h time
I was a regular attendant at the Methodist Free Church, consisting
entirely of colored people; at which place I heard the scriptures
expounded in a different way by colored ministers--as I found that God had
made colored as well as white people: as He had made of one blood all the
families of the earth, and that all men were free and equal in his sight;
and that he was no respecter of persons whatever the color: but whoever
worked righteousness was accepted of Him. Being satisfied that I had not
sinned against the Holy Ghost by obtaining my freedom, I enlisted in the
church, and became one of the members thereof.

About this time, Mr. Roberts, for whom I worked, failed in business, and
his property was seized for debt and sold, thereby throwing me out of
employment. I was arrested and taken back to Maryland, where I was placed
in prison, with a collar round my neck for eleven days.

On the twelfth day my master came to see me, and of course I begged of him
to take me home and let me go to work. No, nigger, said master--I have no
employment for a vagabond of your stamp; but I'm going to order that
collar off your neck, not because I think that you are sufficiently
punished, but because there are some gentlemen coming through the jail
to-morrow, and they want to purchase some negroes, so you had better do
your best to get a master amongst them--and mind you don't tell them that
ever you ran away, for if you do none of them will buy you. Now I will
give you a good character, notwithstanding you have done your best to
injure me, a good master, and you have even tried to rob me by running
away--still I'll do my best to get you a good master, for my bible teaches
me to do good for evil. The next day I was called out with forty other
slaves, belonging to different owners in the County, and we were marched
into the doctor's vestry for examination; here the doctor made us all
strip--men and women together naked, in the presence of each other while
the examination went on. When it was concluded, thirty-eight of us were
pronounced sound, and three unsound; certificates were made out and given
to the auctioneer to that effect. After dressing ourselves we were all
driven into the slave sty directly under the auction block, when the jail
warder came and gave to every slave a number, my number was twenty. Here,
let me explain, for the better information of the reader, that in the
inventory of the slaves to be sold all go by num