wife, or a wife her husband, or in
cases where de masters were uncommon cruel, dat I was to send 'em along
by de underground railway. De risks was too great to be run often. If
we had tried to help ebery one to 'scape we should mighty soon hab been
hunted down.

"Well, sar, I libed dere for three year. It was a lonesome life. I
planted a few yams round de hut, and de plantation hands would bring me
tings dat dey got hold of. It was my duty when I found dat a case was ob
de proper description to arrange for de flight, de man or de woman would
come to my hut, and I would guide dem through de swamps, twenty-five
mile away, to de house ob a clergyman, which was de next station. I
would jus' knock in a 'ticular way at de door, and when dis was open
leab de party dere and go straight away back to de swamp. More dan once
de planters got up hunts and searched de swamp through and through for
me wid dogs, and my hut was twice burnt to de ground, but de slabes
always brought me notice in time, and I went away into de tickest part
ob de swamp and lay dar till dey had gone away.

"Well, sar, one time come, I bery busy, passed tree men away in two
week. One night me hear barking of dogs, and jump up jus' in time to see
party ob men coming out from de little path towards de hut. I ran for de
swamp. Dey fire at me and one ball hit me. Den I ran in to de swamp,
de dogs dey follow, but I get farder and farder away, and de swamp get
deeper, and me tink dey lose me altogether. I sit quiet on 'tump when I
hear someting splashing in swamp, and all of a sudden a big hound sprang
on me, and fix him teeth in my shoulder. I had no arms, for in de hurry
I had not time to catch dem up. De beast he growl and bite, and hold
on like death. I saw dere only one ting to do. I tumble forward into de
swamp wid de dog underneath me, and dere I lay, wid my mouf sometimes
above de water sometimes below, till de dog was drowned.

"Den I start for de next station. I was hit in de hip, and it took me
tree days to crawl dat twenty-five miles. On de tird ebening I knock at
de door ob de house, and when it was open I tumble down in faint inside.
It war a long time before I come to myself, two weeks dey tell me,
and den I tink I dream, for sitting by de side of de bed war dat woman
Sally. Till she spoke, me couldn't believe dat it war true, but she told
me dat it war her, sure enuf, and dat I war to ask no questions but to
go off to sleep.

"Next day she told