heir horses and Haley's too. Then they frightened and
chased them, till they raced like mad things all over the great lawns
which surrounded the house.

Whenever it seemed likely that a horse would be caught, Sam ran up,
waving his hat and shouting wildly, 'Now for it! Cotch him! Cotch him!'
This frightened the horses so much that they galloped off faster than
before.

Haley rushed up and down, shouting and using dreadful, naughty words,
and stamping with rage all the time.

At last, about twelve o'clock, Sam came riding up with Haley's horse.
'He's cotched,' he said, seemingly very proud of himself. 'I cotched
him!'

Of course, now it was too late to start before dinner. Besides, the
horses were so tired with all their running about, that they had to have
a rest.

When at last they did start, Sam led them by a wrong road. So the sun
was almost setting before they arrived at the village where Haley hoped
to find Eliza.

CHAPTER IV

THE CHASE

When Eliza left Uncle Tom's cabin, she felt very sad and lonely. She
knew she was leaving all the friends she had ever had behind her.

At first Harry was frightened. Soon he grew sleepy. 'Mother, I don't
need to keep awake, do I?' he said.

'No, my darling, sleep, if you want to.'

'But, mother, if I do get asleep, you won't let the bad man take me?'

'No!'

'You're sure, an't you, mother?'

'Yes, sure.'

[Illustration]

Harry dropped his little weary head upon her shoulder, and was soon
fast asleep.

Eliza walked on and on, never resting, all through the night. When the
sun rose, she was many miles away from her old home. Still she walked
on, only stopping, in the middle of the day, to buy a little dinner for
herself and Harry at a farm-house.

At last, when it was nearly dark, she arrived at a village, on the banks
of the river Ohio. If she could only get across that river, Eliza felt
she would be safe.

She went to a little inn on the bank, where a kind-looking woman was
busy cooking supper.

'Is there a boat that takes people across the river now?' she asked.

'No, indeed,' replied the woman. 'The boats has stopped running. It
isn't safe, there be too many blocks of ice floating about.'

Eliza looked so sad and disappointed when she heard this, that the good
woman was sorry for her. Harry too was so tired, that he began to cry.

[Illustration]

'Here, take him into this room,' said the woman, opening the door into a
small bed-room.