coming. Just on the edge of the river, opposite where they were waiting,
a boat under repairs was in the stocks. In order to evade the advancing
foe, they all marched into the river, the water being shallow, and with
the vessel for a breastwork hiding them from the shore, there they
remained for an hour and a half. They were thoroughly soaked if nothing
more. However, about ten o'clock a small oyster boat came to their
relief, and all were soon placed aboard the schooner, which was loaded
with corn, etc. All, with the exception of the large woman above
referred to, and one other female, were required to enter a hole
apparently leading through the bottom of the boat, but in reality only a
department which had been expressly constructed for the Underground Rail
Road business, at the expense of the captain, and in accordance with his
own plan.

The entrance was not sufficiently large to admit Mrs. Walker, so she
with another female who was thought "too fat" to endure the close
confinement, was secreted behind some corn back of the cabin, a place so
secluded that none save well-experienced searchers would be likely to
find it. In this way the Captain put out to sea. After some fifteen
hours he deemed it safe to bring his passengers up on deck where they
could inhale pure air which was greatly needed, as they had been
next-door to suffocation and death. The change of air had such an effect
on one of the passengers (Scott) that, in his excitement, he refused to
conform to the orders required; for prudential reasons the Captain,
threatened to throw him over-board. Whereupon Scott lowered his tone.
Before reaching the lock the Captain supposing that they might be in
danger from contact with boats, men, etc., again called upon them "to go
into their hole" under the deck. Not even the big woman was excused now.
She pleaded that she could not get through, her fellow-sufferers said
that she must be got through urging the matter on the ground that they
would have great danger to face. The big woman again tried to effect an
entrance, but in vain. Said one of the more resolute sisters "she must
take off her clothes then, it will never do to have her staying up on
deck to betray all the rest;" thus this resolute stand being unanimous,
the poor woman had to comply, and except a single garment she was as
destitute of raiment as was Mother Eve before she induced Adam to eat of
the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden. With the help of p