The day after I come out of the workhouse, massa order me to get bread-nut food for the horses. I said I was not able to climb tree; I was sick, and my shoulders was quite sore, and I could hardly use it, and I tell massa that this make six time that they flog me. He answer, he will make it ten times too, and if I sick, I must die. Every day he keep on order me to go for the bread-nut, but I was not able, and massa threaten me sorely—him tell me, that if I don't make an end of him, he will make an end of me.

On the Thursday next week, he told me he would take me to magistrate next day, and he swear very vengeance against me. I get frightened, and on Friday morning I go away to complain to the governor. When I get to Byndloss late at night, the overseer, Mr. Allen, meet me, and take me up, and put me in confinement till next morning, then he put me in charge of two constables, who carry me to police station, and the captain, Mr. Mackaw, put handcuffs on me, and sent me to the special magistrate at Linstead, and he put me in the workhouse till massa should send for me; them chain me to another man, and make me work with the penal gang.

On Thursday, William Dalling, the constable, came for me, and them deliver me up to him. We set out, and walk most of the night—get to Walton school, and slept there; in the morning we start again, and reach home about twelve o'clock at night. On Saturday morning, William Dalling take me down to massa, and he send me on to Brown's Town; when the magistrate come, he shook his head at me, and said, Are you here again? Then they hold court. Massa said he ordered me to cut bread-nut, and I would not do it: me disobeyed his order, and on the Friday went away; and he did not see me again till this morning. I told magistrate that I did not cut bread-nut, because I was quite sick with my stomach, and massa threaten my life so hard, that make me go away to complain to the governor. Then the magistrate called the sergeant of police, and tell him, Lay hold of that fellow, and give him five-and-twenty good lashes—and after the flogging, I must be sent to workhouse again for seven days, and after I come out of the workhouse. I might go to the governor or whoever I like to complain. I told him the old flogging is not well yet, but he would not listen to me; They take me into the market-place, and tie me up to a tree, and give me the twenty-five lashes; all the people surprise to see them flogging me again, when the old one not well. The flogging was very severe; after it was done, I lay down before the door of the court-house, rain came on, and the police came and told me to go inside. I went in to where the court was sitting, and I said to Mr. Rawlinson, You don't do justice betwixt I and master. He tell me, that constable swear that I run away without a cause. I ask the constable and he declare he never say any further than he took me out of Rodney Hall workhouse. Then Mr. Rawlinson say, I have been before him eight or nine times already; I say, If I have been twenty times before you, you ought to do justice 'twixt I and massa. He said, He do justice. I told him, You don't do justice. Then he said, If you say another word, I will put you out in the rain; then he made police take and handcuff me, to carry to workhouse. While I was standing outside the door, I hear massa say to Mr. Rawlinson, he had better let me stop in the workhouse for fourteen days; magistrate answer, That will make it till after new-year's-day; and then he said, Yes.

The policeman carry me to St. Ann's Bay, but night catch me in the pass, and police take me into Cardiff Hall, and we sleep there that night; next morning, Sunday, he take me on to workhouse, and I had to dance tread-mill and work penal gang like before.

The workhouse was nearly full like the last time, but most of them was different people—some that I left in I find still there; there was plenty of woman there, but only one have young child, that was Elizabeth Mason, from Mount Campbell, she was in for seven days to dance the tread-mill; she not able to dance good; after she been on little time, she miss step and drop, and hang by her two wrists, then the boatswain flog her with the Cat, as hard as he could put it,—then she try to fetch up and catch the step, but fall again, and them keep on flog, and when they tire of flogging then they let her alone, and let the mill go on mashing her legs; all the skin was bruise off her shins, and her legs cut up with the Cat.

There was one young mulatto girl in for about ten days; she was name Margaret, and belong to Mr. Chrystie, the saddler, on the Bay; she complain of her stomach, and not able to dance the mill well; they flog her severe, and all her leg bruise with the mill; one evening her master come to the workhouse, when she was on the mill—he beg the boatswain to let the mill go fast, and flog Margaret well, and make her feel it, to that she will keep away from it after.

