Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy, Late a Slave in the United States of America | Page 5

had left the
boats, and had gone with a schooner collecting lumber in Albemarle
Sound for the merchants. Coming to Elizabeth City, I found a new store
had been opened by Mr. Grice, which Mr. Sutton was keeping: the
latter gentleman was glad to see me, and was desirous that I should
return to my old employment with the canal boats, as lumber was in
great demand at Norfolk. I did so, and sold some cargoes to Mr. Moses
Myers, of Norfolk. As I was waiting at the door of his store for
settlement, he came up with Mr. Trewitt, whom I did not then know.
Mr. Myers said to Mr. Trewitt, 'Here is a captain doing business for
you.' Mr. Trewitt then asked me who had chartered the boats, and to
whom I belonged. I told him Mr. Sutton had chartered me, and that I
had belonged to Mr. James Grandy, but had bought myself. He said he

would buy me; on which Mr. Myers told him he could not, as I had
already bought myself, and further said I was one of their old war
captains, and had never lost a single thing of the property intrusted to
me. Mr. Trewitt said he would buy me, and would see about it as soon
as he got to Elizabeth City. I thought no more about it. On my return
voyage, I delivered a cargo at Elizabeth City, for Mr. Trewitt. I had
been at Mr. Grice's, the owner of the boats; and, on my going away
from him to meet Mr. Trewitt for settlement, he said he would go with
me, as he wanted money. Opposite the custom house we met Mr.
Trewitt, who said, 'Well, captain, I have bought you.' Mr. Grice said,
'Let us have no nonsense; go and settle with him.' Angry words passed
between them, one saying he had bought me, and the other denying that
he had or could, as I had bought myself already. We all went to Mr.
Grice's dwelling house; there Mr. Trewitt settled with me about the
freight, and then, jumping up, said, 'Now I will show you, Mr. Grice,
whether I am a liar or not.' He fetched the bill of sale; on reading it, Mr.
Grice's color changed, and he sent for Mrs. Grice. When she read it, she
began to cry; seeing that, I began to cry too. She sent me to her brother,
who was at Mr. Wood's boarding house. He was playing at billiards. I
said to him, 'Master James, have you sold me?' He said, 'No.' I said he
had; when he turned round and went into another room, crying; I
followed him. All the gentlemen followed us, saying, 'Captain Grandy,
what is the matter?' I told them Master James had sold me again. They
asked him why he had done it; he said it was because people had jeered
him by saying I had more sense than he had. They would not suffer him
to remain in the boarding house, but turned him out, there and then,
with all his trunks and boxes. Mrs. Grice, his sister, sued him in my
name for my liberty, but he gained the cause. The court maintained that
I, and all I could do, belonged to him, and that he had a right to do as
he pleased with me and all my earnings, as his own property, until he
had taken me to the court house, and given me my free papers, and
until, besides that, I had been a year and a day in the Northern States to
gain my residence.
So I was forced to go to Mr. Trewitt. He agreed that, if I would pay him
the same wages as I paid my late master, and the $600 he gave for me,
he would give me my free papers. He bought two canal boats, and,
taking me out of Mr. Grice's employment, set me to work them on the

same terms as I did for my former master. I was two years and a half in
earning $600 to pay for myself the second time. Just when I had
completed the payment, he failed. On Christmas eve he gave me a letter
to take to Mr. Mews, at Newbegun Creek. I was rather unwilling to
take it, wishing to go to my wife; I told him, too, I was going to his
office to settle with him. He offered to give me two dollars to take the
letter, and said he would settle when I came back: then Mr. Shaw came
from another room, and said his vessel was ready loaded, but he had
nobody he could trust with his goods; he offered me five dollars to take
the vessel down, and deliver the goods