Again, Skenan looked perplexed. “You say there is a man or a woman who owns your papers? Are you, then, like the black white man, who is known to us to be a slave?”
“No,” Abagail answered. “I am a servant, which is entirely different from a slave.”
“Is it?” he asked. “How is it different?”
“Well,” she answered, “a slave is owned by his master for his entire life, and he must toil without compensation for himself or his family. A servant, on the other hand, works for another for compensation, or in some cases he or she toils for another in repayment of a debt. And, at the end of a certain amount of years, he or she is free.”
Abagail watched as Skenan frowned. “By compensation, you mean the gold or silver coin?”
“I do.”
“And, repaying a debt means…?”
“A debt is gold or silver coin owed, or it can even mean repaying by doing service for another.”
Skenan made a wry face, but what his thoughts were, she had no way of knowing.
After a while, he asked, “Do you work for compensation or to repay a debt?”
She answered, “I work to compensate an obligation, which is the contract I have placed my mark upon.”
Still frowning, he asked, “Now, you say this man or this woman owns you?”
“Only my services, sir.”
“Tell me, Miss Abagail, how one man can own another man or woman, whether for services owed or not? The Creator of all does not allow one man to own another. All are the children of the Creator.” Appearing to warm to his subject, he said, “This is one of the reasons why my tribe, the Oneida, fight with the Americans. The English father does not own all men, white, black or Indian. We believe, as do the Americans, that all men and women are free. Freedom is important to the Creator, and He would see all his creation free, as they were meant by Him to be.”
Abagail swallowed what she had been about to say. She had never heard this point of view before, and it was a viewpoint she liked. Still, she had signed a contract. After a moment, she, at last, said, “I agree with you in part, but, you see, I did not have the means to support myself in England—“
“Meaning the gold coin?”
“Yes,” she replied. “However, in England, all must work to obtain the gold coin, or they have not the means to survive. And, in England, there was not enough work to make it easy for one to live. It is why I am here. In these colonies, I can work to eventually earn my freedom, and while I am laboring, the man or the woman who owns my contract must see to my needs as to clothing and food and shelter.”
Skenan smirked, then said, “If what you say is true, then there is a kind of man—not a real man—but one who pretends to be a real man, but who will not give from his heart those possessions he has to another in need. And, when he does give, he gives while expecting labor and servitude in return?”
“Ah, yes, this is true.”
“Then, he is not a true man. I am glad my people fight with the Americans for their freedom. These Americans are true men, not the English. I am only sad that some of my kin amongst the Iroquois fight with the English. Truly, I think, they have been deceived by the crooked tongues of the English.”
“But, still—“
“And, now I hope you understand the Onieda way. A man is subject only to his Creator and to no other. The fact that, according to the Creator, all men and women command their own lives, is understood by those who serve the Iroquois government. A man rules his own life. No other. Nor is any manallowedto rule another. Before the English came to our shores, such were our laws.”
“But, if what you say were true, there would be nothing but confusion in a country. If all are free, how is one to pay for his necessities in life? How is another to secure the requirements he needs in order to work and to live?”
“This is a false idea you are saying to me. Do you see confusion surrounding the Iroquois? Or do you see unity? Although, perhaps that unity is less at present, due to the English.”
“I…don’t know how to answer you. I haven’t had the pleasure of being among your people.”
“Then, I will tell you how it is. We of the Iroquois—before the English came here—were united. We have laws, but our laws are those given to us by the Creator. Only these is a man expected to obey…never laws made by man. And, I will tell you this: the Creator made no man to be another man’s slave. He or she who says differently seeks to enslave you for his own benefit. Such a man is a parasite, and the sooner he is gone from this land, the better.”
She tried to understand, but she feared it was beyond her ability to comprehend him at present. And so, all she said was, “Mr. Skenan, you seem quite impassioned about this.”
“Are you saying a man should not care about his own, his family’s and his tribe’s freedom?”
“No, that is not what I mean. And, yes, of course, a man should be most ardent about this. It is only in my society, I have considered that I am lucky to have the position I have now. You see, Mr. Skenan, without this position, I know not how I would live.”
“You would be married to a man who loves you, and who would take care of you and your children. You would be happy. Your aunts, your uncles, your parents and all others of your clan would ensure your health, also. That is how you would live.”
