Clotel, William Wells Brown [i like reading books .txt] 📗

freeman⁠—could walk, talk, eat, and sleep as a man, and no one to stand over me with the blood-clotted cowhide⁠—all this made me feel that I was not myself.”

The kind Quaker, who so hospitably entertained William, was called Wells Brown. He remained with him about a fortnight, during which time he was well fed and clothed. Before leaving, the Quaker asked him what was his name besides William? The fugitive told him he had no other. “Well,” said he, “thee must have another name. Since thee has got out of slavery, thee has become a man, and men always have two names.”

William told him that as he was the first man to extend the hand of friendship to him, he would give him the privilege of naming him.

“If I name thee,” said he, “I shall call thee Wells Brown, like myself.”

“But,” said he, “I am not willing to lose my name of William. It was taken from me once against my will, and I am not willing to part with it on any terms.”

“Then,” said the benevolent man, “I will call thee William Wells Brown.”

“So be it,” said William Wells Brown, and he has been known by this name ever since.

After giving the newly-christened freeman “a name,” the Quaker gave him something to aid him to get “a local habitation.” So, after giving him some money, Brown again started for Canada. In four days he reached a public-house, and went in to warm himself. He soon found that he was not out of the reach of his enemies. While warming himself, he heard some men in an adjoining barroom talking about some runaway slaves. He thought it was time to be off, and, suiting the action to the thought, he was soon in the woods out of sight. When night came, he returned to the road and walked on; and so, for two days and two nights, till he was faint and ready to perish of hunger.

In this condition he arrived in the town of Cleveland, Ohio, on the banks of Lake Erie, where he determined to remain until the spring of the year, and then to try and reach Canada. Here he was compelled to work merely for his food. “Having lived in that way,” said he in a speech at a public meeting in Exeter Hall, “for some weeks, I obtained a job, for which I received a shilling. This was not only the only shilling I had, but it was the first I had received after obtaining my freedom, and that shilling made me feel, indeed, as if I had a considerable stock in hand. What to do with my shilling I did not know. I would not put it into the bankers’ hands, because, if they would have received it, I would not trust them. I would not lend it out, because I was afraid I should not get it back again. I carried the shilling in my pocket for some time, and finally resolved to lay it out; and after considerable thinking upon the subject, I laid out 6d. for a spelling-book, and the other 6d. for sugar candy or barley sugar. Well, now, you will all say that the one 6d. for the spelling-book was well laid out; and I am of opinion that the other was well laid out too; for the family in which I worked for my bread had two little boys, who attended the school every day, and I wanted to convert them into teachers; so I thought that nothing would act like a charm so much as a little barley sugar. The first day I got my book and stock in trade, I put the book into my bosom, and went to saw wood in the wood-house on a very cold day. One of the boys, a little after four o’clock, passed through the wood-house with a bag of books. I called to him, and I said to him, ‘Johnny, do you see this?’ taking a stick of barley sugar from my pocket and showing it to him. Says he, ‘Yes; give me a taste of it.’ Said I, ‘I have got a spelling-book too,’ and I showed that to him. ‘Now,’ said I, ‘if you come to me in my room, and teach me my A.B.C., I will give you a whole stick.’ ‘Very well,’ said he, ‘I will; but let me taste it.’ ‘No; I can’t.’ ‘Let me have it now.’ Well, I thought I had better give him a little taste, until the right time came; and I marked the barley sugar about a quarter of an inch down, and told him to bite that far and no farther. He made a grab, and bit half the stick, and ran off laughing. I put the other piece in my pocket, and after a little while the other boy, little David, came through the wood-house with his books. I said nothing about the barley sugar, or my wish to get education. I knew the other lad would communicate the news to him. In a little while he returned, and said, ‘Bill, John says you have got some barley sugar.’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘what of that?’ ‘He said you gave him some; give me a little taste.’ ‘Well, if you come tonight and help me to learn my letters, I will give you a whole stick.’ ‘Yes; but let me taste it.’ ‘Ah! but you want to bite it.’ ‘No, I don’t, but just let me taste it.’ Well, I thought I had better show it to him. ‘Now,’ said he, ‘let me touch my tongue against it.’ I thought then that I had better give him a taste, but I would not trust him so far as I trusted John; so I called him to me, and got his head under my arm, and took him by the chin, and told him to hold out his tongue; and as he did so, I drew the barley sugar