you i watched i who can see in tjie dark and in a little while i saw the guard come down the steps and sit by the edge of the water he was sleepy for he yawned and lit a roll of paper to smoke it presently it went out and he had no more matches he looked up to the house here but was too lazy to fetch them then i guessed that he was alone for else he would have called to his companion for e now he grew and i said to myself how can you kill this man silently you must not shoot because of the noise and if you throw a knife or a spear you may miss or wound him that hero only and my snake spoke in my heart and answered seize his feet and drag him down swiftly and stamp him into the mud you who are half a and can swim as no other man can swim do it at once before the light comes and men can see the move well and so i did it i trod him deep into the mire i trampled him as an ox corn upon a floor never will he come up again after that i rose and ran into the guard house fearing lest there might be another whom i must silence also for when i was a slave two always kept watch but the place was empty so i let the bridge down ah i remembered how it worked and that is the tale a great tale but it is not finished yet now let us to the slaves come take the light and lead the way here we are safe is it not so here we are safe for none can reach us except by storm and yonder is the big gun which turns upon itself let us twist the gun round first so that if need be we can fire into the camp i don t know much of cannon said doubtfully but i know something white man said speaking for the first time my master had a small one up at the settlement and often i have helped to fire it for practice and as a signal to boats on the river and so have many of the men who were carried away if we can find them yonder good said a path ran along the top of the to the platform on which the gun was mounted it was a six pound the and ran it down the she is loaded he said now let us swing her round they did so easily enough bringing the down upon the nest camp then they entered the little hut which stood alongside piled up in it in case of emergency were half a dozen rounds of shot and powder lots of if we should want to use it said it never occurred to those gentlemen that a gun can shoot two ways and now lead us to the slaves quick this way but first we must find the tools they are in the guard hut i suppose the people of the af st so they crept back to the hut holding their heads as tow as possible for the light was increasing although the moon was not yet up and they feared lest they should be seen against the sky line here they found boxes and other instruments such as are used to undo the irons upon slaves also they found the keys of the that locked the iron to which the were taking a lantern with them but leaving another burning as before in the hut lest its absence should excite suspicion they passed through two strong gates and down the steps on the further side of the a few paces beyond stood the first slave shed a rough supported on posts but without sides they entered the shed leading the way with the lantern in the middle of it was a path and on either side of this ran the long bars to which the were fastened in a double row perhaps there might have been two hundred and fifty of them in this shed here the sights and scenes were such as need not be described of the miserable some lay on the wet ground men and women together trying to forget their sorrows in sleep but the most part of them were awake and the sound of ran up and down their lines like the moaning of trees in the wind when they saw the light the slaves ceased moaning and crouched upon the ground like dogs that await the whip for they thought that this was a visit from their some of them indeed stretched out their bands imploring pity but these were the exceptions the most of them had abandoned hope and were sunk in dull despair it was pitiful to see the glance of their terror filled eyes and the answering quiver of their frames whenever an arm was lifted or a sudden movement made went down the line rapidly examining the faces of the slaves do you see any of s people asked anxiously h ot here white man let us go to the next shed unless i you want to loose these no good in that mother said they would only betray us so they went to the next � in all there were tour � and here at tie man who was sleeping his i that hero bowed on his chained hands stopped suddenly like a dog when he game peter peter she said the man awoke � he was a fine fellow about thirty years of age � and glared round wildly who called me by my old name he said hoarsely nay i dream peter is dead peter said the woman again awake child of it is i who am come to save you the man cried aloud 