There was another woman from Drax Hall on the mill— she didn't dance good, and they flog her very much, and when she find the flogging come too hard, she call out, “Massa, me no one flesh, me two flesh;” she was in family way, but the overseer said he didn't care, it wasn't him give her belly, and after that they was harder upon her.

On Christmas day them make me and five other men go cut grass for Mr. Drake's horses, and some of the women go clean his yard and carry water.

As magistrate been sentence me only for seven day, I ask the overseer on the Sunday if my time no up? He look at the book and say it was put down for fourteen day, so them keep me in till Tuesday night after New Year's day, that make two weeks and a half, for they don't count the Sunday.

There was one girl, named Mary Murray, in the workhouse same time as me, from Seville; she tell me not the magistrate write the paper for she to come to the workhouse—the busha write it, and shew it to magistrate, and him say it was all right; she tell we all, that what make them send her to workhouse was, that busha say the gang didn't turn out soon in the morning, and when the magistrate, Major Light, come, he send for the gang from the field, but them all frighten and run and hide—only she Mary Murray didn't run, and them take she before the magistrate, and send her straight off to the workhouse. All the people that speak to me, complain very bad about Major Light; them say him always drunk;—I see him drunk myself many times, going about the properties,— sometimes I see his servant obliged to hold him in the chaise, he was so drunk; him name is quite common for drunkard through the parish; them tell me that where him sleep, him put the room in such condition that they were obliged to clean it all out next morning.

When he go upon the estate he call to the overseer, Have you got any thing for me to do,—any person to flog? and if they tell him yes, then him stop, and if they give him rum to drink, he will do whatever thing them want him.

One day when I was working in penal gang, I saw six or seven of the Windsor apprentices, was going to the workhouse to be flogged—it was Major Light send them.

Another day I meet Major Light and the New Ground book-keeper coming down to the bay, and six men, handcuffed, and tied with rope, was following after, with two constable in charge of them; they was carried down to workhouse and flogged, and then sent back. Every body say them never see crueller man than Major Light—him in a manner begging the overseer to let him punish the people. Mr. Sowley was a king to Major Light.

The tread-mill at St. Ann's Bay, mash the people up quite dreadful; I see two woman at Knapdale, one named Nancy, married to Jarvis Webb, the other name Bessy, married to Philip Osborne; them been sent to dance tread-mill, and when them come back, all their legs bruise up, and make bad sore. I see them with bandage round their legs, and obliged to walk with stick; but the overseer and master no care for the work, or the time them lose, if them can only get the people well punish. Massa tell me to my face that he could do without me very well, if he could get me in the workhouse for six months.

One day Miss Senior say to me and some other apprentices, that Mr. Clarke, the busha at Knapdale, tell her that him send two woman to the tread-mill, and them come back so well hackled, that them not able to do nothing for three or four months, and she don't know what the devil in we, that we not well mashed up, when we come back from the tread-mill.

Mary Ann Bell, a mulatto girl, one of Miss Senior's house servants was quite large in the family way; Mr. Rawlinson sent her to dance the tread-mill, and when she come back she quite sick, and them strap her hand so tight upon the mill that she partly lost the use of her right hand ever since; she can't hold nothing heavy in that hand.

One day when I was at home in the pastures, close the public road, I see policeman carrying down an old man and a woman handcuffed together; the man was very old, he look more than sixty years old—he was all trembling, and hardly able to walk. I beg the police to stop and let me give them some orange; he do so, and the woman tell me that them sending her to the workhouse about her not delivering her free child to the overseer to let it work. I hear that many people begin to talk that the free child no have no right to stop on the property, and they will turn them off if the mothers don't consent let them work; this woman come from Orange Valley, but I don't know anything more about her story.

