positively prohibited by law. With these reflections weighing upon his
mind, having stayed away from his wife as long as he could content
himself to do, he took his carpet-bag in his hand, and turned his face
toward Alabama, to embrace his family in the prison-house of bondage.

His approach home could only be made stealthily, not daring to breathe
to a living soul, save his own family, his nominal Jew master, and one
other friend--a slave--where he had been, the prize he had found, or
anything in relation to his travels. To his wife and children his return
was unspeakably joyous. The situation of his family concerned him with
tenfold more weight than ever before,

As the time drew near to make the offer to his wife's master to purchase
her with his children, his heart failed him through fear of awakening
the ire of slaveholders against him, as he knew that the law and public
sentiment were alike deadly opposed to the spirit of freedom in the
slave. Indeed, as innocent as a step in this direction might appear, in
those days a man would have stood about as good a chance for his life in
entering a lair of hungry hyenas, as a slave or free colored man would,
in talking about freedom.

He concluded, therefore, to say nothing about buying. The plan proposed
by Seth Concklin was told to Vina, his wife; also what he had heard from
his brother about the Underground Rail Road,--how, that many who could
not get their freedom in any other way, by being aided a little, were
daily escaping to Canada. Although the wife and children had never
tasted the pleasures of freedom for a single hour in their lives, they
hated slavery heartily, and being about to be far separated from husband
and father, they were ready to assent to any proposition that looked
like deliverance.