Дванадцять років рабства

           Suchisacorrectdescriptionasitwasin1841,ofWilliams’slavepeninWashington,inoneofthecellarsofwhichIfoundmyselfsounaccountablyconfined. 

           "Well,myboy,howdoyoufeelnow?" saidBurch,asheenteredthroughtheopendoor. IrepliedthatIwassick,andinquiredthecauseofmyimprisonment. HeansweredthatIwashisslave—thathehadboughtme,andthathewasabouttosendmetoNew-Orleans. Iasserted,aloudandboldly,thatIwasafreeman—aresidentofSaratoga,whereIhadawifeandchildren,whowerealsofree,andthatmynamewasNorthup. IcomplainedbitterlyofthestrangetreatmentIhadreceived,andthreatened,uponmyliberation,tohavesatisfactionforthewrong. HedeniedthatIwasfree,andwithanemphaticoath,declaredthatIcamefromGeorgia. AgainandagainIassertedIwasnoman’sslave,andinsisteduponhistakingoffmychainsatonce. Heendeavoredtohushme,asifhefearedmyvoicewouldbeoverheard. ButIwouldnotbesilent,anddenouncedtheauthorsofmyimprisonment,whoevertheymightbe,asunmitigatedvillains. Findinghecouldnotquietme,heflewintoatoweringpassion. Withblasphemousoaths,hecalledmeablackliar,arunawayfromGeorgia,andeveryotherprofaneandvulgarepithetthatthemostindecentfancycouldconceive. 

           DuringthistimeRadburnwasstandingsilentlyby. Hisbusinesswas,tooverseethishuman,orratherinhumanstable,receivingslaves,feedingandwhippingthem,attherateoftwoshillingsaheadperday. Turningtohim,Burchorderedthepaddleandcat-o’-ninetailstobebroughtin. Hedisappeared,andinafewmomentsreturnedwiththeseinstrumentsoftorture.