Page:Narrative of the life and adventures of Henry Bibb, an American slave.djvu/119

Rh him in the following words as well as I can remember: "Sir, I understand you are desirous of purchasing slaves?" With a very pleasant smile, he replied, "Yes, I do want to buy some, are you for sale?" "Yes sir, with my wife and one child." Garrison had given me a note to show wherever I went, that I was for sale, speaking of my wife and child, giving us a very good character of course—and I handed him the note.

After reading it over he remarked, "I have a few questions to ask you, and if you will tell me the truth like a good boy, perhaps I may buy you with your family. In the first place, my boy, you are a little too near white. I want you to tell me now whether you can read or write?" My reply was in the negative.

"Now I want you to tell me whether you have run away? Don't tell me no stories now, like a good fellow, and perhaps I may buy you." But as I was not under oath to tell him the whole truth, I only gave him a part of it, by telling him that I had run away once. He appeared to be pleased at that, but cautioned me to tell him the truth, and asked me how long I stayed away, when I run off?

I told him that I was gone a month. He assented to this by a bow of his head, and making a long grunt saying, "That's right, tell me the truth like a good boy."

The whole truth was that I had been off in the