ithout
exciting their slightest suspicion, such a mass of valuable information
as quite decided him, when the time should come, to make his way inland
and to the southward, rather than to the northward, the latter route,
though that which would soonest enable him to reach the coast, being
chiefly, in consequence of that circumstance, by far the most perilous
one.

The next matter requiring attention, was the acquisition of arms of some
description, with which the party could defend themselves in the event
of their being pursued and overtaken. These, by a lucky chance, he was
at length enabled to procure, in the shape of three cane-knives, weapons
closely resembling a cutlass as regards the length and curve of the
blade, but provided merely with a wooden handle, instead of the metal
guard usually fitted to the latter weapon. The same lucky chance which
enabled him to secure these cane-knives--namely, the finding of a gold
five-dollar piece on the road during one of his excursions into Havana--
also supplied him with the means of purchasing three coarse canvas
jackets, such as were commonly worn by the Cuban coasting seamen at that
time, and with these he hoped to sufficiently disguise himself and his
companions to avoid any inconvenient questioning on the road, when the
time for the great attempt should arrive.

The auspicious moment arrived, as such moments frequently do, quite
unexpectedly, and it came about in the following manner.

When George and his comrades had been in slavery a trifle over a year, a
message reached the estate to the effect that a ship had that day
arrived from Europe, in the cargo of which there were certain household
articles that had been ordered expressly for the use of the planter's
wife, and that, as they happened to be stowed on the top, and the ship
had already begun to discharge, it was desirable that they should be
sent for at once, in order that they might escape damage. This message
reached the estate quite late in the evening, in fact it was within half
an hour of the time for knocking off work for the night; but so
impatient was the lady to see her new possessions, that she insisted
upon their being sent for at once, and George, as the most trustworthy
slave on the plantation, was ordered to take the mule-waggon and a
couple of companions, and proceed into town forthwith to fetch them, so
that they might be at the house and all ready for unloading by the first
thing next mornin