The old man tell me that Mr. Rawlinson send him down to gaol, but him don't say what for; but about two months after I see him coming back from St. Ann's Bay. It was between Penshurst and Hinton Hill: him hardly able to crawl, his legs and back hackle most dreadful, and all his shirt and trowsers soak up with blood; I look at his right shoulder, and it was all in one sore, in a manner rotten up, with the flogging; I don't think him could live to reach home; he tell me he was two weeks coming from St. Ann's Bay (16 miles), obliged to beg victuals and shelter any place he come to. It was Mr. Rawlinson send him to gaol, and after he been there for a little time, them take him out and carry him before Mr. Sowley, and him put the old man in the workhouse.

Some of them magistrate don't care what them do to apprentice, as long as them can get good eating and drinking with the massa and busha, and sometimes them set the massa on to do worse than them want. All the apprentice say that Major Light make it constant rule to do so, and myself see Mr. Rawlinson do so one time—it was the very morning them flog me with the lancewood switches; after the court over, Mr. Rawlinson order his mule ready to go away, and him and massa and Miss Senior was standing at the door; Misses was wanting something, and she call Nanny Dalling, when Nanny come, her face “tie up” (i. e. looked sour or displeased)—I believe she been have some dispute with her fellow servant outside; Mr. Rawlinson say she look sulky and insolent, and him lay hold of her with him own hand, and haul her along to the dungeon, and push her in and lock the door; he left her child, a sucking baby, outside.

I was standing by the gate and see it all, and when Mr. Rawlinson mount his mule to go to Hinton Hill, I hear him say to massa, You must try to get up some good charge against that woman, and let me send her to the workhouse for about a fortnight; but massa answer that she have young child. The magistrate answer, That's no consequence; but massa didn't like to send her there. Mr. Rawlinson call again at Penshurst same day, as he coming back from Hinton Hill, and he make them bring Nanny Dalling out of the dungeon, and then he sentence her to be locked up in the dungeon for fourteen nights; and them did lock her up every night along with her young pickniny.

As I tell about other things, I want to tell about one time I do something bad; it was when massa get up a barrel of pork, last year, in April; John Lawrence tell me he know where the pork was put, and he would help them with a part of it: two or three nights after they open the barrel, John Lawrence get a long stick, and tie a fork at the end of it, and then he go to the store window and stick the fork into the pork barrel, and get a piece of the meat and draw it to the window, but it couldn't come through the bars, so he come to the kitchen where I was sleeping, and he call me to come and help him; I go with him, and I hold the piece of pork while him cut it in two, and take and boil one half and give me some, and I eat it.

Misses and massa found out that the pork gone, and make noise about it, and accuse all the house servant about it; I can't bear to hear them accuse for wrongful, and I know who did it, so I tell William Dalling the constable that I know all about the pork. Then him tell massa, and they call me up and I tell the truth, that John Lawrence tief the pork and I help him to cut it and I eat some of it: them carry we before magistrate about it, and I tell Mr. Rawlinson the same thing, and John Lawrence confess it, and magistrate sentence John Lawrence and me to pay ten shillings a piece to massa for the pork: I borrow the money from my father and another man, and pay it to misses. This one bad action I do, them don't punish me for it.

It was the Tuesday evening after new year's day that they let me out of the workhouse, and I reach home next day. Miss Senior say them been looking out for me since last week, as I only sentence for seven days, and she think say, that I run away and go back to Rodney Hall again. She make pretence she don't know, that magistrate alter it to fourteen days, and massa pretend the same for him send William Dalling the constable to the magistrate the week before to say I don't come home yet, and him suppose me run away, but massa know very well that I was in the workhouse all the time.

Mr. Rawlinson self pretend him don't know I was in the workhouse so long, him say so to make William Dalling fool, because him was present when Mr. Rawlinson try me, and hear him sentence me to no more than seven days in the workhouse. Them don't know that I hear them make the bargain to keep me in all Christmas week.

