Part 13 (1/2)

Not knohat to do, I retraced the road that had ledwould happen froained no inforth I deterether, travel by the north-star for two or three weeks, and after that to trust to Providence to guideturned ht; but on the second, the fog was so dense that no stars could be seen This compelled me to remain in my camp, which I had pitched in a swa for clear nights; but now the equinoctial stored with a fury which I had never before witnessed in this annual gale; at least it had never before appeared so violent to me, because, perhaps, I had never been exposed to its blasts, without the shelter of a house of some kind This storm continued four days; and no wolf ever lay closer in his lair, orthis time My subsistence was drawn froe of the swamp in which I lay

After the storm was over, the weather became calm and clear, and I fell into a road which appeared to run nearly north-west Following the course of this road by short ht and stop before day, I caht, of October, by my calendar, to a broad and well-frequented road that crossed les These roads crossed in thethis great road, and pursued it in the same cautious and slow manner that I had traveled for the last e in the woods as usual, choosing the highest piece of ground that I could find in the neighborhood No part of this country was very high, but I thought people who visited these woods, would be less inclined to walk to the tops of the hills, than to keep their course along the low grounds

I had lately crossed ht of my journey on this road, came to a narrow but deep river, and after the most careful search, no boat or craft of any kind could be found on e flat, with two or three canoes, lay on the opposite side, but they were as much out of my reach as if they had never beenthis strea es on my back

I had as yet fallen in with no considerable towns, and whenever I had seen a house near the road, or one of the sone round by the woods or fields, so as to avoid the inhabitants; but on the fourth night after swiht of a considerable village, with lights burning and shi+ning througha town, on account of the patrols hich all southern towns are provided, and ht, so as totally to avoid this village, I came to the banks of a broad river, which, upon further exae, and near its border This coe on the left, which was perfor time in swaained the road beyond the village, and returning to the swamps from which I had first issued, I passed the day under their cover On the following night, after regaining the road, I soon found myself in a country al in fields of cotton and corn

The houses were nus was incessant I felt that I was in the ion very different froh which I had lately passed, where the gloom of the wilderness was only broken by solitary plantations or lonely huts I had no doubt that I was in the neighborhood of some town, but of its name, and the part of the country in which it was located, I was ignorant I at length found that I was receding fron country, in the nitude, the inhabitants of which were entirely silent, and the town itself presented the appearance of total solitude The country around was so open, that I despaired of turning so large a place as this was, and again finding the road I traveled, I therefore determined to risk all consequences, and atte straight forward, I ca between ranted that therethe shore, found several se scow One of these boats I seized, and was quickly on the opposite shore of the river I entered the village and proceeded to its centre, without seeing somyself in an open space, I stopped to exa at the houses around nized the jail of Coluht after I was sold

This discovery made me feel almost at home, with my wife and children

I remembered the streets by which I had come from the country to the jail, and was quickly at the extre towards the residence of the paltry planter, at whose house I had lodged on ht, when I left Coluet as far as possible from that place before day I ran rather than walked, until the appearance of dahen I left the road and took shelter in the pine woods, hich this part of the country abounds

I had now been traveling almost two months, and was still so near the place from which I first departed that I could easily have walked to it in a week, by daylight; but I hoped, that as I was now on a road hich I was acquainted, and in a country through which I had traveled before, that ress would be more rapid, and that I should be able to surmount, without difficulty, reatly

It was now in e I had formerly acquired of the custoid in the execution of the authority hich they are invested; but I never had much difficulty with these officers anywhere Froht, the patrol are watchful, and always traversing the country in quest of negroes, but towards enerally betake themselves to some house, where they can procure a comfortable fire

I now established, as a rule ofplace until after ten o'clock, according to ht I did not come to the road until I supposed it to be within an hour of ht, and it ell for me that I practiced so much caution, for ithin two or three hundred yards of the road, I heard people conversing After standing so to the voices at the road, the people separated, and a party took each end of the road, and galloped away upon their horses These people were certainly a band of patrollers, atching this road, and had just separated to return hoht After the horse, I came to the road, and walked as fast as I could for hours, and again ca to the house, where I had first re away froh this plantation, near the old cotton-gin house in which I had for on this plantation was nearly as it hen I left it Two or three ht a place of concealment, and from this time until I reached Maryland, I never reht but once, and I paid dearly then for my temerity

I was now in an open, thickly-peopled country, in coh which I had passed; and this circureater caution As nearly as possible, I confined ht and three o'clock in the

Parties of patrollers were heard bybefore day

These people so the roads, but more frequently lay in wait near the side of the road, ready to pounce upon any runaway slave that ht chance to pass; but I knew by forht, except in ti at this ti in with these police hours

There was now plenty of corn in the fields, and sweet potatoes had not yet been dug There was no scarcity of provisions with th unimpaired For more than teeks I pursued the road that had ledI was on my way to Camden--Many sh to obligethem

CHAPTER XVII

On the twenty-fourth of October, according to ht, I came to a river which appeared to be both broad and deep

Sounding its depth with a pole, I found it too deep to be forded, and after thethe shore, no boat could be discovered This place appeared altogether strange to ain lost Confident that I had never before been where I now found ht it best not to attempt to cross this water until I was better inforh which it flowed A thick wood bordered the road ona tree at sunrise that overlooked the stream, which appeared to be more than a mile in width, I perceived on the opposite shore a house, and one large and several sreater part of the day, and saw several persons cross the river, so the boats were all taken back to the place at which I had seen the The river was so broad that I felt so no prospect of procuring a boat to transport ation as soon as it was dark About nine o'clock at night, having equipped myself in the best ation, and succeeded in gaining the farther shore of the river, in about an hour, with all s in safety On the previous day I had noted the bearing of the road, as it led froain resu upon desperation; for it was now evident that this was not the road by which we had traveled e came to the southern country, and on which hand to turn to reach the right way I knew not

After traveling five or sixthe north-star in view all the time, I became satisfied thatout of hten my anxiety, I had not tasted any animal food since I crossed the Savannah river--a sensation of hunger harassedadverse to me, and had led me so often astray, had now a little favor in store for me The leaves were already fallen froht perceived a persi the fallen persimmons under the tree, a noise over head arrested e opossu fruit like round, and it proved to be very fat, weighing at least ten pounds With such a luxury as this infar without tasting it, and accordingly halted about a round in a thick wood, where I killed my opossuretted, for with the skin I took at least a pound of fine fat Had I possessed the , it would have afforded e fire and roastedall the oil that ran out in the operation, for want of a dripping-pan to catch it It was daylight when my meat was ready for the table, and a very su Columbia, I had followed as nearly as the course of the roads permitted, the index of the north-star; which, I supposed, would lead me on the most direct route to Maryland; but I now beca me away from the line by which I had approached the cotton country

I slept none this day, but passed the whole ti themy lost way From the aspect of the country I arrived at the conclusion, that I was not near the sea-coast; for there were no swa, and oak tiht, I resuard to the roads, but keeping the north-star on ht I killed a rabbit, which had leaped fro stick at it It was roasted at ood