GEORGE LAWS AND COMRADE--TIED AND HOISTED WITH BLOCK AND TACKLE, TO BE
COWHIDED.
George represented the ordinary young slave men of Delaware. He was of
unmixed blood, medium size and of humble appearance. He was destitute of
the knowledge of spelling, to say nothing of reading. Slavery had
stamped him unmistakably for life. To be scantily fed and clothed, and
compelled to work without hire, George did not admire, but had to submit
without murmuring; indeed, he knew that his so-called master, whose name
was Denny, would not be likely to hear complaints from a slave; he
therefore dragged his chain and yielded to his daily task.
One day, while hauling dirt with a fractious horse, the animal
manifested an unwillingness to perform his duty satisfactorily. At this
procedure the master charged George with provoking the beast to do
wickedly, and in a rage he collared George and bade him accompany him
"up stairs" (of the soap house). Not daring to resist, George went along
with him. Ropes being tied around both his wrists, the block and tackle
were fastened thereto, and George soon found himself hoisted on tip-toe
with his feet almost clear of the floor.
[Illustration: ]
The "kind-hearted master" then tore all the poor fellow's old shirt off
his back, and addressed him thus: "You son of a b----h, I will give you
pouting around me; stay there till I go up town for my cowhide."
George begged piteously, but in vain. The fracas caused some excitement,
and it so happened that a show was to be exhibited that day in the town,
which, as is usual in the country, brought a great many people from a
distance; so, to his surprise, when the master returned with his
cowhide, he found that a large number of curiosity-seekers had been
attracted to the soap house to see Mr. Denny perform with his cowhide on
George's back, as he was stretched up by his hands. Many had evidently
made up their minds that it would be more amusing to see the cowhiding
than the circus.
The spectators numbered about three hundred. This was a larger number
than Mr. Denny had been accustomed to perform before, consequently he
was seized with embarrassment; looking confused he left the soap house
and went to his office, to await the dispersion of the crowd.
The throng finally retired, and left George hanging in mortal agony.
Human nature here made a death-struggle; the cords which bound his
wrists were unloosed, and George was then prepared to strike for freedom
at the mouth of the cannon or point of the bayonet. How Denny regarded
the matter when he found that George had not only cheated him out of the
anticipated delight of cowhiding him, but had also cheated him out of
himself is left for the imagination to picture.
George fled from Kent; he was accompanied by a comrade whose name
inadvertently was not recorded; he, however, was described as a dark,
round, and full-faced, stout-built man, with bow legs, and bore the
appearance of having been used hard and kept down, and in ignorance, &c.
Hard usage constrained him to flee from his sore oppression.
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