On November 18, 1771, two of Nathaniel Burwell's slaves absconded from his place in Warrasqueak Bay. Like most planters of his day, he elected to wait before turning to print. But after almost a month had passed and he had received no news as to the whereabouts of his unruly servants, Burwell sent his agent to Williamsburg and had an advertisement printed in the Virginia Gazette. He described the first fugitive, a “Negro named Jack,” as “a slim, clean made, talkative, artful, and very saucy Fellow.” The other, a “Woman named Venus,” he described as “stout made, very smooth tongued, and has been five Years accustomed to the House” (Virginia Gazette, December 5, 1771, p. 3). Both were thirty years old when they decided to steal themselves. Burwell suspected that they had run away together and were headed toward the Great Dismal Swamp. For two years, he...

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