Venture Summary

For my English 2200 class, I had to read a narrative of Venture Smith.  The main character's name is Broteer. He was born in Guinea, and his father had three wives.  His mother was the eldest, and first wife of the three. Polygamy was a common practice during that time in Africa. When his father married his third wife without the permission of his first wife, she was not happy. She took her three kids, with Broteer being the oldest, and left Guinea.  His mother left him with a wealthy farmer. Broteer worked for the farmer for a while until he got attacked by two dogs. The dogs tore his flesh and wasn't able to move, that his father came to the farm to take him back home to Guinea.  Then the story mentions that he was received by both of parents on his journey home. Did his parents get back together? Did she come back home with him?  Then an army came to their village in Guinea, and ordered them to get out so they can station at their location. Broteer's father and his two younger wives rode in one company, and his eldest wife and her children in another. As they were traveling south, the whole family stopped to eat. His father created a fire which they thought was out of the army station area. The army shot bows at them until they surrendered. The army then took them to their station. The women and children were not harmed as badly as Broteer's father. He was beaten to death. The leader of the army made Broteer and the women slaves. The leader used him as a waiter, carrying his gun, and carrying a twenty-five pound flat stone used for corn on the top of his head.  The army took the who family and other innocent families to a castle until they were sold as slaves, and needed to be sent to Rhode Island. On the boat Broteer got his slave name Venture.  On board, most of the passengers that were sold had the small pox, and Venture was one of the survivors that made it to Rhode Island.  His master sent Venture to live with his sister while he was on shore.  He gave Venture keys to his trunks and told him not to give the keys to anybody, not even his family, without his permission. The master's father at one point tried to take the keys from him, and Venture would not give the keys up. His master was very impressed.  Venture's behavior to his master was submissive and obedient. Some years later he was sent outdoors to work some more.  His master started to trust him more.  As Venture got older, his master's son started to give him a big task while he was already assigned a task by his real master. When he told the son that, he got angry and tried to hit Venture with a pitchfork. He told his mother that Venture was uncontrollable. When Venture was twenty, he married a woman named Meg.  One of his friends, Heddy, had a plan to escape their master, and how they planned to travel the Mississippi. They got their things together, and stole their master's boat around midnight.  They left for New York, and ended up in East-Hampton. Heddy ran off with the boat, and took the food and clothes with him.  Venture told some of the men to look for Heddy. They eventually found him, they were all tried, and were sent to work. Venture was sent to work for another master. One day his master hit him with a club, and Venture defended himself. His master called his brother to help him, and Venture set himself free. He came to see the Justice of the Peace, to try to see if he could have him locked away for treating his slave badly.  Unfortunately the Justice of the Peace told him that if it happened again to let him know.  The master and his brother cuffed him up until he said that he would e submissive. He told them that all he wanted was to be with a new master.  He ended up working for a man in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a nicer man, and trusted Venture. Venture worked as a waiter, and worked in the cellar.  He asked his master if he could pay him for his freedom. After his hard work, which took him a couple of years, he finally made enough money to pay for his freedom.  After he obtained his freedom, he bought his two sons and wife back. He settled in Ling Island for a little bit, buying property and slaves so he could educate them.  He then moved from Long Island to Haddam, where he bought land, and boats.  He finally lived the rest of his life with his wife, and his children, along with their grandchildren.