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Slavery on ship!

by
Sammi Fox
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  • Published:
    4 Feb 12
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Resumé A diary entry of a young boy who was captured and put on a ship, in Africa, in 1728.
Plot keywords:
ship, africa, slavery
Category:
Diary

Slavery on ship!

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1. Diary Entry 1

22nd of July 1728
Dear Diary,
Manhood training would make me a true man. Well, that is what I thought at first but now, after seeing all of these men and woman, of all ages, all chained down just like me, having been fed all of the scraps and leftovers, it had made me realize that manhood training would not make me that much of a man to stop all of this.
The capture was terrifying, you were either stolen or kidnapped out of anywhere where you are alone, such as; gardens, woods, parks and forests. My sister, Fareia, and I were stolen from our garden not soon after our mother and father went out. They put bags over our faces to catch us and then they tie ropes around our neck, we were thrown into
sacks to stop us from shouting out for help. We travelled for several months, 6-7 months, then we finally arrived at the ship where we are held, all apart from Fareia, she died during the first week, we are now on the sixth and last week. On the ship everyone are kept slaves by the disgusting English men. I am now dreading the future. Soon we will be taken off this scrubby place and sold in an auction. Who knows how tough life will now be.
We are put onto platforms, there are only 2 platforms, fortunately for
me I am held on the top platform whereas Fareia was not so fortunate and was held on the bottom platform. We are all cramped into small spaces which has an area of around 5ft 6” and the 16” in breadth. There are a total of 3 toilets, which we are not liable to use, on the ship. All of the peoples’ waste and sick get dropped down onto the platform below, if you’re on the top platform, or on the ground if you are not. We are chained in pairs and to the wooden platform, many kill the other person, in the pair, to hope for more breathing space to stop any suffocation which may cause their death on the ship. Kinque Funil, one person whom was part of the pair next to me, has died around 4 weeks ago, the cause of death was probably suffocation or disease that spreads around down here. It has to be that as the only other option, that I can think of, would be starvation. Many people tried to starve themselves, if you dared to, then you would either get whipped constantly or get your lips burnt with either an iron bar or coal.
The ship has large cloths which catch the wind to make it move down the sea. Its appearance up on deck is an astonishing view, but no riverbanks in sight to swim to once you have jumped off the ship, again if
you dared. I know a few people, as some used to live in my village, Muhoona.
Once you are dead they come down and get you, when I say they, I mean the disgraceful Englishmen, and unchain you with a stick kind of thing made out of metal. Afterwards they chuck your body over board for the sharks, which follow, to eat.
Just as I thought that it couldn’t get any worse! To get clean, only during the last week of being on the ship, they throw buckets of salt water
from the sea over you. The indescribable pain that you get from the salt water on the open wounds, whilst getting whipped, is nothing like you would experience anywhere else, I now think, more or less know, that it is going to get far worse. Why me? Why anyone? Getting sold is what I dread.
I will only live until I am 25 years old. That's only 11 years of slavery! I will try to write more very soon, hopefully someone may read this and
see what we are going through and help us get free and return home safe and soundly. Goodbye for now then.
Please help us all!

Fidel Kunai