UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

the
Some of the slaves in the pen were already
KEY TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN. 163
sick ; some of them old,poor or dirty, and were the very lowestterms upon which their
for these reasons greatly exposedto sickness. keeperwould sellthe girls, as
Richard Edmondson had already been ransomed,
a faint hope that in some or
way other the
and must be sent back ; and,upon money might be raised, iftime enough were
the whole,itwas thought best to fitout and allowed. The trader declared he should
send off a gang to Baltimore, without delay.
The Edmondsons received these tidings but he would wait two weeks,and,if the
with joyfulhearts, for they had not yet friendscould raisethe money in thattime,
been undeceived with regardto the raising theymight have them.
of the money for their ransom. Their
brother who was free procuredfor them
many comforts for the voyage, such as a
mattress,blankets, sheetsand differentkinds
of food and drink ; and,accompanied to the
vesselby their friends there,theyembarked
on the brigUnion justat night, and were
towed out of the river. The brig had routine of the slave-prison. Old Paul
nearly a full cargo of cotton,molasses, sugar, walked quietly into the yard, and sat down
"c, and,of course, the space for the slaves to see the poor slaves marched around. He
was exceedingly limited. The place allotted
the females was a littleclose,filthy room,
before,and his feelings quite
perhapseight or ten feet square, filledwith overcame him. The yardwas narrow, and
cotton within two or three feet of the top of the girls, as theywalked by him,almost
the room, except the space directly under the brushinghim with their clothes, could just
hatchway door. Richard Edmondson kept hear him groaning within himself,
" 0, my
his sisters upon deck with him,thoughwithout
children, my children ! "
a shelter ; prepared their food himself, After the breakfast, which none of them
made up theirbed at nighton the topof barrels,
were able to eat,they partedwith sad
or wherever he could find a place, and hearts, the father begging the keeperto send
then sleptbytheirside. Sometimes a storm them to New Orleans, if the money could
would arise in the middle of the night,when not be raised, as perhaps theirbrothers there
he would springup and wake them,and, mightsecure for them kind masters.
gathering up
their bed and bedding, conduct Two or three weeks afterwards Bruin "
them to a littlekind of a pantry, where they Hill visitedthe-prison, dissolvedpartnership
could all three juststand țillthe storm with the trader, settled accounts, and took the
passedaway. Sometimes he contrived to Edmondsons again in their own possession.
make a temporaryshelterfor them out of
bitsof boards,or something else on deck.
After a voyage of sixteen days,they
His object was partlyto ascertainwhat
he indulged
soon send them to some other slave-market,
The nigh their father and sister spent in
the prisonwith them,he layin the room
over their heads ; and theycould hear him
groan all night, while their sister was
weeping
by their side. None of them closed
their eyes in sleep.
In the morning came
againthe wearisome
The girls were
roused about eleven o'clock
at night,after they had fallen asleep, and
told to getup directly,
and prepare forgoing
arrived at Baltimore,fullyexpecting that home. They had learned that the word of
theirdaysof slavery were numbered. Here a slave-holderisnot to be trusted, and feared
theywere conducted back to the same old
theywere goingto be sent to Richmond.
had been taken a
But they were permitted to see
had never seen his daughters in such circumstances
prison from which they Virginia, as there had been talk of it. They
few weeks before, thoughtheysupposedit were soon on their way in the cars with
would be but for an hour or two. Presently Bruin, and arrived at Washingtonat a little
Mr. Bigelow,of Washington,came for pastmidnight.
Richard. When the girls found that they Their hearts throbbed highwhen,after
were not to be set free too, their grief and theselong months of weary captivity, t\\Qj
disappointment were unspeakable Ḅut found themselves once more in the city
"
they were separated, Richard to go to where were their brothers, sisters and parents.
his home,his wife and children, and they
none
to remain in "
slave-prison. Wearisome of them, and were put into a carriage and
days and nightsagainrolled on. In the driven immediately to
morningstheywere obliged to march round Alexandria,where,about two o'clock at
the yard to the music of fiddles, banjoes, "c. ; night,they found themselvesin the same forlorn
in the day-time theywashed and ironed for old room in which they had begun their
the male slaves, sleptsome, and wept a great term of captivity !
deal. After a few weeks theirfather came This was the latterpart of August.Again
to visitthem, accompanied by theirsister. they were employed in washing,ironing and
the slave-prison at