The Fugitive Blacksmith | Page 7

workman, who was
building a large barn when I left. I will now relate the abuses which
occasioned me to fly.
Three or four of our farm hands had their wives and families on other
plantations. In such cases, it is the custom in Maryland to allow the

men to go on Saturday evening to see their families, stay over the
Sabbath, and return on Monday morning, not later than "half-an-hour
by sun." To overstay their time is a grave fault, for which, especially at
busy seasons, they are punished.
One Monday morning, two of these men had not been so fortunate as to
get home at the required time: one of them was an uncle of mine.
Besides these, two young men who had no families, and for whom no
such provision of time was made, having gone somewhere to spend the
Sabbath, were absent. My master was greatly irritated, and had resolved
to have, as he said, "a general whipping-match among them."
Preparatory to this, he had a rope in his pocket, and a cowhide in his
hand, walking about the premises, and speaking to every one he met in
a very insolent manner, and finding fault with some without just cause.
My father, among other numerous and responsible duties, discharged
that of shepherd to a large and valuable flock of Merino sheep. This
morning he was engaged in the tenderest of a shepherd's duties;--a little
lamb, not able to go alone, lost its mother; he was feeding it by hand.
He had been keeping it in the house for several days. As he stooped
over it in the yard, with a vessel of new milk he had obtained, with
which to feed it, my master came along, and without the least
provocation, began by asking, "Bazil, have you fed the flock?"
"Yes, sir."
"Were you away yesterday?"
"No, sir."
"Do you know why these boys have not got home this morning yet?"
"No, sir, I have not seen any of them since Saturday night."
"By the Eternal, I'll make them know their hour. The fact is, I have too
many of you; my people are getting to be the most careless, lazy, and
worthless in the country."
"Master," said my father, "I am always at my post; Monday morning
never finds me off the plantation."
"Hush, Bazil! I shall have to sell some of you; and then the rest will
have enough to do; I have not work enough to keep you all tightly
employed; I have too many of you."
All this was said in an angry, threatening, and exceedingly insulting
tone. My father was a high-spirited man, and feeling deeply the insult,
replied to the last expression,--"If I am one too many, sir, give me a

chance to get a purchaser, and I am willing to be sold when it may suit
you."
"Bazil, I told you to hush!" and suiting the action to the word, he drew
forth the "cowhide" from under his arm, fell upon him with most
savage cruelty, and inflicted fifteen or twenty severe stripes with all his
strength, over his shoulders and the small of his back. As he raised
himself upon his toes, and gave the last stripe, he said, "By the * * * I
will make you know that I am master of your tongue as well as of your
time!"
Being a tradesman, and just at that time getting my breakfast, I was
near enough to hear the insolent words that were spoken to my father,
and to hear, see, and even count the savage stripes inflicted upon him.
Let me ask any one of Anglo-Saxon blood and spirit, how would you
expect a son to feel at such a sight?
This act created an open rupture with our family--each member felt the
deep insult that had been inflicted upon our head; the spirit of the
whole family was roused; we talked of it in our nightly gatherings, and
showed it in our daily melancholy aspect. The oppressor saw this, and
with the heartlessness that was in perfect keeping with the first insult,
commenced a series of tauntings, threatenings, and insinuations, with a
view to crush the spirit of the whole family.
Although it was sometime after this event before I took the decisive
step, yet in my mind and spirit, I never was a Slave after it.
Whenever I thought of the great contrast between my father's
employment on that memorable Monday morning, (feeding the little
lamb,) and the barbarous conduct of my master, I could not help
cordially despising the proud abuser of my sire; and I believe he
discovered it, for he seemed to have diligently sought an occasion
against me. Many incidents occurred to convince me of this, too
tedious to mention; but there