Being very tired, I sat down, that I might recover my
strength before I continued my journey.

"I am free at last," thought I, and my memory wandered back to my mother
my ship, and my captain--old Culpepper, Tommy Dott, and Bob Cross. "I
shall see them all," I thought, "and what a story I shall have to tell."
As soon as I had rested myself and recovered my breath, I thought I
might as well start.

I had not proceeded more than a hundred yards before I thought heard a
noise, as if some one was approaching. I listened--I felt sure that
such was the case, and I also heard the deep baying of a hound. The
noise increased rapidly--it was that of one forcing his way through the
brushwood, which covered the side of the hill.

In a minute afterwards I perceived a man coming up the hill at a swift
pace, directly towards me. As he approached I could almost swear that
it was Vincent, the negro captain; but when within ten yards of me, I
perceived, him turn round and flourish his sabre in the air, while, at
the same time, three large bloodhounds sprang at him. One fell by the
blow of his sabre, but the other two flew at his throat, and fastened on
him, tearing him to the around, and holding him in spite of all his
struggling and his immense strength.

I recollected my pistols: I cocked them, ran up, and putting one to the
head of the nearest dog, blew out its brains. I was equally successful
with the other--they both lay dead by his side, and Vincent was
released. He started up.

"It is me, Cato," said I.

"Cato!" replied he; "but there is not a moment to be lost. I understand
it all."

He seized me by the arm, and dragged me with him to the narrow entrance
of the pass, and as soon as we came in he rolled three large rocks,
which had evidently been used for such purpose before, so as completely
to block up the entrance.

"There," said he, leaning back quite exhausted; "be quiet, Cato. We are
safe now; they will be on the top of the hill directly."

We remained where we were about ten minutes, when we heard voices not
very far from us. They were the pursuers of the negro captain who were
evidently baffled. After a time the sounds receded from us, and we
heard them no more. Vincent then spoke:--

"You were escaping, Cato."

"I had escaped," replied I: "I told you that I would."

"Strange that you should have discovered the path; did any one betray it
to you?"

"No one," replied I: and I then told him how I