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| any very hard usage, at least nothing more severe than fell to ttse common lot of slave-boys, therefore the period of his early youth was deemed of too little interest to record in detail. In fact time only could be afforded for noticing very briefly some of the more remarkable events of his bondage. The examining Committee confined their interrogations to his last taskmaster. " How did Moore come by you?" was one of the inquiries. " He bought me," said Harry, " of a man. by the name of Taylor, nine or ten years ago; he was as bad as he could be, couldn't be any worse to be alive. He was aboat fifty years of age, when I left him, a right red-looking man, big bellied old fellow, weighs about two hundred and forty pounds. He drinks hard, he is just like a rattlesnake, just as cross and crabbed when he speaks, seems like he could go through, you. He flogged Richmond for not ploughing the corn good, that was what he pretended to whip him for. Richmond ran away, was away four months, as nigh as I can guess, then they cotehed him, then struck him a hundred lashes, and then they split both feet to the bone, and split both his insteps, and then master took his knife and stuck it into him in many places; after he done him that way, he put him into the barn to shucking corn. For a long time he was not able to work; when he did partly recover, he was set to work again." We ceased to record anything further concerning Richmond, although not a fourth part of what Harry narrated was put upon paper. The account was too sickening and the desire to hear Harry's account of himself too great to admit of further delay ; so Harry confined himself to the sufferings and adventures which had marked his own life. Briefly he gave the following facts: " I have been treated had. One day we were grubbing and master said we didn't do work enough. ' How came there was no more work done that day?' said master to me. I told him. I did work. In a more stormy manner he 'peated the question. I then spoke up and said: * Massa, I don't know what to say.' At once massa plunged his kuife into my neck causing me to stagger. Massa was drunk. He then drove me down to the black folk's houses (cabins of the slaves). He then got his gun, called the overseer, and told him to get some ropes. While he |