A Childs Anti-Slavery Book | Page 8

love for knowledge.

But the time soon came when Nancy was well enough to go back to her
cruel servitude. This visit had proved a great good to little Lewis. The
entire spirit of his thoughts was changed. He was still very often silent
and thoughtful, but he was seldom sad. He had a fixed purpose within,
which was helping him to work out his destiny.
His first effort was to see Sam Tyler. This old man was a very
intelligent mulatto belonging to Mr. Pond. For some great service
formerly rendered to his master, he was allowed to have his cabin, and
quite a large patch of ground, separated from the other negroes, and all
his time to himself, except ten hours a day for his master. His master
had also given him a pass, with which he could go and come on
business, and the very feeling that he was trusted kept him from using it
to run away with.
Mr. Pond was very kind to all his servants, as he called them, and a
more cheerful group could not be found in the state. It would have been
well if the Rev. Robert Stamford and many of his congregation had
imitated Mr. Pond in this respect, for his servants worked more
faithfully, and were more trustworthy than any others in the vicinity.
There was one thing more that he should have done; he should have
made out free papers for them, and let them go when they pleased.
When Lewis mentioned his wish to Sam Tyler, the old man was quite
delighted with the honor done to his own literary talent. "But you see,"
said he, "I can tell ye what is a sight better; come over to Massa Pond's
Sunday school. I'd 'vise ye to ask Massa Stamford, and then ye can
come every Sunday."
Lewis had a notion that it would not be very easy to get his master's
permission, so the next Sunday he went without permission.
It was a right nice place for little folks and big ones too. Nearly all Mr.
Pond's servants were there punctually. It was held an hour, and Mr.
Pond himself, or one of his sons, was always there. He read the Bible,
taught them verses from it, sung hymns with them, and of late, at their
urgent solicitation, he had purchased some large cards with the letters
and easy readings, and was teaching them all to read.

The first day that Lewis went he crept off very early, before his master
was up, telling Aunt Sally where he was going, so that if he should be
inquired for she could send Ned after him. Aunt Sally remonstrated, but
it was of no avail; he was off, and she really loved him too well to
betray him.
That day young master Pond was in the Sunday school, and he spoke
very kindly to Lewis, commending his zeal, and asking him to come
again. But when he told his father that one of Mr. Stamford's boys was
there, Mr. Pond's reply was that "this matter must be looked into."
Mr. Pond was there himself on the next Sunday, and though he spoke
very kindly to the boy, yet he told him very decidedly that he must not
come there without a written permission from his master. "Well, then, I
can't come at all, sir," said Lewis sorrowfully.
"Ask him, at any rate," was the reply. "I'd like to have you come very
well; but I'm afraid he will think I want to steal one of his boys, if I
allow you to come here without his consent."
It was with much fear that Lewis made known his wish to his master,
and he was received, as he expected to be, with abuse.
"You would like to be a smart nigger, I suppose; one of the kind that
talks saucy to his master and runs away. I'll make you smart. I'm smart
enough myself for all my niggers; and if they want any more of the
stuff, I'll give them some of the right sort," said he with vulgar wit, as
he laid his riding-whip about the shoulders of poor Lewis.
But when Mr. Stamford found that Lewis had already been to Mr.
Pond's Sunday school, he made a more serious matter of it, and the
poor boy received his first severe flogging, twenty-five lashes on his
bare back.
"I hope now," said Aunt Sally, while dressing his welted and wounded
back with wet linen, "that you'll give up that silly notion of your'n, that
of learnin' to read. It's of no use, and these 'ere learned niggers are
always gettin' into trouble. I know massa'd half kill one, if he had 'im.

Now, if you belonged to Massa Pond 'twould be different."