38 TlMEHRI. 
their sentiments with regard to the subjeft of freedom and slavery ; 
and when I tell you that I was careful to seleft those who were most 
intelligent, you will be surprised to learn the very limited extent of 
their knowledge. Their utmost ambition does not go beyond the pro- 
curing of food, with the little clothing they wear, and medicine when 
sick ; nor in any other view, do they seem to comprehend the 
advantages of freedom, and being assured of these from their 
masters while they remain slaves, they have a sense of terror at the 
idea of being made free. Yet I have remarked that some of the women 
speak in raptures on the subject of obtaining their liberty ; but, upon 
further questioning them, I have always discovered that it was not from 
any just sense of independence, but from the mere desire of becoming 
the sultana of a white man and being placed by him above the ordinary 
slaves of his house. One such woman, questioned as to what she would 
do if she obtained freedom, answered ' den me live wid one Buckra 
man, and hab one slave to work for me,' and added that, if this white 
man died, ' den me live wid one other Buckra man.' 
" Among those," continues Pinckard, " who condemned freedom was 
a fine negro, who was born in the colony, and who speaks better English, 
and is more intelligent than most of the slaves who have been 
imported. This man insisted that he would not accept his freedom 
were it offered him, but that he would prefer to remain a slave. If 
free, he said, he must work for his food while he was young and when he 
should be old : whereas, if he remained a slave, his master would give 
him food for his labour while young, and let him eat and rest when he 
grew old. Also, if sick his master would let him have provisions, and 
find him a doctor ; but were he free, he could not work for 
food when old or sick, nor could he have a doctor, because he 
should be unable to pay him. This country, he said, was good for him ; 
he was born in it, and he would not like to go to any other. If he 
should have ' the misfortune' to be made free, he would learn some trade 
and work at that to procure him food and clothing. He had acquired 
some idea of a future state, and described it as a great and general 
principle among the negroes to cherish any of their own colour who 
had grown old and were in want, and to feed and compassionate them 
if they were free and unable to work ; for which, he observed, they 
should ' go to heaven.' He had no doubt of being taken to heaven 
himself, and told me that he was ready to die that minute if any one 
would kill him, adding that he would rather die than live. On being 
