killed. The other two hounds caught Geordie, and killed him. After this
terrible escape I went to a barn, and was looking through a hole and saw
two men come to where Geordie's body lay, when a knot of people gathered
round, and about ten or eleven o'clock he was buried. I shortly went to
sleep among the hay, and slept so soundly that it was the morning after
before I was awoke by a boy coming to get hay for the horses, and the
prong of the fork caught me by the thigh, which caused me to jump up and
stare at the boy, and he at me, when he dropped the fork and ran away. As
soon as I recovered, I slipped down the hay-rack, and met six men and the
boy, who demanded who I was and what I was doing there. Not knowing what
to say, I stood speechless for a long time, and thought my hopes of
freedom were now at an end. They again repeated their question, but I made
no reply. I was then taken before a magistrate, when I was accused of
being in the barn for some unlawful purpose; and as I made no answer to
any questions put to me, they concluded I was dumb. When I remembered I
had not given evidence of speech, I determined to act as if I was dumb;
and when the magistrate called to me, I also thought deafness was often
united with dumbness, and I made my mind up to act both deaf and dumb, and
when he called "Boy, come here," I took no notice, and did not appear to
hear, until one of the officers led me from the box nearer to the
magistrate, who demanded my name, where from, and to whom I belonged, and
what I was doing in the barn, which I still appeared not to hear, and
merely looked at him, and at last acted as if I was deaf and dumb, and so
effectually that he discharged me, convinced I was a valueless deaf and
dumb nigger; and when told by the officer to go, I dared not move for fear
of being found out in my acting, and would not move until I was forced out
of the door, and for some time (for fear of detection) I acted deaf and
dumb in the streets, to the fear of women and children, until it was dark,
when I made for the woods, where I remained until eleven o'clock at night,
when I again resumed my journey to Chester (Pennsylvania), which I had