A more
repulsive looking person could scarcely be found in any community
of bad looking men. Tall, lean and lank, with high cheek-bones,
face much pitted with the small-pox, gray eyes with red eyebrows,
and sandy whiskers, he indeed stood alone without mate or fellow in
looks. Jennings prided himself upon what he called his goodness
of heart and was always speaking of his humanity. As many of the
slaves whom he intended taking to the New Orleans market had been
raised in Richmond, and had relations there, he determined to
leave the city early in the morning, so as not to witness any of
the scenes so common the departure of a slave-gang to the far
South. In this, he was most successful; for not even Isabella, who
had called at the prison several times to see her mother and
sister, was aware of the time that they were to leave.
The slave-trader started at early dawn, and was beyond the confines
of the city long before the citizens were out of their beds. As a
slave regards a life on the sugar, cotton, or rice plantation as
even worse than death, they are ever on the watch for an
opportunity to escape. The trader, aware of this, secures his
victims in chains before he sets out on his journey. On this
occasion, Jennings had the men chained in pairs, while the women
were allowed to go unfastened, but were closely watched.
After a march of eight days, the company arrived on the banks of
the Ohio River, where they took a steamer for the place of their
destination.
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