The Terrible Transformation: The
Narrative of Olaudah Equiano
|
|
This portrait of Olaudah Equiano was
used as the frontispiece (illustration opposite a book's title page) of his
autobiography, The Interesting
Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African (1789). |
In the
introduction to his autobiography, Equiano states that the main purpose of the
book is to "excite in [the reader's] august assemblies a sense of
compassion of the miseries which the Slave-Trade has entailed on my unfortunate
countrymen." His widely-read autobiography, The Interesting Narrative
of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, published
in 1789, succeeded dramatically in this regard, since it offered a vivid
first-hand account of an individual born in
Captured far from the African coast when he was a boy of 11, Olaudah Equiano
was sold into slavery, later acquired his freedom, and wrote his autobiography
as an argument to end the slave trade and slavery. The youngest son of a
village leader, Equiano was born among the Ibo people in the
Slavery was an integral part of the Ibo culture, as it was with
many other African peoples. His family owned slaves, but there was also a
continual threat of being abducted, of becoming someone else's slave. This is
what happened, one day, while Equiano and his sister were at home alone.
Two men and a woman captured the children. Several days later Equiano and his
sister were separated. Equiano continued to travel farther and farther from
home, day after day, month after month, exchanging masters along the way.
Equiano's early experiences as a slave were not all disagreeable; some families
treated Equiano almost as a part of the family. The kind treatment, however,
was about to end.
About six or seven months after being abducted, Equiano was brought to the
coast, where he first encountered a slave ship and white men.
As it was for all slaves, the Middle Passage for Equiano was a long, arduous
nightmare. In his autobiography he describes the inconceivable conditions of
the slaves' hold: the "shrieks of the women," the "groans of the
dying," the floggings, the wish to commit suicide, how those who somehow
managed to drown themselves were envied.
The ship finally arrived at
In 1766, Equiano bought his freedom. He found work in the trade business in the
Back in
Equiano seemed reluctant
to tell his story. He claimed that he was a "private and obscure
individual" and "neither a saint, a hero, nor a tyrant." One
thing he realized, though, was that his life was far from typical. In his
autobiography he tells the story of his youth in an African village, his
kidnapping, his being made a slave in Africa, his horrendous voyage on a slave
ship, his bondage in the Americas, his conversion to Christianity, the purchase
of his freedom, his experiences on a British man of war, his employment on a
plantation and on commercial ships, and his contribution to the abolitionist
movement. He hoped his book would "promote the interests of humanity."
It more than succeeded.
Equiano's
autobiography
The
Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,
or Gustavus Vassa, The African
Chapter 2 (excerpts)
I hope the reader will not think I have trespassed on his patience in
introducing myself to him with some account of the manners and customs of my
country. They had been implanted in me with great care, and made an impression
on my mind, which time could not erase, and which all the adversity and variety
of furtune I have since experienced, served only to rivet and record: for,
whether the love of one's country be real or imaginary, or a lesson of reason,
or an instinct of nature, I still look back with pleasure on the first scenes
of my life, though that pleasure has been for the most part mingled with
sorrow.
I have already acquainted the reader with the time and place of my birth. My
father, besides many slaves, had a numerous family, of which seven lived to
grow up, including myself and sister, who was the only daughter. As I was the
youngest of the sons, I became, of course, the greatest favorite with my
mother, and was always with her; and she used to take particular pains to form
my mind. I was trained up from my earliest years in the art of war: my daily
exercise was shooting and throwing javelins, and my mother adorned me with
emblems, after the manner of our greatest warriors. In this way I grew up till
I had turned the age of eleven, when an end was put to my happiness in the
following manner: Generally, when the grown people in the neighborhood were
gone far in the fields to labor, the children assembled together in some of the
neighboring premises to play; and commonly some of us used to get up a tree to
look out for any assailant, or kidnapper, that might come upon us -- for they
sometimes took those opportunities of our parents' absence, to attack and carry
off as many as they could seize. One day as I was watching at the top of a tree
in our yard, I saw one of those people come into the yard of our next neighbor
but one, to kidnap, there being many stout young people in it. Immediately on
this I gave the alarm of the rogue, and he was surrounded by the stoutest of them,
who entangled him with cords, so that he could not escape, till some of the
grown people came and secured him. But, alas! ere long it was my fate to be
thus attacked, and to be carried off, when none of the grown people were nigh.
