and hourly intercourse by a separation thus, at a tender age. My father was a stern unyielding patriot, and although a soldier by nature,- a man whose courage neither the cannon's awful roar, the battle-field's bloody carnage nor yet the wounds received in battle could shake; was not cruel in his disposition, but upon the contrary very tender hearted, especially, when that heart's full flow of humanity was taxed with the objects of suffering at all times when falling within the sphere of its own consciousness.

I was nearly five years old when my father bound me to one Richard Lewis, a tory quaker who lived in what was then (and suppose is yet) called Poplar Neck in Berk's County, Pa., and who it will be seen possessed (contrary to the nature in general of that virtuous people denominated Friends,) but little of the milk of human kindness. He treated me not only with harshness and rigid severity but with the most brutal and wanton cruelty. Cruelty which has stigmatized him and made him to appear to couple himself with my earliest associations of thoughts within my own mind in recollections as a demon, throughout a long life with which I have been blest by Almighty God.

I was undoubtedly, as most children are that are not blest with a proper culturing hand in youth-inclined to be mischievous and Lewis was among the last of men (and his wife among the last of women) to make any allowance for the abberrations of juvenile nature. He kept a whip constantly laid up for me, and often, very often used it, more to gratify a savage or fiendish and ferocious disposition of heart than to correct a fault, many of which were very trivial in themselves. During the winter seasons whilst I was with him it was made my duty to tie up and fodder the neat cattle, to house the sheep, feed the hogs, cut fire wood, go to mill, &c. One winter night after having been in bed sometime, Lewis called out to me in a very surly tone "Sammy." I answered (as I was taught) "what." He then said aloud, did thee put in all the sheep? I replied I did. "Thee lies

thee dog, come down here." I jumped out of bed and put on my little sheepskin breeches and came down stairs; it was a bitter cold night, the snow was fully knee deep to a grown person and had a crust upon it. After I came down stairs I was in the act of putting on my stockings and shoes when he bawled out, "No thee dog, thee shall go without thy shoes and stockings ;" and with a clout along side of my head he drove me reeling out of the house into the snow barefooted. I found some of the sheep out. After penning them up which was as quickly done as possible, I returned to the house almost frozen, my feet particularly, and with the blood trickling down my shins. Lewis, with a blow on my head, had sent me out of the house, but his work was not finished until now, with another he sent me off crying to my bed, accompanying me on my passage thither with the epithets rascal, dog, &c.

At another time he called out at the top of his voice Sammy, Sammy. I answered, what? and then neared him. Go, said he, and draw a pitcher of cider. I took the pitcher out of his hand and went down to the cellar and drew it full of cider, or rather more than full, for I could not shut the spigot; knowing what I would get, I was very much scared and ran and left the cider running out of the barrel and pretty fast too. I was afraid to call or to run and tell him of the disaster, I ran up and left the pitcher in the room and took french leave for the moment. Lewis hearing the cider running longer than necessary to fill the pitcher repaired to the cellar in double quick time and stopped it. He had no sooner ascended the cellar steps than he bawled out in an unusually angry tone (which has often since brought Cowper's priest to my mind.) Sammy, Sammy. I then knew the time of day and having no protector to fly to I had to obey the citation of this monster of cruelty who took down his whip and set to work deliberately to plat a cracker and affix to the lash. This cracker he tied full of knots ordering me at the same time to haul off my roundabout and jacket this done he set himself to work to beat me. He whipped me until he

became tired. He then stopped a short while. After having rested himself he then examined my back striping up my shirt and seeing that it looked pretty well scarified already and yet not enough to glut his vengeance for

he gave me a severe cut upon it when he had bared it and then bade me to begone for a rascal and do my work. Oh ye hellish guardians of orphans, poor and unbefriended children, what labor can you expect a child with a torn, bleeding back, and a broken and wounded spirit can perform for you? Thanks be to God the salutary laws of my country now a days can be brought to bear upon you, snug as you sometimes are in your nests of cruelty. This by some disinterested friend of ill used and shamefully abused servants and apprentices. Go hide your faces ye male and female monsters of cruelty with which the earth and innocence are so often cursed.

