Page:The Under-Ground Railroad.djvu/93

73 "The Dismal Swamps are noted places of refuge for runaway Negroes. They were formerly peopled in this way much more than at present; a systematic hunting of them, with dogs and guns, having been made by individuals, who took it up as a business, about ten years ago, has caused these Swamps to be less frequented. Formerly, children were born, bred, lived, and died there. The Negro, my guide, told me he had seen skeletons there, and had helped to bury bodies recently dead. There are people in the Swamps now, he thought, that are children of Fugitives, and Fugitives themselves finish their lives there. What a strange life it must be. He said, the Drivers sometimes shoot them. When they saw a Fugitive, if he tried to run away from them,they would call out to him, that if he did not stop, they would fire at him, and, if he did not stop, they shot at the poor fellow, and sometimes killed him. But some of them would rather be shot than taken. Sir, he added simply. * * * * No particular breed of dogs is used for hunting the Negroes. Blood-hounds, fox-hounds, bull-dogs, and curs were used. A white man told me how they trained them for the work, as though it was a common and notorious practice. They are shut up when puppies, and never allowed to see a Negro except while training to catch him. A Negro is made to run from them, and they are encouraged to follow him, until he