One day, when all our people were gone out to their works as usual, and only I
and my dear sister were left to mind the house, two men and a woman got over
our walls, and in a moment seized us both, and, without giving us time to cry
out, or make resistance, they stopped our mouths, and ran off with us into the
nearest wood. Here they tied our hands, and continued to carry us as far as
they could, till night came on, when we reached a small house, where the
robbers halted for refreshment, and spent the night. We were then unbound, but
were unable to take any food; and, being quite overpowered by fatigue and
grief, our only relief was some sleep, which allayed our misfortune for a short
time. The next morning we left the house, and continued travelling all the day.
For a long time we had kept the woods, but at last we came into a road which I
believed I knew. I had now some hopes of being delivered; for we had advanced
but a little way before I discovered some people at a distance, on which I
began to cry out for their assistance; but my cries had no other effect than to
make them tie me faster and stop my mouth, and then they put me into a large
sack. They also stopped my sister's mouth, and tied her hands; and in this
manner we proceeded till we were out of sight of these people. When we went to
rest the following night, they offered us some victuals, but we refused it; and
the only comfort we had was in being in one another's arms all that night, and
bathing each other with our tears. But alas! We were soon deprived of even the
small comfort of weeping together.
The next day proved a day of greater sorrow than I had yet experienced; for my
sister and I were then separated, while we lay clasped in each other's arms. It
was in vain that we besought them not to part us; she was tom from me, and
immediately carried away, while I was left in a state of distraction not to be
described…
[In
the next section, Equianao details enslavement while still in
…. The first object which saluted my
eyes when I arrived on the coast, was the sea, and a slave ship, which was then
riding at anchor, and waiting for its cargo. These filled me with astonishment,
which was soon converted into terror, when I was carried on board. I was
immediately handled, and tossed up to see if I were sound, by some of the crew;
and I was now persuaded that I had gotten into a world of bad spirits, and that
they were going to kill me. Their complexions, too, differing so much from
ours, their long hair, and the language they spoke (which was very different
from any I had ever heard), united to confirm me in this belief. Indeed, such
were the horrors of my views and fears at the moment, that, if ten thousand
worlds had been my own, I would have freely parted with them all to have
exchanged my condition with that of the meanest slave in my own country. When I
looked round the ship too, and saw a large furnace of copper boiling, and a
multitude of black people of every description chained together, every one of
their countenances expressing dejection and sorrow, I no longer doubted of my
fate; and, quite overpowered with horror and anguish, I fell motionless on the
deck and fainted. When I recovered a little, I found some black people about
me, who I believed were some of those who had brought me on board, and had been
receiving their pay; they talked to me in order to cheer me, but all in vain. I
asked them if we were not to be eaten by those white men with horrible looks,
red faces, and long hair. They told me I was not, and one of the crew brought
me a small portion of spirituous liquor in a wine glass; but being afraid of
him, I would not take it out of his hand. One of the blacks therefore took it
from him and gave it to me, and I took a little down my palate, which, instead
of reviving me, as they thought it would, threw me into the greatest
consternation at the strange feeling it produced, having never tasted any such
liquor before. Soon after this, the blacks who brought me on board went off,
and left me abandoned to despair.
