Двенадцать лет рабства

           Intheestimationoftheowner,aslaveisthemostserviceablewheninratheraleanandlankcondition,suchaconditionastherace-horseisin,whenfittedforthecourse,andinthatconditiontheyaregenerallytobefoundonthesugarandcottonplantationsalongRedRiver. 

           Mycabinwaswithinafewrodsofthebayoubank,andnecessitybeingindeedthemotherofinvention,Iresolveduponamodeofobtainingtherequisiteamountoffood,withoutthetroubleofresortingnightlytothewoods. Thiswastoconstructafishtrap. Having,inmymind,conceivedthemannerinwhichitcouldbedone,thenextSundayIsetaboutputtingitintopracticalexecution. Itmaybeimpossibleformetoconveytothereaderafullandcorrectideaofitsconstruction,butthefollowingwillserveasageneraldescription: 

           Aframebetweentwoandthreefeetsquareismade,andofagreaterorlessheight,accordingtothedepthofwater. Boardsorslatsarenailedonthreesidesofthisframe,notsoclosely,however,astopreventthewatercirculatingfreelythroughit. Adoorisfittedintothefourthside,insuchmannerthatitwillslideeasilyupanddowninthegroovescutinthetwoposts. Amovablebottomisthensofittedthatitcanberaisedtothetopoftheframewithoutdifficulty. Inthecentreofthemovablebottomanaugerholeisbored,andintothisoneendofahandleorroundstickisfastenedontheundersidesolooselythatitwillturn. Thehandleascendsfromthecentreofthemovablebottomtothetopoftheframe,orasmuchhigherasisdesirable.