Дванадцять років рабства

           Whensufficiently"tanned,"heallowedmetoarise,andwithahalf-maliciouslaughassuredme,ifIstillfanciedthebusiness,hewouldgivemefurtherinstructioninitwheneverIdesired. Thistime,heremarked,hehadonlygivenmeashortlessonin"tanning"—thenexttimehewould"currymedown." 

           UncleAbram,also,wasfrequentlytreatedwithgreatbrutality,althoughhewasoneofthekindestandmostfaithfulcreaturesintheworld. Hewasmycabin-mateforyears. Therewasabenevolentexpressionintheoldman’sface,pleasanttobehold. Heregardeduswithakindofparentalfeeling,alwayscounselinguswithremarkablegravityanddeliberation. 

           ReturningfromMarshall’splantationoneafternoon,whitherIhadbeensentonsomeerrandofthemistress,Ifoundhimlyingonthecabinfloor,hisclothessaturatedwithblood. Heinformedmethathehadbeenstabbed! Whilespreadingcottononthescaffold,EppscamehomeintoxicatedfromHolmesville. Hefoundfaultwitheverything,givingmanyorderssodirectlycontrarythatitwasimpossibletoexecuteanyofthem. UncleAbram,whosefacultiesweregrowingdull,becameconfused,andcommittedsomeblunderofnoparticularconsequence. Eppswassoenragedthereat,that,withdrunkenrecklessness,heflewupontheoldman,andstabbedhimintheback. Itwasalong,uglywound,butdidnothappentopenetratefarenoughtoresultfatally.