An Unfortunate Turn of Events
At the age of 20, I was also given the job of accompanying my master when he went out nights to the tavern. I was to pull my master out of any fights before he was hurt. I liked this job because I could actually touch the white people without consequences. I was slightly wrong on that last point. One time my master got into a fight with his brother's overseer and as I was getting him out, I guess I shoved the overseer harder then I meant to, and the overseer was not pleased.
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Later that week, my master sent me with some letters on horseback to a place a ways off. I took a short cut on a lane through the brother's farm and there in the field was the overseer and three slaves. When I was riding home, the slaves were gone and the
overseer sat on the fence. I was at ease until the overseer jumped off the fence and the other slaves appeared from their places of hiding. There I was, ambushed. With revenge in his heart, the overseer proceeded to order his slaves to seize me, but I knocked the three of them down. As the overseer tried to beat me with a stake, I blocked it and broke my arm. Sorely beaten, I fell to the ground badlly broken . It tooks many months to recover. I later rebroke my collarbones when they were jolted by the plow while I worked in the field. |