Jennings prided
himself upon what he called his goodness of heat, 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 on 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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