Mr. Berners repeated all that he had said, adding:
“I had got her away from this neighborhood, and on shipboard. And she was rejoicing in her supposed safety and freedom, for the ship was within a half hour of sailing, when these officers came on board with a warrant and arrested her.”
“They did! Wait till I get my niggers together. The boys will want no better fun than to tar and feather them devils, and set them afire and turn ’em loose. And blame me if I don’t give the best feather-bed in my house to the service. Come along,” exclaimed the farmer, starting off to commence the work.
“Stop!” said Lyon Berners, laying his hand soothingly upon the shoulder of the excited man. “Above all, you wish to serve my unhappy wife, do you not!”
“Yes! with my ‘life, and fortune, and sacred honor’ as the Declaration of Independence says.”
“Then you can not serve her by any violence done to the officers, who are only doing their duty.”
“Doing their duty! Duty! That’s a matter of opinion! I consider I should be doing of my duty if I was to order my niggers to take ’em out and tar and feather ’em. Yes, and set ’em afire afterwards—burn ’em!”
“Yes; but that would be doing a great injustice to them, and also a great injury to Mrs. Berners. If you really wish to serve my dear wife, you can do so by helping her to escape.”
“I’ll help her to escape, with all my heart and soul! And with all my heart and soul I’ll shoot down anybody that dares to start from here in pursuit of her!” emphatically declared the farmer.
“That is not necessary. You can cover our retreat by more peaceable means. And now I must advise you that both these officers have used us with the greatest kindness and consideration, concealing our identity and shielding us from the curiosity and intrusion of strangers, whenever they could do so, as is proved by your own experience, for you had no suspicion as to who we might be.”