Born in Hayti, of negro parents, he was
descended from an African prince, and, slave though he was in condition,
had himself the soul of a prince. He taught himself to read and write, and
also something of mathematics and of Latin, and was taken from the fields
to become coachman for the overseer of the estate of his master, the Count
de Breda.
When the negro revolt began, and the furious blacks were seeking victims
on all sides, Toussaint concealed the overseer and his family in the
forest, took them food at the risk of his own life, and finally led them
to the coast, where they took ship for the United States.
While he was thus engaged, the negroes, led by a gigantic black named
Bouckman, and subsequently by three others, were continuing their course
of butchery and devastation. Toussaint joined them after the escape of the
overseer, and quickly gained an influence over them, largely from his
knowledge of medicinal plants and a degree of skill in surgery. This
influence enabled him to put himself at their head and to mitigate the
ferocity of their actions.
Pages:
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262