deck, chanting Of sailors amidst the reccding
snort of the steam-ug; and in the darkness, An
tory felt the vessel lean and roll aud stagger with
a sound Of swiftly rushing wafer and knew thai
she was standing out to sea.
Who'll send me back, after all I've gone
ihroughY Who'll be mcan enough to do itt-
That was hi5 constant thought now, and it cOr!5
in those words to his mind. lie kew the penal
ties imposed Oh any captain who took away q fugi-
tive in his vessel. lie had thought of them ber
fore, but dimly now they came to hin vividlyI
and he trembled. He was resolved u remain III
the hold as long as he could but he knew the
time would come when he must leave his hiding
place, and face the captain. Ills plan was to tell
him all he suffered, % show him his wounds AMI
scars, to beg him on his knees not to send him
lack to the he'll he escaped from. Who would do
itP Who'll send me back after all I've gone
lbrough2 Who'll be mean enough to do it?
Soon the motion Of the vessel threw him. al.
ready scksned by the horrible smells and close.
ness Of the hold into agonies oi seasickness. and
he lay the bales vomiting violently, and feeling
as if his soul were rendipg bis aching body asuu-
u go II ~
cavity under the hatch, where there was little
more room to breathe in, and there he lay, with
out food, without drink, amos. without air, for
three days
Days of sickness too oathscme to be described,
too dreadful for permitted language to convey
Days of utter prostration, of grIping psin, of
wrenching convulsions, Of horror indescrbable.
of tortured death-in-life. Days when the fopy
and putrid air was sucked into the feeble lungs
if it were some straugling substance when the
oppressed heart beat slowly with dull knocks as
though it would burst the bosom, and the bosom
labored as though it we're loadeded dUwn with
tons of iron. Days when sleep came down like
weight of lead upon the brain, and struggled with
internal dreams, and was broken to fgkt of oh
ever-returning swarm of rats--invisible vermin
that swarmed over his invisible body when it lay
still, and were heard squeaking and pattering of
in the sightless darkness when be feebly flung
about his limbs to beat them away. Days whose
mad, disgustfui horror was borne for the nope Of
liberty. for the hatred of slavery-borne till be
could bear it no longer and resolved to beat upon
the ha;ch. and cry aloud, and let those above him
know what hell Of agony ragged beneath their
feet.
How long he had been immured he did not
know. Count time by anguish, and il might have
been centuries. Fearful Of discovering himself
till he was too far from the land from which he
had fed to be returned he had resolved to endure
till endurance became impossible, For this he
had clung TO life, for this he had silently bcrns
the horrors Of his tomb, fer this he had striven
hundred times against the desire to end his impris-
onment by shouting aloud to those above him
Now when heavy tOrpor and gradual giddiuess
were stealing upon him, anG the instinct of bis
soul told him death was drawing near, he reused
himself for the long deferred effort
The ship was staggering heavily and he heard
the trampling of feet the deck, as, with dizzly
reeling brain. he feebly and slowly cTav!ei up on
his hands and knees. His strength VAS almost
gone. An infant newly born could have been
hardly more helpless than he fvthd himself. lie
slowly lifted hand tC lay It Oh the bales beside
him-lifted it few inches like something over
which he had no command and it fell heavily,
and losing his balance, he tumbled down on his
'ide. An awful feeling stole across his mind that
ne had delayed too loDg-that his resolution had
outlived his physical powers. Turning over on
lis back, feebly painting, slowly suff1cating, he
lrew in his breath for q wild cry for help |,
'ushed from him in hoarse whstlins whisper
His voice bad left him
lie lay still nov, painfully breathing. but re.
signed to die. Quietly-quietly- the fears and
lesires of the present, the hopes of the future
and the vision Of all his past Hoated
softly through his tranquil brain. 1t faded, and
le lay rushing on fsst-rushing Tide; and dlatod
With wonderful aud mystic change. Power and
beauty and JOY ineffabe began to grow and spread
iivinely through his being with tbs vague beaute-
Jus glimmer Of a transeendahi life aiOr. All ferce
Ind dark and sorrOwful passions and emoticus
sense of pain and horror and disgust
led foreVer-himself happier, greater nobler,
han he had ever dreamed-he lay swiftly drift
ng to the last repose
What sound was it that Jared so duly on his
aiiing carr What sudden light was il tina. fell
lpon himt What faces were those that looked on
lin so strangely from above, and vanished with
'ries that brought down darkness and l:ence en-
him once morei
o blue shy of the nineteenth century. what is
This ? o pale, fresh light streaming into tho moi.
some hold, what is this? wonder>strickeu, silent
Iaces' gazing aghast upon that sWsrt and loath-
some figure lying in the shallow we'll, with an iron
collar on his neck, what does it moanf
The men stood staring a. the noiOnless body o6
the bales below them, and them lost in a trance Of
wonder, stared at each other. Their wild Ama1ss
ment at the sight which met their eyes when they
ha1 unbattebod ihe bateh had burst forth 10 one
cry, and then Isft them still and dumb. Presently
here was sound Of heavy. hurryiug feet, asl the