handle, and den seizing de chile
dat she had fastened to her back, he catch him by de leg and smash him
skull against a tree. Den, sar, I seize my hoe, I rush at him, and I
chop him down wid all my strength, cut his skull clean in sunder, and he
drop down dead.

"Den I knew dat dat was no place for Sam, so I take my hoe and I run
away as fast as I could. No one try to stop me. De oder niggers dance
and sing when dey saw de oberseer fall dead. I ran all dat day up among
de hills, skirting round de different plantations till I get quite into
de wild part. Wheneber I came to stream I walk a long way in him till
I get to tree hanging ober. Den pull myself up into de branches, climb
along and drop at de farthest end, and den run again, for I knew dat dey
would set de bloodhounds after me.

"At last I tink dat it am quite safe, and when de night came on lie down
to sleep for a few hours. Before morning me off again, and by night get
to de center of de wild country. Here I light a fire, and sit down, and,
just as I 'spected, in two or tree hours five or six men come down to
me. Dose were niggers who had run away from plantations. I tell dem my
story, dey agree dat I did berry right in killing oberseer. Dey take me
away to place where dey hab little huts and patches of yams. Two or tree
days pass and no one come, so, we s'pose dat dey hab lost de scent.
Me waited a month and den determined to go down and see about wife. I
journey at night, and reach plantation in two days. Dere I hide till I
see nigger come along close to bush. I call him and he come. I tell him
to tell my wife to steal away when night come, and to meet me dere. He
nod and go away. Dat night my wife come wid de oder chile. We not talk
much but start away for mountains. Me berry much afraid now because
my wife not berry strong, she hurt by de blow and fretting after me.
Howeber, we follow the way I had gone before. I make shift to help her
up into trees from the streams, and dis time after tree days' travel we
got back to hut in the mountain.

"Dere we lib berry happy for a year. Sometimes some ob us go down to
plantation and take down baskets and oder tings dat we had made and chop
dem for cotton. We had tobacco of our own, and some fowls which we got
from the plantations in de fust place. Altogether we did berry well.
Sometimes band of soldiers come and march trough the country, but we hab
plenty hiding places and dey never find us. More and more runway slab