Spirit Ran Free
Chapter Three / Page One

Marcellus was well aware that he was shackled on a steamboat steaming somewhere on the Mississippi River. He also knew that it was sometime in late spring 1855. Paul Marceau had simply told him that he'd been exiled to a Mississippi plantation called Antoinette. He'd never heard of Antoinette. But Mississippi was known to him for being the most dreaded horror of slavery.

Michael Cartier walked off the dock ramp with the newly purchased slave at a place called Vicksburg, Mississippi. He took a stiff glance at Marcellus' shackles, then gave the bigot overseer who'd accompanied him on the trip a stern look.

"Mr. Darby, please remove those irons from this man."

"Well, I tell you, this nigger appears to be a powerful boy. He surely acts like one of them stinking swamp runaways."

"I have said to you, Mr. Jon Darby, remove those irons."

Darby bit off a hunk of tobacco chew, then spat. And slowly rattling his keys defiantly, he unlocked Marcellus' shackles.

Marcellus was nearly impressed. He gave Michael a hard look but the man who hadn't spoken a word to him remained distant. He didn't care about that, being free from the iron shackles felt good. Awhile later, he was riding on a fine barouche carriage seated next to the uniformed coachman who was smoothly handling two high-spirited chestnut horses. The young brown-skinned fellow seemed to be a man of very few words but further on down the road a bit, he glanced over.

"I is Ennis . . . Ennis Stafford. This place be real big. Master say they got near four hundred slaves. This plantation be named for master's wife. Fine woman . . . been dead a long time now. This here White man master be pretty good. Ain't that bad here, ain't for that Phillip."

Cont. / Page 2

the Author


Forest Hairston