James begins by naming himself and reflecting on what it means to write his own life. He cannot recover a full ancestral history, but he insists on recording what he does know: he is a man with a family, with literacy, and with a will to author himself rather than let others define him.

Still hidden in the woods, James stays longer than he expected because he has no safe route forward. The enslaved men who first found him continue visiting; James often has more food to share than they do. As they talk, Pierre grows less suspicious, Old George worries realistically about survival, and Josiah again considers escape but fears the punishment that would fall on the people left behind. James admits that he wants to return for his family, yet the others point out that as a runaway he has almost no way to buy anyone’s freedom.

When Young George asks what James will do, James finally answers that he will run. James packs dried fish into a bag he has woven from grass and reeds and leaves after dark. Traveling by night feels more frightening on land than on the river, but James keeps moving because night still offers his best chance to avoid capture. While walking, James also thinks about Huck and feels responsible for the boy’s safety.

In the woods, James hears the sounds of whipping and follows them to a firelit gathering. Hidden in a thicket, James sees a circle of enslaved people and white overseers around Young George, who is tied to a post. A white man lashes Young George repeatedly with a bullwhip and announces that the punishment is for stealing a pencil from the master.

James realizes that Young George is suffering because he stole the pencil for James. James feels the blows almost physically as he watches, sees Josiah in the crowd sharing the horror silently, and keeps the stolen pencil in his pocket. Young George spots James in the thicket, seems to smile through the pain, then mouths one command: run. James obeys and flees.