The Autobiography of Sham Bakrania the slave.

This was all that remember until I was captured.

My capture:

When I was captured it was nothing that I had experienced before in my life. It all happened when I was first with my mother in the field collecting the harvest crops then my mother wanted some stones from the breach to use so when I went my mother then wanted to come with me so we both went. At the beach, when we least expected a white man came up to use tied us up and took us to there ship and away.  

We all were branded with the initial letters of their master's name that we were going to be taken to and then we all had a load of heavy iron hooks hung around their necks. Indeed on the most trifling occasions they were loaded with chains, and often instruments of torture were added to us. The iron muzzle, thumbscrews, etc. are so well known as not to need a description, and were sometimes applied for the slightest faults. I have seen a negro beaten till some of his bones were broken for even letting a pot boil over. It is surprising that usage like this should drive the poor creatures to despair and make them seek refuge in death from those evils which render their lives intolerable while. This they frequently done to some slaves. Once I saw a negro-man on board the ship try to run away so the white men put in irons for some days and kept in that state for some weeks. When that man freed he then took an opportunity of jumping overboard into the sea; however, he was picked up without being drowned, then the white men killed him by burning him alive! From that day I stayed close to my mother and listened to her and the white men.

We were all under the decks for about  6 to 12 weeks until we had made it to The new land.

My journey across the middle passage:

The life on a ship was very terrible, I had seen  many slaves beaten and some burned alive. We did not see much on deck because the white men did not trust us they thought that we would try to run away. Only some slaves were let out to work for then white men.

So the life below deck it was a nightmare, we were all packed under shoulder to shoulder to fill every available space. So that if anyone tried to cxcape they would be trapped and could die. The smells under decks were so horrible because there were so many dirty men and women and also that the three toilets made the smells worse you could die to smell it.

This horrible atmosphere had made many die or many sick by them not able to eat anything, but it did not happen to me or my mother.

Below some slaves were chained down, I was not but my mum was because she was older, but many were watch very closely by the crew and if anyone tried to do anything they would be cut open. We were only aloud on desks to work or to be sold.

Under decks there were three toilets many children had fell in and died in there.

When we were hungry there was nothing to eat or drink maybe people drank sea water from cracks in the hull. And the food that the crew eat was fish from the sea, even when the crew had left overs they did not give it to us so they threw it back in the sea.

This was how me and my mother lived for 6 to 12 weeks and on the journey we were OK until we got to land.  

Me being sold: 

from the ship we were all taken off to go to a market. We had all been chained up together to walk for about 2 to 3 miles also the crew members followed us on mighty horses to the market trough the towns and villages on the way.

At the market  we were all sold as parcels, Nothing is more common than for the white people on this occasion to take the grass from them without paying for it; and not only so, but too often also to my knowledge our clerks and many others at the same time have committed acts of violence on the poor, wretched, and helpless females, whom I have seen for hours stand crying and waiting to be sold.

At the market we were all stood next to our relatives and then waited for a bell to go of so then a big crowd of rich white men came in and inspected us one by one, they first checked our teeth then our bodies and even measured us then when it came to my turn this man called Mr.Gooch chose me and my mother but she was taken to the same place I was but to the cotton mill and I thick I was taken to the house. But at lest I knew that my mother was near by, but I had no idea were my dad or brother are, I was thinking that night where were they? and were they .O.K.?

That morning I was feed well then taken to my work station to work all day in the sun but the good news was that I could see my mother every morning and evening but still I wanted to know how my dad and brother were.

My life working:

That morning I was put to work as a servant at the masters house there I was treated well I served food cleaned rooms and sometimes I even looked after the place, and I was not the only one there I had many others who was nice to me and looked after me.

I also had a small room which me and my mother slept in because I worked for the master so he did not want me to have any decease because then he would get it.

Life was not that bad but the only problems is that if I or my mother do something wrong we would get a beating by a other person from our tribe that use to be a good friend.

My mothers job was to work in the cotton mill. She had to get the cotton that was brought to her she had to use it and clean it by hand then put in the open steam looms to be turned into cloth, then she washes the cloth and roll it up ready to go to be sold or traded.

Me and my mother both missed home and my dad and brother but life was OK but hard work because if we did something wrong then we would get hurt..

Free time:

When we had free time like in the evenings we would mostly entertain our self’s by having a religious service they would mostly be in the woods because the master dose not want us to worship our god so he said do it some where I don’t see. In the services we all dance around a warm fire in the cool night play drums and sing we mostly do it for fun and to remember each other and to forget the other members of our families witch are lost. This all happens at night in the moon light with the fire as a source of light.

On every Sunday we all have to go to the Christian church at 5.00 am, this is because the master wants all to go to church if he does as well or he would be the only one there. At the church we all sing song and even get baptized against our own religion, at those services there is also a white preachers. But that’s not that bad because at night we get baptized back into our own religion and the master has no idea.

For another type of entertainment we celebrate when we have days off like new years day, shrove Tuesday and the after harvest. On those days we have an even better time because the master is really busy or he goes away for the week I know this because I sometimes listen to the master when he is taking to the mistress.

So then we have a feast and celebrations there is music food and the best of all its in the day, outside and also with every one not working so hard.

During other days when we are not working we all ways go to our homes witch are made of wood and clay but there a secret because there is a network of hand dug tunnels all leading to a under ground room, the master has no idea about this. In the room we all eat all kinds of food that comes food another top secret tunnel leading out to a town where 2 or 3 of us go and buy food with our wages so that we can eat some of us try to excape from this tunnel but we all know that the master has a army witch will find us and kill us so we don’t try it. We have to do this because that the master does not feed us. Its a hard life but we have been coping with it for now.

Life here is not that good I could be happy that me and my mum are here and that we are living happily but still something is missing I have no idea what is but I hope I get out of here soon because me and my mum have just enough money to buy our freedom that really costs 40 to 200 pounds and I hope we are freed to go home and find my dad and one brother.