Getting Pregnant/faking pregnancy
This was one of the easiest and safest ways of escaping slavery. At the time when African women were in high demand by slave merchants, they got pregnant to avoid being captured. The slave market did not like to have pregnant women because they were very expensive as they were sold for the price of two.
Secondly, ship masters could not take pregnant women on their ships due to the long sea trip and poor living conditions. Slaves were literally packed and locked up in dark dungeons only being allowed to exercise or entertain sailors every now and then. They were also given sea water and little food to sustain them. These conditions were not favourable to pregnant women. Women, therefore, got pregnant or faked a pregnancy to escape being caught.