Next time Mr. Rawlinson come to Penshurst massa try to get me punish again. Him say me didn't come home same day them let me out of the workhouse—he would have it me no come home till Thursday, but it was Wednesday, and I offer to call constable to prove it, and, at last, magistrate put an ending to it, and told massa he must accuse me wrongfully.

This was the last time they carry me before Mr. Rawlinson, and that was last January.

One Saturday afternoon, about the end of February, Philip Osborn of Knapdale came to me and say that James Finlayson want to see me at Brown's Town that night. James Finlayson was my fellow apprentice before time, but been buy himself free, and he was a leader in the church. He send tell me that two gentlemen was there that want to ask how apprentice treated, and him know me been treated very badly, so him send for me.

At night I go to the chapel, and see Mr. Sturge and Mr. Harvey, and I tell them all about my bad living; Mr. Sturge tell me, me mustn't discourage, that it only to last seventeen months; I tell him, I don't know if I can live to see the seventeen months out; I was quite maugre and hungry that time, quite different to what I stand now, I hardly able to get anything to eat then, my ground all gone to pieces, the time them put in workhouse, and if my father and other people no been give me something, I would have starve. Mr. Sturge give me a shilling, and then I go back home.

On Monday night, Finlayson send for me again, I go Tuesday night, and he send me to Mr. Clarke, the minister. Him ask me if me would like to be free, I tell him, Yes, and him ask me if I would pay him back when me free? I said, Yes, I would do all in my power, and try my best endeavour to work hard and pay him back. Then Mr. Clarke tell me I must go to magistrate, to give warning to have me valued; I was quite happy and joyful, when I hear this; and on Saturday, I go to Mr. Rawlinson, at Brown's Town, and ask him to value me, but him say massa entitle to fourteen days' warning; he give me paper to serve massa, about it, and said he would very glad if I could buy myself, as he have more trouble with me and massa than any body else. I give the paper to misses, as massa was in Spanish Town, and second Saturday after, I go to Brown's Town, to be valued; but when I get there, Mr. Rawlinson tell me, as massa don't come, he couldn't value me, and all I can say no use, he keep on refuse to value me; then I go to Mr. Clarke, the minister, and he come to the Court House, and speak to Mr. Rawlinson, and at last he agree to go on with the valuation.

Him and Mr. Abraham Isaacs and Mr. Fairweather value me; Mr. Joseph Isaacs, that keep a store at Brown's Town, give evidence. He say he want a boy like me, to mind his horse, and follow him to town, and when me free, he would be willing to give me two dollars a week, and feeding and clothes besides; so them fix the price upon me for eight doubloons, ten dollars and a half, and two bitts.*

After it done, Mr. Clarke take me to his house, and give me the money, and I carry it straight to Mr. Rawlinson, and then he give me my free paper, and when I come out of the Court House, I call out, quite loud, “Bless God Almighty—thank the Lord, I get out of devil's hands.” Mr. Clarke, the Busha at Knapdale, was present— he look quite black at me, but him don't speak.

Then I go straight to Mr. Joseph Isaacs' store, and I tell him, I going to come to him Monday, as he say him would give me two dollars a week, and feeding and clothes; he tell me he get a boy already, but he don't get any—he only take swear he would give that, to make them put high value upon me.

Then Mr. Clarke, the minister, told me, it was Mr. Sturge that pay the money for me, and I must go to him at Spanish Town, as he want to carry me to England.

I feel so happy, I don't know what to do with myself hardly; I bless the Lord; and I bless Mr. Sturge for him goodness. If he no been take me away, I couldn't have live long.

On Tuesday I start off, and get to Spanish Town next day, after that we go to Kingston; and two weeks after, Mr. Sturge take me with him on board the ship, and we go to New York, and then sail to Liverpool, and so here I am in England.