s, and the slave population in obtaining
theirs. He was warm-hearted and generous, and from his manner, I had
little doubt, as brave as steel. By many he would have been looked upon
as a crazy enthusiast or a dangerous character, for whom the walls of a
prison or a mad-house would prove the safest abode. He, however, had
the discretion to follow the advice he had received, and did not again
in public broach the subject of Indian rights or the iniquity of
slavery. They were, however, common subjects of conversation between
us, and he almost won me over to his opinions. What he intended to do
he did not say. Indeed, I found that he had no very definite plan of
proceeding. Had I been by myself, I do not know how I might have acted,
but I fortunately did not commit myself by promising to aid him in any
of his schemes.

I found the old gentleman I have spoken of was Mr. Archelaus Shurtleff,
a judge, whose residence was in Florida. The young lady, whom I at
first supposed to be his daughter, was his wife. They had but one
child, called Paul, a fine little fellow four or five years old, who
happened to be with his black nurse in their cabin when I first saw
them, and hence I did not discover my mistake until the next day. The
kind old gentleman told my father and myself that he should be very
happy to see us at his house, which was not far from that of my Uncle
Nicholas, with whom he was well acquainted. My father replied that he
would gladly pay him a visit, provided the state of his brother's health
and spirits would allow him to do so.

"Sorry to hear that our friend Nicholas is ill," said the judge. "As to
his spirits, he is over anxious about the state of the country. He is
always apprehending an attack from the red men. It is a mistaken fancy
of his. They'll never dare to interfere with the settlers. They know
too well the fearful retribution that would overtake them."

The worthy judge and his wife, who appeared to have taken a liking for
Rochford, had frequent conversations with him, and he told me that they
had given him an invitation to their home, which he had gladly accepted.

"I hope that we shall meet there," I observed. "At all events, as we
shall not be far away from each other, we may have some sport together,
and kill no end of crocodiles, bears, deer, and other wild beasts and
birds of all sorts."

I had expected that in crossing the Atlantic we should have encountered
at least a gale o