James Stout

That is not the case.

In an article for documenting the American South on Equiano, Jen Williamson summarizes, he is shocked at an abrupt betrayal during a layover in England when Pascal has him roughly seized and forced into a barge.

Pascal sells Equiano to Captain James Duran, the captain of a ship bound for the West Indies.

Dazed by his sudden change in fortunes, Equiano argues with Captain Duran that Pascal could not sell him to me, nor to anyone else.

I have served him many years, and he has taken all my wages and prize money.

I have been baptized, and by the laws of the land, no man has a right to sell me.

After Duran tells Equiano he talks too much English and threatens to subdue him, Equiano begins service under a new master, for he is too well convinced of his power over me to doubt what he said.

Right?

So he's like, but, like, I did all the stuff I'm supposed to do.

I feel like I'm English now.

And he's like, if you keep talking English, I'm going to beat the shit out of you.

Right?

Like, that's what happens here.

So he's taken back to the West Indies.

He endures the nightmare trip down the Middle Passage a second time, which is just an unthinkable hell to have to do twice.

He writes of seeing white members of the crew gratify their brutal passion with females not 10 years old on the journey.

In other words, they're just raping any –

The female that is on the boat, right?

They don't care about age, you know?

Like, that's the kind of men who are doing this, right?