I now saw myself deprived of all chance of returning to my native country, or
even the least glimpse of hope of gaining the shore, which I now considered as
friendly; and I even wished for my former slavery in preference to my present
situation, which was filled with horrors of every kind, still heightened by my
ignorance of what I was to undergo. I was not long suffered to indulge my
grief; I was soon put down under the decks, and there I received such a
salutation in my nostrils as I had never experienced in my life: so that, with
the loathsomeness of the stench, and crying together, I became so sick and low
that I was not able to eat, nor had I the least desire to taste anything. I now
wished for the last friend, death, to relieve me; but soon, to my grief, two of
the white men offered me eatables; and, on my refusing to eat, one of them held
me fast by the hands, and laid me across, I think, the windlass, and tied my
feet, while the other flogged me severely. I had never experienced anything of
this kind before, and, although not being used to the water, I naturally feared
that element the first time I saw it, yet, nevertheless, could I have got over
the nettings, I would have jumped over the side, but I could not; and besides,
the crew used to watch us very closely who were not chained down to the decks,
lest we should leap into the water; and I have seen some of these poor African
prisoners most severely cut, for attempting to do so, and hourly whipped for
not eating. This indeed was often the case with myself.
In a little time after, amongst the poor chained men, I found some of my own
nation, which in a small degree gave ease to my mind. I inquired of these what
was to be done with us? They gave me to understand, we were to be carried to
these white people's country to work for them. I then was a little revived, and
thought, if it were no worse than working, my situation was not so desperate;
but still I feared I should be put to death, the white people looked and acted,
as I thought, in so savage a manner; for I had never seen among any people such
instances of brutal cruelty; and this not only shown towards us blacks, but
also to some of the whites themselves. One white man in particular I saw, when
we were permitted to be on deck, flogged so unmercifully with a large rope near
the foremast, that he died in consequence of it; and they tossed him over the
side as they would have done a brute. This made me fear these people the more;
and I expected nothing less than to be treated in the same manner. I could not
help expressing my fears and apprehensions to some of my countrymen; I asked
them if these people had no country, but lived in this hollow place (the ship)?
They told me they did not, but came from a distant one. "Then," said
I, "how comes it in all our country we never heard of them?" They
told me because they lived so very far off. I then asked where were their
women? Had they any like themselves? I was told they had. "And why,"
said I, "do we not see them?" They answered, because they were left
behind. I asked how the vessel could go? They told me they could not tell; but
that there was cloth put upon the masts by the help of the ropes I saw, and
then the vessel went on; and the white men had some spell or magic they put in
the water when they liked, in order to stop the vessel. I was exceedingly
amazed at this account, and really thought they were spirits. I therefore
wished much to be from amongst them, for I expected they would sacrifice me;
but my wishes were vain -- for we were so quartered that it was impossible for
any of us to make our escape.
While we stayed on the coast I was mostly on deck; and one day, to my great
astonishment, I saw one of these vessels coming in with the sails up. As soon
as the whites saw it, they gave a great shout, at which we were amazed; and the
more so, as the vessel appeared larger by approaching nearer. At last, she came
to an anchor in my sight, and when the anchor was let go, I and my countrymen
who saw it, were lost in astonishment to observe the vessel stop -- and were
now convinced it was done by magic. Soon after this the other ship got her
boats out, and they came on board of us, and the people of both ships seemed
very glad to see each other. Several of the strangers also shook hands with us
black people, and made motions with their hands, signifying I suppose, we were
to go to their country, but we did not understand them.
At last, when the ship we were in, had got in all her cargo, they made ready
with many fearful noises, and we were all put under deck, so that we could not
see how they managed the vessel. But this disappointment was the least of my
sorrow. The stench of the hold while we were on the coast was so intolerably
loathsome, that it was dangerous to remain there for any time, and some of us
had been permitted to stay on the deck for the fresh air; but now that the whole
ship's cargo were confined together, it became absolutely pestilential. The
closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the
ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost
suffocated us. This produced copious perspirations, so that the air soon became
unfit for respiration, from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought on a
sickness among the slaves, of which many died -- thus falling victims to the
improvident avarice, as I may call it, of their purchasers. This wretched
situation was again aggravated by the gaffing of the chains, now became
insupportable, and the filth of the necessary tubs, into which the children
often fell, and were almost suffocated. The shrieks of the women, and the groans
of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable.
