six months has had upon all my subsequent history.
My friend kindly gave me employ to saw and split a number of cords of
wood, then lying in his yard, for which he agreed with me for liberal pay
and board. This inspired me with great encouragement. The idea of
beginning to earn something was very pleasant. Next; we confidentially
agreed upon the way and means of avoiding surprise, in case any one should
come to the house as a spy, or with intention to arrest me. This afforded
still further relief, as it convinced me that the whole family would now
be on the look out for such persons.

The next theme of conversation was with reference to my education.

"Can thee read or write any, James?" was the question put to me the
morning after my arrival, by W.W.

"No, sir, I cannot; my duties as a blacksmith have made me acquainted with
the figures on the common mechanics' square. There was a day-book kept in
the shop, in which the overseer usually charged the smithwork we did for
the neighbours. I have spent entire Sabbaths looking over the pages of
that book; knowing the names of persons to whom certain pieces of work
were charged, together with their prices, I strove anxiously to learn to
write in this way. I got paper, and picked up feathers about the yard, and
made ink of ---- berries. My quills being too soft, and my skill in making
a pen so poor, that I undertook some years ago to make a steel pen.[A] In
this way I have learnt to make a few of the letters, but I cannot write my
own name, nor do I know the letters of the alphabet."

[Footnote A: This attempt was as early as 1822.]

_W.W., (handing a slate and pencil.)_--"Let me see how thee makes letters;
try such as thou hast been able to make easily."

A.B.C.L.G.

_P.W., (wife of W.W.)_--"Why, those are better than I can make."

_W.W._--"Oh, we can soon get thee in the way, James."

Arithmetic and astronomy became my favourite studies. W.W. was an
accomplished scholar; he had been a teacher for some years, and was
cultivating a small farm on account of ill-health, which had compelled him
to leave teaching. He is one of the most far-sighted and practical men I
ever met with. He taught me by familiar conversations, illustrating his
themes by diagrams on the slate, so that I caught his ideas with ease and
rapidity.

I now began to see, for the first time, the extent of the mischief slavery
had done to me. Twenty-one years of my life were gone, never again to
return