The Bondwoman's Narrative

Hannah, the mistress, and the hunters travel slowly, their destination unknown to the women. As night falls, they arrive in a village. The men take them to the village prison; the jailer “seemed to understand perfectly who and what [they] were, and made sundry remarks at [their] expense” (122). The women are put in a cell until the hunters have time to collect their reward. Inside, it is dark and stifling, and the two women are alone. The jailer leaves a meagre meal, and Hannah convinces him to leave the candle too. Hannah sleeps but later wakes up to a rat chewing on her face. She recites Bible verses to comfort herself.

The next morning, the jailer places another woman into the cells. The woman, Mrs. Wright, is delusional and thinks the prison is a palace. Hannah listens to Wright’s tale: Years ago, she had known a slave girl called Ellen and had loved her very much. When someone bought Ellen for her beauty and planned to take her to New Orleans, Wright decided to smuggle Ellen out of the country. Wright disguised Ellen as a boy and, leaving only a note for her family, sped away in a coach.