Dear Diary,It has been a long time since I have written in this diary.
Currently, the rest of the nation is fighting for independence from theBritish, and Mr. Ames is trying to teach me to be a good nigger becauseFiddler didn’t. In a few hours there will be a dance. When the dance isgoing on, I am going to try to run away again. Because I was going to runaway, I prayed just like I did back home in my village.
While I waspraying, Fiddler walked in saying, “Toby, get ready for the dance because Iam going to play the fiddle the best I have ever done. “I told Fiddler Iwas going to run away during the dance. He didn’t like the idea, but hewished me luck. When I ran away, I decided to look for Phanta. I hid in a cart thatwas going to her plantation.
When Mr. Reynolds noticed that I was gone,he sent a bounty hunters to find me. Mr. Reynolds fired Mr. Ames becausehe did not teach me to be good either. When I finally found Phanta, I found out that her American name isMaggie, and that she obeys the whites.
I wanted her to run away with me,but Maggie just yelled at me and let the bounty hunters know where I was. So I ran as fast as I could, but not fast enough. I was caught by thebounty hunters, who tied me up to a tree, and let me choose whether theywere going to kill me, or chop off half of my right foot. I choose to havehalf of my right foot cut off, and I was in so much pain that I fainted. When I woke up from fainting, I found out that I was onWilliam’s plantation with Fiddler and other slaves. We had been used topay off the debt Mr.
Reynolds owed to William. I also found out that Bellewas taking care of me, and that she was William’s cook. I told Belle that,”if I can’t run away from slavery, then I might as well lay here and die. “After my wound had healed I was on crutches. Belle made some boots for me. One night a woman slave named Genelva came into my cabin, took off herclothes, and got in my bed.
She wanted me to get in the bed too, but thenWilliam’s slave watcher came into my cabin and told Genelva to leave. Inthe morning, I found out that Genelva had done that to trick everyone onthe plantation so that she and Luther, the former driver for William, couldrun off. Because Luther ran away, I am now the driver for William. Belleand I love each other. Belle is now the person who is responsible for me.
