Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Harriet hid in the attic of a small shed near Grandmother Martha’s house. The windowless, mouse- and rat-infested space was only three feet high at the highest part. The heat was intense. Food was passed up to Harriet through a trap door Phillip had built that led to the storeroom.

Harriet heard the voices of her children, but there was no hole through which she could see them. Harriet dug three vertical holes for light. She could now see her children, but the attic was now also infested with fire ants. Sometimes, her grandmother, Phillip, and her Aunt Nancy would climb up at night to speak to her. Aunt Nancy brought news of Dr. Flint: He offered a Black woman in New York who was sympathetic to slave owners a reward if she could find out any information about Harriet.

In autumn, Harriet had some relief from the heat. Now accustomed to the light, she was able to read and sew. In winter, she suffered from the cold. Grandmother Martha brought her. Harriet lay in bed in warm clothes. But despite Martha’s hot drinks, she developed frostbite in her shoulders and feet.

Harriet overheard people talking to each other in the street.