. Evenings at home, or, The juvenile budget opened : consisting of a variety of miscellaneous pieces for the instruction and amusement of young persons . hing but water and a kind of pulse. 1 haveheard persons talk as if there was little in beinga slave except the name ; bnt they who havebeen slaves themselves I am sure will nevermake light of slavery in others. A ransom wasset on our heads, but so high, that it seemed im-possible for poor friendless creatures like usever to pay it. The thought of perpetual servi-tude, together with the hard treatment we metwith, quite overcame my poor compani
. Evenings at home, or, The juvenile budget opened : consisting of a variety of miscellaneous pieces for the instruction and amusement of young persons . hing but water and a kind of pulse. 1 haveheard persons talk as if there was little in beinga slave except the name ; bnt they who havebeen slaves themselves I am sure will nevermake light of slavery in others. A ransom wasset on our heads, but so high, that it seemed im-possible for poor friendless creatures like usever to pay it. The thought of perpetual servi-tude, together with the hard treatment we metwith, quite overcame my poor companions. Theydrooped and died one after another. I stillthought it not impossible to mend my condition,and perhaps to recover my freedom. We wereworked about twelve hours in the day, and hadone holiday in the week, I employed my lei-sure time in learning to make mats and flag-baskets, in which I soon became so expert, as tohave a good many for sale, and thereby got alittle money to purchase better food, aud severalsmall conveniences. We were afterwards set towork in the emperors gardens ; and here I shew-ed so much good-will and attention, that I erot. PERSEVERANCE, &c. 369 into favour with the overseer. Pie had a largegardeu of his own ; and he made interest for meto be suffered to work for him alone, on the con-dition of paying a man to do my dutj. I soonbecame so useful to him, that he? treated memore like a hired servant than a slave, and gaveme regular wages. I learned the language of thecountry, and might have passed my life comfort-ably enough, could I have accommodated myselfto their manners and religion, and forgot my na-tive land. I saved all I could in order to pur-chase my freedom ; but the ransom was so high,that I had little prospect of being able to do itfor some years to come. A circumstance, how-ever, happened which brought it about at villains one night laid u plot to murder mymaster and plunder his house. I slept in a littleshed in the garden, where the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdeca, booksubjectconductoflife, bookyear1839
