The Story of Ampy Basil
Its was a hot day in Africa and these chains were super heavy on my hands and feet. These white folks kept on o pokin they fingers in my mouth. Some of them were tastin my sweat checkin if my health was any good. I thought they were really just stupid I was fine as a cow in a meadow. I didnt get sold, so my life went back to this slave ship, o I hated the ship. They flog me and put me in shackles and abuse me even more if gettin flogged wasnt bad enough. I took the hits and cryed at my wounds then those white folks put me bac wit the other slaves. They were crying and yelling to get o'f the ship. I went an sat next to me great friend Brit Cato. He has ben on the ship longer then me and others, he is about fifty years give or take a few. He heard the whites say our next stop is Jamaica after we hed to white country England.
They sold about six slaves 'ere then they put the rest of us bac on the ship and headed to Jamaica. I got in more trouble by stealin food for elderly friend Brit. I got put back in they iron shackles and flogged harder then last time. Then they put me bac in that hell hole. I layed next to Brit and he kept mumbling bout his old wife that got tooken away. Then I remembered my family, The wife was named Jane Jones an me kid's name was Jack Davis. My wife is beautiful and I had a very handsome son, he was always energetic and fast like a antelope in Africa running from a lion.
Its now 1699 and we are at Jamaica. The white people look mad at me now for not getting sold yesterday so, they let me run free until some other white men came to kill me. I run and I run as fast as I can, I’m free I thought to myself, free at last. I’m 21 and free to do whatever I like till they came. Around a building was a larger white folk. He had a gun and like a white mask on, he was staring at me, staring and pointing his gun at me. I was in shock. Out of the blue three black folks grab my arms and run as fast as they could. They are yelling and sweating, I looked around at the three black men and finally get on my own two legs and run with them so they can run faster. We finally got to an old cottage. It had two hidden doors in the wall and one in the floor.
I hid in the floor with an old man that looked familiar. Then the big white folk came in with a small skinny man with the same white hoods. They search the cottage and they don’t find any of us. After the white folks leave the black boys that hid in the walls come and tell me and the old man that we are clear. I asked what were these peoples name were. As I thought the old mans name was Brit, my great friend. The others were not owned they were free so. The tallest one's name was Joe, then they small fry who was about only 12 was Micheal, also the one that didnt talk as much as the others with an eye patch over his left eye was John. I told them my name but that was still my slave name, I want a free black name I thought, I am Jimmy.
We head out the house an search to see if those white men were still around. They weren’t , we headed west on Jamaica land. We wanted more than just being free, we wanted to be free without having to get chased by white men. We needed a boat to get to the other white men country where black men are free. Boom! We turned to see that the cottage we were in just caught flames. Its burning and then we see those white people laughing, probably saying blacks should never be free. We turn and run and run till we found a little cottage. We break down the door to see a white man in his late 30's and in his arms a black woman who was shot. We go to comfort him but he swings his arms and says we are all going to die. I pick the white man up and he asked to kill him. Since I was a slave I followed orders as asked, I killed him while the others watched.
We head out of his backdoor and find what we have been looking for this whole time. A boat. Luckily his house was on the side of the ocean. We jump in the small rowboat and we head to the white country of freedom.
1700's the Henrietta the slave ship I was on had sunk. I was finally free when we got to the country. We arrived on the state of Virginia and was asked to work on a plantation with pay. We took that job and was allowed to live there after our aster's last will was allowed. It was let these black men and women stay here until they leave. We lived here and will die here. That is my story Mr reporter.
Disclaimer: Story is not true but experiences were. Written by Dante Hardin.
They sold about six slaves 'ere then they put the rest of us bac on the ship and headed to Jamaica. I got in more trouble by stealin food for elderly friend Brit. I got put back in they iron shackles and flogged harder then last time. Then they put me bac in that hell hole. I layed next to Brit and he kept mumbling bout his old wife that got tooken away. Then I remembered my family, The wife was named Jane Jones an me kid's name was Jack Davis. My wife is beautiful and I had a very handsome son, he was always energetic and fast like a antelope in Africa running from a lion.
Its now 1699 and we are at Jamaica. The white people look mad at me now for not getting sold yesterday so, they let me run free until some other white men came to kill me. I run and I run as fast as I can, I’m free I thought to myself, free at last. I’m 21 and free to do whatever I like till they came. Around a building was a larger white folk. He had a gun and like a white mask on, he was staring at me, staring and pointing his gun at me. I was in shock. Out of the blue three black folks grab my arms and run as fast as they could. They are yelling and sweating, I looked around at the three black men and finally get on my own two legs and run with them so they can run faster. We finally got to an old cottage. It had two hidden doors in the wall and one in the floor.
I hid in the floor with an old man that looked familiar. Then the big white folk came in with a small skinny man with the same white hoods. They search the cottage and they don’t find any of us. After the white folks leave the black boys that hid in the walls come and tell me and the old man that we are clear. I asked what were these peoples name were. As I thought the old mans name was Brit, my great friend. The others were not owned they were free so. The tallest one's name was Joe, then they small fry who was about only 12 was Micheal, also the one that didnt talk as much as the others with an eye patch over his left eye was John. I told them my name but that was still my slave name, I want a free black name I thought, I am Jimmy.
We head out the house an search to see if those white men were still around. They weren’t , we headed west on Jamaica land. We wanted more than just being free, we wanted to be free without having to get chased by white men. We needed a boat to get to the other white men country where black men are free. Boom! We turned to see that the cottage we were in just caught flames. Its burning and then we see those white people laughing, probably saying blacks should never be free. We turn and run and run till we found a little cottage. We break down the door to see a white man in his late 30's and in his arms a black woman who was shot. We go to comfort him but he swings his arms and says we are all going to die. I pick the white man up and he asked to kill him. Since I was a slave I followed orders as asked, I killed him while the others watched.
We head out of his backdoor and find what we have been looking for this whole time. A boat. Luckily his house was on the side of the ocean. We jump in the small rowboat and we head to the white country of freedom.
1700's the Henrietta the slave ship I was on had sunk. I was finally free when we got to the country. We arrived on the state of Virginia and was asked to work on a plantation with pay. We took that job and was allowed to live there after our aster's last will was allowed. It was let these black men and women stay here until they leave. We lived here and will die here. That is my story Mr reporter.
Disclaimer: Story is not true but experiences were. Written by Dante Hardin.