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instinct of nature, I still look back with pleasure on the first
scenes of my life, though that pleasure has been for the most part
mingled with sorrow.

I have already acquainted the reader with the time and place of my
birth. My father, besides many slaves, had a numerous family, of which
seven lived to grow up, including myself and a sister, who was the
only daughter. As I was the youngest of the sons, I became, of course,
the greatest favourite with my mother, and was always with her; and
she used to take particular pains to form my mind. I was trained up
from my earliest years in the art of war; my daily exercise was
shooting and throwing javelins; and my mother adorned me with emblems,
after the manner of our greatest warriors. In this way I grew up till
I was turned the age of eleven, when an end was put to my happiness in
the following manner:--Generally when the grown people in the
neighbourhood were gone far in the fields to labour, the children
assembled together in some of the neighbours' premises to play; and
commonly some of us used to get up a tree to look out for any
assailant, or kidnapper, that might come upon us; for they sometimes
took those opportunities of our parents' absence to attack and carry
off as many as they could seize. One day, as I was watching at the top
of a tree in our yard, I saw one of those people come into the yard of
our next neighbour but one, to kidnap, there being many stout young
people in it. Immediately on this I gave the alarm of the rogue, and
he was surrounded by the stoutest of them, who entangled him with
cords, so that he could not escape till some of the grown people came
and secured him. But alas! ere long it was my fate to be thus
attacked, and to be carried off, when none of the grown people were
nigh. One day, when all our people were gone out to their works as
usual, and only I and my dear sister were left to mind the house, two
men and a woman got over our walls, and in a moment seized us both,
and, without giving us time to cry out, or make resistance, they
stopped our mouths, and ran off with us into the nearest wood. Here
they tied our hands, and continued to carry us as far as they could,
till night came on, when we reached a small house, where the robbers
halted for refreshment, and spent the night. We were then unbound, but
were unable to take any food; and, being quite overpowered by fatigue
and grief, our only relief was some sleep, which allayed our
misfortune for a short time. The next morning we left the house, and
continued travelling all the day. For a long time we had kept the
woods, but at last we came into a road which I believed I knew. I had
now some hopes of being delivered; for we had advanced but a little
way before I discovered some people at a distance, on which I began to
cry out for their assistance: but my cries had no other effect than to
make them tie me faster and stop my mouth, and then they put me into a

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