breath; then after resting, he beat me again and again, until he was quite
wearied, and so hot (for the weather was very sultry), that he sank back
in his chair, almost like to faint. While my mistress went to bring him
drink, there was a dreadful earthquake. Part of the roof fell down, and
every thing in the house went--clatter, clatter, clatter. Oh I thought the
end of all things near at hand; and I was so sore with the flogging, that
I scarcely cared whether I lived or died. The earth was groaning and
shaking; every thing tumbling about; and my mistress and the slaves were
shrieking and crying out, "The earthquake! the earthquake!" It was an
awful day for us all.

During the confusion I crawled away on my hands and knees, and laid myself
down under the steps of the piazza, in front of the house. I was in a
dreadful state--my body all blood and bruises, and I could not help
moaning piteously. The other slaves, when they saw me, shook their heads
and said, "Poor child! poor child!"--I lay there till the morning,
careless of what might happen, for life was very weak in me, and I wished
more than ever to die. But when we are very young, death always seems a
great way off, and it would not come that night to me. The next morning I
was forced by my master to rise and go about my usual work, though my body
and limbs were so stiff and sore, that I could not move without the
greatest pain.--Nevertheless, even after all this severe punishment, I
never heard the last of that jar; my mistress was always throwing it in my
face.

Some little time after this, one of the cows got loose from the stake, and
eat one of the sweet-potatoe slips. I was milking when my master found it
out. He came to me, and without any more ado, stooped down, and taking off
his heavy boot, he struck me such a severe blow in the small of my back,
that I shrieked with agony, and thought I was killed; and I feel a