This wretched fellow, who was nearly white, and of Irish descent, informed our master of the movements of each member of the family by day and by night, and on Sundays.

This stirred the spirit of my mother, who spoke to our fellow-slave, and told him he ought to be ashamed to be engaged in such low business.
Master hearing of this, called my father, mother, and myself before him, and accused us of an attempt to resist and intimidate his "confidential servant." Finding that only my mother had spoken to him, he swore that if she ever spoke another word to him, he would flog her.
I knew my mother's spirit and my master's temper as well.

Our social state was now perfectly intolerable.

We were on the eve of a general fracas.
This last scene occurred on Tuesday; and on Saturday evening following, without counsel or advice from any one, I determined to fly..