Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy, Late a Slave in the United States of America | Page 9

let me go;
for he was well known for his great severity to colored people; so that
after even he had said so, master could not stand out. The Lord must
have opened M'Pherson's heart to say it.
I have said this M'Pherson was an overseer where slaves were
employed in cutting canals. The labor there is very severe. The ground
is often very boggy; the negroes are up to the middle, or much deeper,
in mud and water, cutting away roots and baling out mud; if they can
keep their heads above water, they work on. They lodge in huts, or, as
they are called, camps, made of shingles or boards. They lie down in
the mud which has adhered to them, making a great fire to dry
themselves, and keep off the cold. No bedding whatever is allowed
them; it is only by work done over his task that any of them can get a
blanket. They are paid nothing, except for this overwork. Their masters
come once a month to receive the money for their labor; then, perhaps,
some few very good masters will give them $2 each, some others $1,
some a pound of tobacco, and some nothing at all. The food is more
abundant than that of field slaves: indeed, it is the best allowance in
America--it consists of a peck of meal and six pounds of pork per week;
the pork is commonly not good; it is damaged, and is bought, as cheap
as possible, at auctions.
M'Pherson gave the same task to each slave; of course, the weak ones
often failed to do it. I have often seen him tie up persons and flog them
in the morning, only because they were unable to get the previous day's
task done; after they were flogged, pork or beef brine was put on their
bleeding backs to increase the pain; he sitting by, resting himself, and
seeing it done. After being thus flogged and pickled, the sufferers often
remained tied up all day, the feet just touching the ground, the legs tied,
and pieces of wood put between the legs. All the motion allowed was a
slight turn of the neck. Thus exposed and helpless, the yellow flies and
musquitoes in great numbers would settle on the bleeding and smarting
back, and put the sufferer to extreme torture. This continued all day, for
they were not taken down till night. In flogging, he would sometimes

tie the slave's shirt over his head, that he might not flinch when the
blow was coming; sometimes he would increase his misery, by
blustering, and calling out that he was coming to flog again, which he
did or did not, as happened. I have seen him flog them with his own
hands till their entrails were visible; and I have seen the sufferers dead
when they were taken down. He never was called to account in any
way for it.
It is not uncommon for flies to blow the sores made by flogging; in that
case, we get a strong weed growing in those parts, called the Oak of
Jerusalem; we boil it at night, and wash the sores with the liquor, which
is extremely bitter. On this the creepers or maggots come out. To
relieve them in some degree, after severe flogging, their fellow-slaves
rub their backs with part of their little allowance of fat meat.
For fear the slaves should run away, while unable to work from
flogging, he kept them chained till they could work again. This man
had from 500 to 700 men under his control. When out of other
employment, I sometimes worked under him, and saw his doings. I
believe it was the word of this man which gained my freedom. He is
dead, but there are yet others like him on public works.
When the great kindness of Captain Minner had set me clear of Mr.
Sawyer, I went to my old occupation of working the canal boats. These
I took on shares, as before. After a time, I was disabled for a year from
following this employment by a severe attack of rheumatism, caught by
frequent exposure to severe weather. I was anxious, however, to be
earning something towards the repayment of Captain Minner, lest any
accident, unforeseen by him or me, should even yet deprive me of the
liberty for which I so longed, and for which I had suffered so much. I
therefore had myself carried in a lighter up a cross canal in the Dismal
Swamp, and to the other side of Drummond's Lake. I was left on the
shore, and there I built myself a little hut, and had provisions brought to
me as opportunity served. Here, among snakes, bears, and panthers,
whenever my strength was sufficient, I