approach of horses again, and as they came up nearer, I was led to believe
that all I had heard pass, were returning in one party. They passed the
barn and halted at the house, when I recognised the voice of my old
captor; addressing the labourer, he asked, "Have you seen a runaway nigger
pass here to-day?"

LABOURER.--"No; I have not been at home since early this morning. Where
did he come from?"

CAPTOR.--"I caught him down below here yesterday morning. I had him all
day, and just at night he fooled me and got away. A party of us have been
after him all day; we have been up to the line, but can't hear or see
anything of him. I heard this morning where he came from. He is a
blacksmith, and a stiff reward is out for him, two hundred dollars."

LAB.--"He is worth looking for."

CAP.--"I reckon so. If I get my clutches on him again, I'll mosey[A] him
down to ---- before I eat or sleep."

[Footnote A: An expression which signifies to drive in a hurry.]

Reader, you may if you can, imagine what the state of my mind was at this
moment. I shall make no attempt to describe it to you; to my great relief,
however, the party rode off, and the labourer after finishing his work
went into the house. Hope seemed now to dawn for me once more; darkness
was rapidly approaching, but the moments of twilight seemed much longer
than they did the evening before. At length the sable covering had spread
itself over the earth. About eight o'clock, I ventured to descend from the
mow of the barn into the road. The little dog the while began a furious