Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-05-12
CHAPTER INK CONTINUED.

What brought you this way,
boys? Whence came ye?" asked the
Judge.
Then the oldest of the three.
whose ages ranged from sixteen t.
twenty, replied, Yves brudders.
We run way from de plantashin one
dark night to Charleston hahbor, n
hide on big ship goin' Norf, in a
corner behind bales O. cotton. Bym'
by de ship begin to sail and sail long
way, and it seems so it never git
dar. De Gavin cake we card was
all gone, n we's mos starve n thirs'
to def. Alter tree days de ship stop
some big WHAT, to take off some
load n put on mo-. Wen de ship
start agin n it got most midnight
we come out our hidin' place n
walk roun' jes' so we's passengers;
wen de cap'n see us in de mornin'
he grab US by de collar n say,
where 70 come from 20 ras'l
niggers?' We say we got on at de
stoppin' place. 'Yo paid 20 fare?'
he say. No. we say, we tink we
wuk our passage tru.' Where yo'
go?' he say. We say, we go jes'
fur's ship 60 You run way 20
massa, yo' whelps, SEE he. No,
we say, we got no massa, we's trab-
: lin for see de worl''. Well he
say. you can't get off twel we get
to Bostin. We say, OATS jes' we'll;
we like see Bostin.' He say, I ten
to yo' case when we git dar.' Den
we asst i'm TO- somefn to eat. He
say, 'Yo' come down yer, n earn it
fust cleanin vegetables Oh, we
was so hungry we can hardly stan
up. We wuk all de day cleanin n
parin' dem vegetables, n den de
cap'n give US somfn to eat. Two
days mo- and we done get to Bostir
in de night, n a iii while afo' dc
snip land, de cap'n he come n say
to US, 'Doan' we leave dis boat till
tell Yo', yo' stay wild me- We's
froid he keep US n take US back
souf TO rewa'd, so we say yah
Marsa Cap'n, we like TO stay vic
yo.' So he tink no danger our rur
way. Poorly soon de ship come
chug to de WHAT, an quick we car
we run off de ship, n keep on run
MIN fas' we can go in de big city
By'm by we meet sojer man vic
brass buttons on his coat, swingin
a iii club jes so he want TO- hit US
We as i'm where we go to go norf
He say, 'Ye can't go norf err any
other direction follefin' any stree
in dis city Den he go long +
leave US, n we keep a goin' huntin
TO- de way norf. When it come
mos night, we git hungry and weak
} and sit down on some steps in from
: of big house; a sojer man come
long, swingin' his iii club, n say t
/ US, What We doin' here? Go Ions
wild ye.' We say, Yves huntin' fl
way norf, but we's tired N stop t
: res. He say, 'Yo come wild me 7
, I'll show We de way fo' we night
! lodgin'. We say, Tank 70, we Xix,
t fo' rest So we folIer i'm twel w,
: come to big room in house wit
' iron bars ober de winders, n wher,
: dere's lots oder fellus lying rounC
on III beds. We laid down togede
n went fas' sleep, n wen we wax,
up its daylight. Poorly soon SOM
/ one come n say, 70 foller me- an
he lead US in nudder room befo'
e big man dey call Judge, n he say
where yo' come from? What 70 do
k Where you go? N if we got n
b money! An he say, You i
charged wild vagrams.' We say, w
i is trablin' fo' de way norf. He say
e 'Yo' run way yo' NASSAU" We sa
we own ourselves. n wanter &c
' Canada where de amt no slaves
Den de judge call a sojer man, ;
tell i'm to take us out n give US on
4 breffist, an den go wild us to
Concord road n give us our bearin'
norf. Den he write some words o