rowing off the yoke, even if it cost them their lives. They considered
and resolved to try it at all hazards.

Henry Box Brown's sufferings were nothing, compared to what these men
submitted to during the entire journey.

They reached the house of one of the Committee about three o'clock, A.M.

All the way from the wharf the cold rain poured down in torrents and
they got completely drenched, but their hearts were swelling with joy
and gladness unutterable. From the thick coating of coal dust, and the
effect of the rain added thereto, all traces of natural appearance were
entirely obliterated, and they looked frightful in the extreme. But they
had placed their lives in mortal peril for freedom.

Every step of their critical journey was reviewed and commented on, with
matchless natural eloquence,--how, when almost on the eve of suffocating
in their warm berths, in order to catch a breath of air, they were
compelled to crawl, one at a time, to a small aperture; but scarcely
would one poor fellow pass three minutes being thus refreshed, ere the
others would insist that he should "go back to his hole." Air was
precious, but for the time being they valued their liberty at still
greater price.

After they had talked to their hearts' content, and after they had been
thoroughly cleansed and changed in apparel, their physical appearance
could be easily discerned, which made it less a wonder whence such
outbursts of eloquence had emanated. They bore every mark of determined
manhood.

The date of this arrival was February 26, 1854, and the following
description was then recorded--

Arrived, by Steamer Pennsylvania, James Mercer, William H. Gilliam and
John Clayton, from Richmond.

James was owned by the widow, Mrs. T.E. White. He is thirty-two years of
age, of dark complexion, well made, good-looking, reads and writes, is
very fluent in speech, and remarkably intelligent. From a boy, he had
been hired out. The last place he had the honor to fill before escaping,
was with Messrs. Williams and Brother, wholesale commission merchants.
For his services in this store the widow had been drawing one hundred
and twenty-five dollars per annum, clear of all expenses.

He did not complain of bad treatment from his mistress, indeed, he spoke
rather favorably of her. But he could not close his eyes to the fact,
that at one time Mrs. White had been in possession of thirty head of
slaves, although at the time he was counting the cost of