e outside, a
sentinel, who had been stationed at the cabin-door, followed every
motion of mine with his gun, which he kept pointed at me, in great
apprehension, apparently, lest I should suddenly seize some dangerous
weapon and make at him. As I came out of the cabin-door, two of them
seized me, took me on board the steamer and tied me; and they did the
same with Sayres and English, who were brought on board, one after the
other. The black people were left on board the Pearl, which the steamer
took in tow, and then proceeded up the river.

To explain this sudden change in our situation, it is necessary to go
back to Washington. Great was the consternation in several families of
that city, on Sunday morning, to find no breakfast, and, what was worse,
their servants missing. Nor was this disaster confined to Washington
only. Georgetown came in for a considerable share of it, and even
Alexandria, on the opposite side of the river, had not entirely escaped.
The persons who had taken passage on board the Pearl had been held in
bondage by no less than forty-one different persons. Great was the
wonder at the sudden and simultaneous disappearance of so many "prime
hands," roughly estimated, though probably with considerable
exaggeration, as worth in the market not less than a hundred thousand
dollars,--and all at "one fell swoop" too, as the District Attorney
afterwards, in arguing the case against me, pathetically expressed it!
There were a great many guesses and conjectures as to where these people
had gone, and how they had gone; but it is very doubtful whether the
losers would have got upon the right track, had it not been for the
treachery of a colored hackman, who had been employed to carry down to
the vessel two passengers who had been in hiding for some weeks
previous, and who could not safely walk down, lest they might be met and
recognized. Emulating the example of that large, and, in their own
opinion at least, highly moral, religious and respectable class of white
people, known as "dough-faces," this hackman thought it a fine
opportunity to feather his nest by playing cat's-paw to the
slave-holders. Seeing how much the information was in demand, and
anticipating, no doubt, a large reward, he turned informer, and
described the Pearl as the conveyance which the fugitives had taken;
and, it being ascertained that the Pearl had actually sailed between
Saturday night and Sunday morning, preparations were soon made to pur