Here all remained
until about three o'clock the next morning. As I was still alive, they
finally concluded it would be less dangerous to take me to their cabin.
Both girls favored this plan. The men were afraid to follow their own
impulses, depending upon secrecy of these fickle-minded females. The
four, with their load, reached the cabin just before daylight. Old Sarah
let them in, and was cautioned to say nothing, under penalty of sure
death.

"I had remained here over a week, in charge of this kind-hearted old
negress, being nearly all this time in a seemingly comatose state, with
only brief spells of semi-consciousness. No physician had been called,
as these bad characters wished to avoid notoriety. London papers had
referred to the deaths by drowning or murder of Oswald Langdon and Alice
Webster. These two highwaymen dreaded any mention of their names in such
connection. Old Sarah kept their secret, for fear of losing her position
and of personal violence.

"At times my chances of recovery had been doubtful. I had been
delirious, but most of the time lay in a stupor. What to do with me the
four could not devise. All dreaded an invasion by the police. They had
discussed the proposition to leave me in the cabin, the four quitting
London for some distant city, the men going first singly, the two girls
following later. Still they feared that old Sarah would inform the
police, as she had overheard this talk, and was much distressed about
losing her job. It then was proposed that the five take some other
house, and abandon me to my fate.

"To this old Sarah vigorously objected, and said:

"'I'se nevah gwine to fo'sake dat po' sick white baby who 'minds me so
powerful much of my own little Mandy Car'line just 'fo' she j'ined de
angel band!'

"This settled that proposal.

"Revolving in their minds many schemes to dispose of me and of the
colored woman, the two robbers could not think of any safe plan. Too,
they feared that these girls might confess. They threatened and
flattered the negress, who said nothing in reply.

"The night before had been the worst. The four, drinking heavily, lost
their discretion. A loud quarrel ensued. One of the drunken brutes
staggered into the room where we were lying asleep. He stood there,
glaring first at one, then at the other. His actions aroused old Sarah,
who, springing up and grasping a large bottle standing on the shelf,
struck the besotted wretch such hard blow in the face t