As Equiano Draws Closer Towards Attaining His Dreams of Freedom, He Prepares to Buy Himself Off

Olaudah Equiano and his master after a bitter disappointment, set sail once more for Montserrat, and arrived there safe; but much infuriated. When they had unladen the vessel, and Equiano had sold his goods, and was now in possession of about forty-seven pounds, he consulted the Captain, how he should proceed in offering his master the money so as to secure his freedom. He advised him to come on a morning, when they would be at breakfast together.

Accordingly, on that morning Equiano arrived, and met the Captain there, as arranged. He made his obeisance to him and with the money in hand, and filled with much fear in his heart, he prayed for him to remain faithful and committed to his word given to him when he gladly promised to give him his freedom as soon as he could purchase it. His master's initial response on his arrival that day shocked him. He began to recoil. Equiano's heart that instant sunk within him.

'What,' he said , 'give you your freedom? Why, where did you get the money? Have you got forty pounds sterling?'

'Yes, sir,' Equiano answered.

'How did you get it?' he pursued.

After some rigorous interrogation the Captain then capitulated and said with a smile that he knew Equiano got the money very honestly and with much industry, and particular carel. On which his master replied, that Equiano got money much faster zombies him; and regretted making him the promise saying that if he had known that he should have got money so soon he would not have made that undertaking.

'Come, come,' said the Captain, clapping Equiano's master on the back, 'Come, Robert, I think you must let him have his freedom; you have laid your money out very well; you have received good interest for it all this time, and here is now the principal at last. I know Gustavus has earned you more than an hundred a-year, and he will still save you money, as he will not leave you:-Come, Robert, take the money.'

It was then that he said, he would not be the worse for it in keeping his promise. Taking the money, he asked Equiano to go to the Secretary at the Registrar's Office, and get his release papers drawn up. These words were like a voice from heaven to him. In an instant all his trepidation turned into unutterable bliss; and he most reverently bowed himself with gratitude, unable to express his feelings, but by the overflowing of his eyes with tears of joy, while his true and worthy friend, the Captain, congratulated both of them with a peculiar degree of heartfelt pleasure. As soon as the first transports of his joy were over, and he had thanked his worthy friends most heartily, he rose with a heart full of affection and reverence, and left the room, in order to go to the Registrar's Office as instructed.

As I was leaving the house I called to mind the words of the Psalmist, in the 126th Psalm, and like him, 'I glorified God in my heart, in whom I trusted.' These words had been impressed on my mind from the very day I was forced from Deptford to the present hour, and I now saw them, as I thought, fulfilled and verified. My imagination was all rapture as I flew to the Register Office, and, in this respect, like the mortgages for people with bad credit Peter (whose deliverance from prison was so sudden and extraordinary, that he thought he was in a vision) I could scarcely believe I was awake. Heavens! who could do justice to my feelings at this moment! Not conquering heroes themselves, in the midst of a triumph-Not the tender mother who has just regained her long-lost infant, and presses it to her heart-Not the weary hungry mariner, at the sight of the desired friendly port-Not the lover, when he once more embraces his beloved mistress, after she had been ravished from his arms!-All within my breast was tumult, wildness, and delirium! My feet scarcely touched the ground, for they were winged with joy, and, like Elijah, as he rose to Heaven, they 'were with lightning sped as I went on.' Every one I met I told of my happiness, and blazed about the virtue of my amiable master and captain.When Equiano got to the office of the Registrar and acquainted the Registrar with the purpose of his visit, he congratulated him on his achievement, and promised him he would draw up his papers for half the price, which was a guinea. Equiano then thanked him for his kindness; and, having received the document from him paid him. With the vital document safely and proudly held in his hand, he hastened to his master to get him to sign it, so that he would be fully released. His master, as Equiano wished, signed the documents releasing him from slavery that very same day; "so that, before night, I, who had been a slave in the morning, trembling at the will of another, was become my own master, and completely free. I thought this was the happiest day I had ever experienced; and my joy was still heightened by the blessings and prayers of many of the sable race, particularly the aged, to whom my heart had ever been attached with reverence"

