“'None at all,' she said. 'But I thought that you might, like me, be interested in freeing slabes.'
“'Dat I am,' I said, 'dough I had neber thought much about it.'
“'You hab heard, p'raps,' she said, 'ob de underground railway.'
“'Yes, ma'am,' said I. 'Dat is de blessed 'stitution which smuggles slaves across the frontier.'
“'Dat is it,' she said, 'and I belongs to it.'
“'Does you, missy?' me says. 'De Lord bless you.'
“'Now,' she said, 'we want two or three more earnest men, men not afraid to risk deir libes, or what is worse deir freedom, to help deir follow creatures. I thought that you, habing suffered so much yourself, might be inclined to devote yourself to freeing oders from de horrors of slabery.'
“'Sam is ready, ma'am,' me says, 'It may be dat de Lord neber intends me see my Sally again, but if I can be de means ob helping to get oder men to join deir wives I shall be content.'
“'Very well,' she said. 'Come into my house now and we will talk about it.'
“Den she 'splained the whole business to me. Dere were, principally in lonely places, in swamps and woods, but sometimes libing in villages and towns in de south, people who had devoted deir libes to de carrying out of de purposes ob de underground railway. For de most part dese led libes differing no way from deir neighbors; dey tilled de land, or kept stores like oders, and none of dose around dem suspected in de slightest degree deir mission in de south. To deir houses at night fugitive slabes would come, guided by dose from de next post. De fugitives would be concealed for twenty-four hours or more, and den passed on at night again to de next station. Dose formed the larger portion ob de body.