At the time there was a shoemaker by the name of Gideon Vore, a quaker who lived in Reading but who at this time was at work in the house of Lewis, he remonstrated sharply with Lewis against the cruel beating which he gave me. Lewis not taking it well, angry words ensued upon both sides. Vore being a pretty resolute fellow backed his just spirit, and told Lewis plainly that he would soon see whether there was not law to be had to protect me against such savage usage. He put on his coat immediately and started for Reading. Lewis seeing he was determined, followed him out of the house and prevailed upon him to come back. I did not know upon what ground he succeeded in diverting him from his purpose, but suppose that he promised to Vore that he would not flog me so severely again.

Among the cattle of Lewis there was one a steer, which had a white spot on his forehead, and I having found a nest full of rotten eggs in the stable conceived the idea (as I was letting the cattle out one morning) of target firing, and so setting to work, I blazed away at the white spot in the steer's forehead. I stood at some distance from him and was amusing myself very much and proud too, that I could hit so near to the white spot as I

did. Lewis being a looker on in Venice, beheld the sport, which it appeared, innocent and harmless as it was, he did not relish very well. Not having a hand in that frolic he thought it was best for him to have one in which he could, and where he could show himself off as principal actor and master of ceremonies too. After beholding my sport of egg-shooting, he provided himself with a hickory weith and bawled out Sammy in a lusty manner. I answered, what? He cried out, come here. I went to him. He then said, Sammy thee has had fine sport this morning, and I want a little too. He then ordered me to strip off my jacket-I did so, or rather he took it from off me. He then began to play away upon me, with the hickory weith and I began to dance to its all inspiring music of unmerciful harhness, and so we had it until both became tired. If he had promised to Vore that he would not again flog me so severely, he broke his promise now, for in consequence of my having to endure such an uninerciful flogging, at his hands, my back was well striped and exceedingly sore indeed.

There was a corn-husking one night at my master's brothers, all in the family were invited and went but myself; I wished to go, but the old man ordered me off to bed; the thing troubled me so much that it appeared it was the whole engrossing subject within my mind, when asleep. I at length arose out of my bed and started off undressed to go to the husking, and fortunately was met more than half way, as they were returning home again, which must have been well on towards daylight. They took hold of me and found I was asleep. This was the first knowledge I had of my having been asleep, after which I was very cold.

At another time when I was engaged in driving the cattle out of the stable, there was one that I was much plagued with, for I could not get it from the stable door, I picked up a piece of a knot of wood and let slip at it and knocked it down; my mistress seeing this took after me cudgel in hand and yelling like a savage, I off without the word go, and streaked it into a rye field for shel

ter. I heeled it through the rye which was then in blossom, and she tried to heel it too, but "couldnt come it ;" once and a while I would pop my head above the rye in order to see where the old vixen was, and when I perceived that she in her course or tacking was likely to /overhaul me I would slide into another point of the compass, and ensure the safety of my person thereby. I had my sport in fooling her until almost night, for I was determined not to surrender to petticoat government or authority in that instance. Not being willing to return to the house that night, I pushed off in search of quarters which I obtained, for I billetted that night in a neighbor's barn and was without a supper. Next morning my master's son came after me, the owner of the barn understanding that I was there talked with Lewis' son about me, and made him promise that I should not be whipped; upon this condition I capitulated and went home with him, but if I did, I went trembling every step of the road; this because I knew something of the characters I had to meet. When we arrived I was about to "catch it," but young Lewis plead with his mother for nearly an hour ere she waived her intention, she very reluctantly agreed to bury the hatchet for a time and so I escaped punishment at that time—she might have agreed sooner to have let me slip, for nothing was more easy than to have given me two whippings at one and the same time thereafter, a game which she could play and which I understood very well, but was satisfied with the armistice established on that occasion. This will not be wondered at, as it is natural for persons, particularly youths, to put off the evil day as far as possible in the future.

How admirably fitted are all the providences of God to emergencies falling out, unto us in life-one such a providential deliverance, I must here note; I was sent one day to carry dinner to my master's son where he was ploughing in one of the fields of the farm. When I had gone to the distance of two or three hundred yards from the house, I was met by a large boar belonging to Boston Murrier, who was one of our neighbors. The