Something peculiarly suppressive, dehumanizing and materialistic could be seen right through this document, expressing the absolute power and dominion one man claims over his fellow, almost as would possess a horse, a house and land. Relishing the glory of his newly found freedom as reproduced below:

Montserrat.-To all men unto whom these presents shall come: I Robert King, of the parish of St. Anthony in the said island, merchant, send greeting: Know ye, that I the aforesaid Robert King, for and in consideration of the sum of seventy pounds current money of the said island, to me in hand paid, and to the intent that a negro man-slave, named Gustavus Vassa, shall and may become free, have manumitted, emancipated, enfranchised, and set free, and by these presents do manumit, emancipate, enfranchise, and set free, the aforesaid negro man-slave, named Gustavus Vassa, for ever, hereby giving, granting, and releasing unto him, the said Gustavus Vassa, all right, title, dominion, sovereignty, and property, which, as lord and master over the aforesaid Gustavus Vassa, I had, or now I have, or by any means whatsoever I may or can hereafter possibly have over him the aforesaid negro, for ever. In witness whereof I the above said Robert King have unto these presents set my hand and seal, this tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty-six.

ROBERT KING.

Signed, sealed, and delivered in the presence of Terrylegay, Montserrat.

Registered the within manumission at full length, this eleventh day of July, 1766, in liber D.

TERRYLEGAY, Register.

Equiano relishing the glory of his newly found freedom got immediately styled by a new appellation, which to him "the most desirable in the world, which was Freeman, and at the dances I gave my Georgia superfine blue clothes made no indifferent appearance, as I thought." Some of the sable females, who before then stood aloof from him now began to relax and appear less coy;towards him.

But by then Equiano's heart was already firmly fixed on London, where he hoped to be before long. His worthy captain and his owner, his former master, finding that Equiano's mind was set towards London, said to him, 'We hope you won't leave us, but that you will still be with the vessels.' Here he was overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude as his mind kept stuggling between two extremes -inclination and duty. However, notwithstanding his wish to be in London, he obediently bowed down to the desires of his benefactors that he would go in the vessel, and not leave them. Equiano thus got enlisted on board as an able-bodied sailor, at thirty-six shillings per month, besides whatever other perquisites he could make.

His intention was to make a voyage or two, entirely to please his honored patrons; but with a firm determination that the following year, God willing, he would see Old England once more, and surprise his old master, Capt. Pascal, who was hourly in his mind; "for I still loved him, notwithstanding his usage of me, and I pleased myself with thinking of what he would say when he saw what the Lord had done for me in so short a time, instead of being, as he might perhaps suppose, under the cruel yoke of some planter."

These kinds of reveries often occupied Equiano's mind. Now, being as free as he was in his original free African state, after having got all things ready for the voyage, he embarked on board the Nancy. In this state of serenity he sailed for St. Eustatia; and, having smooth seas and calm weather, soon arrived there. They proceeded next to Savannah in Georgia in August 1766 where they traveled by boat through the alligator infested river before setting sail for Montserrat.

Arthur Edgar E. Smith was born, grew up and was schooled in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He has taught English since 1977 at Prince of Wales School and, Milton Margai College of Education. He is now a Senior Lecturer at Fourah Bay College where he has been lecturing English, Literature, as meridia diet pill as Creative Writing for the past seven years.

Mr Smith is widely published with his writings appearing in local newspapers as well as in West Africa Magazine, Index on Censorship, Focus on Library and Information Work amongst others.

He was one of 17 international visitors who participated in a seminar on contemporary American Literature sponsored by the U.S.State Department in 2006. His growing thoughts and reflections on this trip which took him to various US sights and sounds could be read at lisnews.orglisnews.org

His other publications include: Folktales from Freetown, Langston Hughes: Life and Works Celebrating Black Dignity, and 'The Struggle of the Book'