Page:The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African.pdf/297

[ 251 ] England, and I got clear of this ship. But, being still of a roving disposition, and desirous of seeing as many different parts of the world as I could, I shipped myself soon after, in the same year, as steward on board of a fine large ship, called the Jamaica, Captain David Watt; and we sailed from England in December 1771, for Nevis and Jamaica. I found Jamaica to be a very fine, large island, well peopled, and the most considerable of the West-India islands. There were a vast number of negroes here, whom I found, as usual, exceedingly imposed upon by the white people, and the slaves punished as in the other islands. There are negroes whose business it is to flog slaves; they go about to different people for employment, and the usual pay is from one to four bits. I saw many cruel punishments inflicted on the slaves in the short time I staid here. In particular I was present when a poor fellow was tied up and kept hanging from the wrists at some distance from the ground, and then some half hundred weights were fixed to his ancles, in which posture he was flogged unmercifully. There were also, as I heard, two different masters noted for cruelty on the island, who had staked up negroes naked, and in two hours the vermin stung them to death. I heard a gentleman, I well knew, tell my Rh