Page:The Under-Ground Railroad.djvu/100

80 would let him have her at the end of the second seven years. The man, accordingly served another seven years, and again the master refused to give possession of the woman. The man did then, what he should have done at first, he stole her away, and three others, and started off to Canada. Being fifty miles towards the interior, of the State, they proceeded direct to the Ohio river. They were pursued, and their savage pursuers reached the usual place of crossing before the Fugitives; there lying in ambush, waited their arrival. The Fugitives reached the spot in the silent hour of the night. A skiff being fastened to the bank, they hastily got into it; but, when receeding from the shore, their pursuers made their appearance, and furiously plunged into the water, waist deep, and violently seized hold of the boat, determined they should not proceed, but the man holding the skiff, was immediately shot dead by one of the Fugitives, They then proceeded, as quickly as possible, across the river, leaving their infuriated pursuers without the means of following them. On reaching the other side of the river, they landed in the Free State of Ohio, and there soon found friends to assist them on their perilous journey, to a blessed land of liberty. I leave the reader to make his own comments, and to come to his own conclusions, upon the act of the Fugitive taking the life of the man-stealer. It was the husband who shot the man