brought up
from the coast.

There was one period of the day, however, when few people, if any,
would be astir, and that was the middle part from eleven till about
three, when work ceased, everybody seeking shelter from the heat. I
could reckon on my guards being sleepy and sluggish then; and,
moreover, seeing that during several days I had given them no
trouble, they would be quite unprepared for any violent outbreak.
True, my door was always locked, but looking at it, I did not doubt
that if I threw myself upon it with all my strength it would give
way. And if Uncle Moses had the courage at the same time to tackle
the men, there was a chance that we might seize their arms and make
good our escape before they had recovered from their surprise. At
any rate, I saw nothing better.

Being resolved on this first step, I had to consider the next. What
should I do if I escaped? Should I endeavor to make my way to
Spanish Town and return with a force of tars, or of soldiers from
Collingwood's regiment then in garrison, sufficient to deal with
Vetch's desperadoes? This idea I soon dismissed. I felt that time
was of the greatest moment. I did not know the exact date of
Mistress Lucy's coming of age, but 'twas very clear that it was not
far distant; it might be, indeed, within a few days, and I had such
a belief in Vetch's villainy that I feared he might force Lucy into
a marriage with Cludde the very moment she was free from the
authority of the Chancery Court. Cludde had arrived, I remembered,
and was perhaps still at the house awaiting the day of Lucy's
enfranchisement, and I clenched my fists at the thought.

It would take me a full day on a swift horse to reach Spanish Town,
even if I rode at peril of sunstroke through the hot hours, and
another day, perhaps two or three, to return with assistance; and
it was in the highest degree unlikely, first that I should be able
to get a horse, and if I did, to ride the whole length of the
estate without being intercepted. And further, supposing all
happened as favorably as I could wish, at the news of my flight
Vetch would without question carry off Mistress Lucy to the brig
that lay on the coast, and would sail to England or elsewhere,
secure in the knowledge that I could not pursue him.

I can relate the course of my reasoning in cold blood now, but on
that day of anxious pondering every other consideration was
outweighed by the feeling that I must not go far from Mistress
Luc