stopped and turned back to their homes.
There was, however, a good deal of visiting without passes, but it was
against the general rule which required them; and any slave leaving home
without a pass was liable to punishment if discovered. On our plantation
passes were never given, but the slaves did visit in the neighborhood,
notwithstanding, and would sometimes slip into town at night. Tom had in
this way seen the pass of a neighboring slave to hire out; and it was
from this he learned the form from which he wrote his, and which opened
his way to freedom. Upon reading Tom's pass, the captain did not
hesitate, but hired him at once; and Tom worked his way to New Orleans,
to which city the boat was bound. In the meantime Boss took me and we
drove to numerous stations, where he telegraphed ahead for his run-away
boy Tom. But Tom reached New Orleans without hindrance, and there fell
in with the steward of a Boston steamer, and, getting aboard of it, was
soon on the ocean, on his way to that city where were so many friends of
the slave. Arriving there he made his way to Canada; which was, for so
many generations, the only land of freedom attainable to American
slaves.

* * * * *

NEWS OF TOM'S REACHING CANADA.

Now that Tom was gone, excitement prevailed at the house among the
white folks--nothing had been heard of him or the method of his escape.
All the servants expected that he would be caught, and I was alarmed
every time Boss came from the city, fearing that he had news that Tom
was caught. He had been gone about six months, when, one morning, I went
to the postoffice and brought back a letter. It seemed to me that I felt
that it contained something unusual, but I did not know what it was. It
proved to be a letter from Tom to Boss. They did not intend that the
servants should know it was from Tom, but one of the house maids heard
them reading it, and came out and told us. She whispered: "Tom is free;
he has gone to Canada; Boss read it in the letter Lou brought." This
news cheered me, and made me eager to get away; but I never heard from
him any more until after the rebellion. Tom gone made my duties more. I
now had to drive the carriage, but Uncle Madison was kept at the barn to
do the work there, and hitch up the team--I only had to drive when the
family went out.

* * * * *

M'GEE EXPECTS TO CAPTURE TOM.

In the summer the McGees made up their min