Chapter 9 Summary

Darcy and Stennis reach South Carolina in under two weeks. Along the way almost-nine-year-old Abundance Crawford dies and her body is abandoned by the road. Augustus, who held her while she died, and his fellow prisoners beg to be allowed to bury her. It is too inconvenient to the slave merchant. Willis, a thirty-seven-year-old bricklayer, Selby, a twenty-two-year-old, newlywed baker, and Sara Marshall, a twenty-nine-year-old seamstress are sold before they reach Georgia. In North Carolina, Augustus asks Darcy to send word to Mildred that he is alive, but the business owner explains he cannot afford the cost. In Kingstree, South Carolina, Augustus pretends to be deaf and dumb in order to thwart a sale Darcy presses too hard.

The Skiffingtons own a wonderful bookcase carved by Augustus soon after he gained his freedom. Augustus sold it for $15 to help buy his family's freedom...