Happily perhaps, for myself, I was soon reduced so low here that it was thought
necessary to keep me almost always on deck; and from my extreme youth I was not
put in fetters. In this situation I expected every hour to share the fate of my
companions, some of whom were almost daily brought upon deck at the point of
death, which I began to hope would soon put an end to my miseries. Often did I
think many of the inhabitants of the deep much more happy than myself. I envied
them the freedom they enjoyed, and as often wished I could change my condition
for theirs. Every circumstance I met with, served only to render my state more
painful, and heightened my apprehensions, and my opinion of the cruelty of the
whites.
One day they had taken a number of fishes; and when they had killed and
satisfied themselves with as many as they thought fit, to our astonishment who
were on deck, rather than give any of them to us to eat, as we expected, they
tossed the remaining fish into the sea again, although we begged and prayed for
some as well as we could, but in vain; and some of my countrymen, being pressed
by hunger, took an opportunity, when they thought no one saw them, of trying to
get a little privately; but they were discovered, and the attempt procured them
some very severe floggings.
One day, when we had a smooth sea and moderate wind, two of my wearied
countrymen who were chained together (I was near them at the time), preferring
death to such a fife of misery, somehow made through the nettings and jumped
into the sea; immediately, another quite dejected fellow, who, on account of
his illness, was suffered to be out of irons, also followed their example; and
I believe many more would very soon have done the same, if they had not been
prevented by the ship's crew, who were instantly alarmed. Those of us that were
the most active, were in a moment put down under the deck; and there was such a
noise and confusion amongst the people of the ship as I never heard before, to
stop her, and get the boat out to go after the slaves. However, two of the
wretches were drowned, but they got the other, and afterwards flogged him
unmercifully, for thus attempting to prefer death to slavery. In this manner we
continued to undergo more hardships than I can now relate, hardships which are
inseparable from this accursed trade. Many a time we were near suffocation from
the want of fresh air, which we were often without for whole days together.
This, and the stench of the necessary tubs, carried off many.
During our passage, I first saw flying fishes, which surprised me very much;
they used frequently to fly across the ship, and many of them fell on the deck.
I also now first saw the use of the quadrant; I had often with astonishment
seen the mariners make observations with it, and I could not think what it
meant. They at last took notice of my surprise; and one of them, willing to
increase it, as well as to gratify my curiosity, made me one day look through
it. The clouds appeared to me to be land, which disappeared as they passed
along. This heightened my wonder; and I was now more persuaded than ever, that
I was in another world, and that every thing about me was magic.
At last we came in sight of the
We were conducted immediately to the merchant's yard, where we were all pent up
together, like so many sheep in a fold, without regard to sex or age. As every
object was new to me, everything I saw filled me with surprise. What struck me
first, was, that the houses were built with bricks and stories, and in every
other respect different from those I had seen in
We were not many days in the merchant's custody, before we were sold after
their usual manner, which is this: On a signal given (as the beat of a drum),
the buyers rush at once into the yard where the slaves are confined, and make
choice of that parcel they like best. The noise and clamor with which this is
attended, and the eagerness visible in the countenances of the buyers, serve
not a little to increase the apprehension of terrified Africans, who may well
be supposed to consider them as the ministers of that destruction to which they
think themselves devoted. In this manner, without scruple, are relations and
friends separated, most of them never to see each other again.
I remember, in the vessel in which I was brought over, in the men's apartment,
there were several brothers, who, in the sale, were sold in different lots; and
it was very moving on this occasion, to see and hear their cries at parting. O,
ye nominal Christians! Might not an African ask you -- Learned you this from
your God, who says unto you, Do unto all men as you would men should do unto
you? Is it not enough that we are torn from our country and friends, to toil
for your luxury and lust of gain? Must every tender feeling be likewise
sacrificed to your avarice? Are the dearest friends and relations, now rendered
more dear by their separation from their kindred, still to be parted from each
other, and thus prevented from cheering the gloom of slavery, with the small
comfort of being together, and mingling their sufferings and sorrows? Why are
parents to lose their children, brothers their sisters, or husbands their
wives? Surely, this is a new refinement in cruelty, which, while it has no
advantage to atone for it, thus aggravates distress, and adds fresh horrors
even to the wretchedness of slavery.
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of
Olaudah Equiano, by Olaudah
Equiano, reproduced by permission of