she chose rather to accept the hospitality of the Underground
Rail Road, and leave in a quiet way and go to Canada, where she would be
free indeed. Accordingly she left her mistress and was soon a free
woman.

The following sad experience she related calmly, in the presence of
several friends, an evening or two after she left her mistress:

Two sons and two daughters had been sold from her by her mistress,
within the last three years, since the death of her master. Three of her
children had been sold to the Richmond market and the other in Nelson
county.

Paulina was the first sold, two years ago last May. Nat was the next; he
was sold to Abram Warrick, of Richmond. Paulina was sold before it was
named to her mother that it had entered her mistress's mind to dispose
of her. Nancy, from infancy, had been in poor health. Nevertheless, she
had been obliged to take her place in the field with the rest of the
slaves, of more rugged constitution, until she had passed her twentieth
year, and had become a mother. Under these circumstances, the overseer
and his wife complained to the mistress that her health was really too
bad for a field hand and begged that she might be taken where her duties
would be less oppressive. Accordingly, she was withdrawn from the field,
and was set to spinning and weaving. When too sick to work her mistress
invariably took the ground, that "nothing was the matter,"
notwithstanding the fact, that her family physician, Dr. Ellsom, had
pronounced her "quite weakly and sick."

In an angry mood one day, Mrs. Cahell declared she would cure her; and
again sent her to the field, "with orders to the overseer, to whip her
every day, and make her work or kill her." Again the overseer said it
was "no use to try, for her health would not stand it," and she was
forthwith returned. The mistress then concluded to sell her.

One Sabbath evening a nephew of hers, who resided in New Orleans,
happened to be on a visit to his aunt, when it occurred to her, that she
had "better get Nancy off if possible." Accordingly, Nancy was called in
for examination. Being dressed in her "Sunday best" and "before a poor
candle-light," she appeared to good advantage; and the nephew concluded
to start with her on the following Tuesday morning. However, the next
morning, he happened to see her by the light of the sun, and in her
working garments, which satisfied him that he had been grossly deceived;
that she would barely live to r