John Julian's words

They came unexpectedly, unannounced. There was a group of them. The prisoners could hear their footsteps and the rattle of chains as they came.

They did not stand on ceremony. There was no wasted motion or unnecessary talk as they opened the cage and converged on one of them.

 

While some of them took up guard-like positions to prevent the others from interfering, three of them grabbed John by the arms and hauled him to his feet.

 

“What are you doing? Where are you taking me?” he hollered. He tried to fight them off, but he was weak from months on a bread and water diet and confinement. Plus they were grown men. He was but an adolescent.

There was ugly laughter in response to his questions.

 

“You're being sold, Indian,” one of them replied, as he caught up John's arms and tied them behind his back.

 

“No! No! I am a man! I am free! I am a man!” John protested, his voice rising in pitch as his desperation grew.

 

He tried to fight, tried to kick and maneuver his body out of their grasp. The men cursed and hit him with the chains.

 

But it was no use. On the other side of the cage his friends shouted and protested, but they too were too weak to fight effectively and were easily beaten back with sticks and more chains.

 

The three men got a firm grip on John, forcing him forward while he continued trying to kick and throw them off. They had to go through the door one at a time, and John nearly succeeded in breaking their grip. Something thudded over the back of his head, and he knew no more.

 

Sometime later, he didn't know exactly how much, he found himself in another cage, but now he was chained down. There were a few others in the cage, all with black or darker skin like him.

 

In the distance he heard voices and shouting. Periodically men would come to the cage and take someone out. They would not return.

 

When they came for John he tried to struggle again, but they were simply too many and too strong for him.

 

He was taken into another room. This one was crowded with mostly men. He was led to a clear area.

 

He continued to struggle, and so one of the men finally shoved his stick under John's chin to force him to hold his head up while pinioning his arms behind him. Some remarks were made about a lively young Indian male, and a few bids were shouted out.