what he said while whipping her, was the chief of-
fence.  Had he been a man of pure morals himself,
he might have been thought interested in protecting
the innocence of my aunt; but those who knew him
will not suspect him of any such virtue.  Before
he commenced whipping Aunt Hester, he took her
into the kitchen, and stripped her from neck to waist,
leaving her neck, shoulders, and back, entirely
naked.  He then told her to cross her hands, calling
her at the same time a d----d b---h.  After crossing
her hands, he tied them with a strong rope, and led
her to a stool under a large hook in the joist, put
in for the purpose.  He made her get upon the stool,
and tied her hands to the hook.  She now stood fair
for his infernal purpose.  Her arms were stretched
up at their full length, so that she stood upon the
ends of her toes.  He then said to her, "Now, you
d----d b---h, I'll learn you how to disobey my
orders!" and after rolling up his sleeves, he com-
menced to lay on the heavy cowskin, and soon the
warm, red blood (amid heart-rending shrieks from
her, and horrid oaths from him) came dripping to
the floor.  I was so terrified and horror-stricken at the
sight, that I hid myself in a closet, and dared not
venture out till long after the bloody transaction was
over.  I expected it would be my turn next.  It was
all new to me.  I had never seen any thing like it
before.  I had always lived with my grandmother on
the outskirts of the plantation, where she was put to
raise the children of the younger women.  I had there-
fore been, until now, out of the way of the bloody
scenes that often occurred on the plantation.

 

 

 

                    CHAPTER II

 

 

  My master's family consisted of two sons, Andrew
and Richard; one daughter, Lucretia, and her hus-
band, Captain Thomas Auld.  They lived in one
house, upon the home plantation of Colonel Edward
Lloyd.  My master was Colonel Lloyd's clerk and
superintendent.  He was what might be called the
overseer of the overseers.  I spent two years of child-
hood on this plantation in my old master's family.
It was here that I witnessed the bloody transaction
recorded in the first chapter; and as I received my
first impressions of slavery on this plantation,
I will give some description of it, and of slavery as
it there existed.  The plantation is about twelve miles
north of Easton, in Talbot county, and is situated
on the border of Miles River.  The principal products
raised upon it were tobacco, corn, and wheat.  These
were raised in great abundance; so that, with the
products of this and the other farms belonging to
him, he was able to keep in almost constant em-
ployment a large sloop, in carrying them to market
at Baltimore.  This sloop was named Sally Lloyd,
in honor of one of the colonel's daughters.  My mas-
ter's son-in-law, Captain Auld, was master of the
vessel; she was otherwise manned by the colonel's
own slaves.  Their names were Peter, Isaac, Rich, and
Jake.  These were esteemed very highly by the other
slaves, and looked upon as the privileged ones of the
plantation; for it was no small affair, in the eyes of
the slaves, to be allowed to see Baltimore.

 

  Colonel Lloyd kept from three to four hundred
slaves on his home plantation, and owned a large
number more on the neighboring farms belonging to
him.  The names of the farms nearest to the home
plantation were Wye Town and New Design.  "Wye
Town" was under the overseership of a man named
Noah Willis.  New Design was under the overseer-
ship of a Mr. Townsend.  The overseers of these,
and all the rest of the farms, numbering over twenty,
received advice and direction from the managers of
the home plantation.  This was the great business
place.  It was the seat of government for the whole
twenty farms.  All disputes among the overseers were
settled here.  If a slave was convicted of any high
misdemeanor, became unmanageable, or evinced a
determination to run away, he was brought immedi-
ately here, severely whipped, put on board the sloop,
carried to Baltimore, and sold to Austin Woolfolk,
or some other slave-trader, as a warning to the slaves
remaining.