he hot sun over me
would bake the shirt fast to my back, and for four weeks I wore that
shirt, unable to pull it off, and when I did pull it off it brought with
it much of my flesh, leaving my back perfectly raw. Some time after this
my master found out the truth about the pistol, and when I saw that he did
not offer me any apology for the beating he had given me, and the lie he
had made me confess, I went to him and said--now, master, you see that you
beat me unjustly about that pistol, and made me confess to a lie--but all
the consolation I got was--clear out, you black rascal; I never struck a
blow amiss in my life, except when I struck at you and happened to miss
you; there are plenty of other crimes you have committed and did not let
me catch you at them, so that flogging will do for the lot.

Master had an old negro in the family called Uncle Reuben. This good old
man and his wife were very good friends of my mother's, and before she was
sold they often met and sung and prayed, and talked about religion
together. Uncle Reuben fell sick in the middle of the harvest, and his
sickness was very severe; but master having a grudge against uncle Reuben,
and his old wife aunt Dinah, respecting a complaint that aunt Dinah had
made to mistress about his having outraged and violated her youngest
daughter, his spite was carried out by Mr. Cobb, the overseer, who forced
Uncle Reuben into the field amongst the rest of us, and I was ordered to
cradle behind him to make him keep up with the rest of the gang. The poor
old man worked until he fell, just ahead of me, upon the cradle. Mr. Cobb
came over and told him to get up, and that he was only playing the old
soldier, and when the old man did not move to get up Mr. Cobb gave him a
few kicks with his heavy boots and told Reuben, sick as he was, that he
would cure him. He ordered us to take off his shirt, and the poor old man
was stripped, when Mr. Cobb, with his hickory cane, laid on him till his
back bled freely; but still the old man seemed to take no notice of what
Mr. Cobb was doing. Mr. Cobb then told us to put on his shirt and carry
him in, for he appeared convinced that Reuben could not walk. The next
morning I went to see him but he did not seem to know anybody. Master came
in along with the Doctor, and master swore at Reuben, telling him that as
soon as he was well enough he should have a good flogging for having, by
his own folly, caught his sickness. The doctor here check