he North.

Daylight came upon the fugitive before he had selected a hiding-place
for the day, and he was walking at a rapid rate, in hopes of soon
reaching some woodland or forest. The sun had just begun to show itself,
when the fugitive was astounded at seeing behind him, in the distance,
two men upon horseback. Taking a road to the right, the slave saw before
him a farmhouse, and so near was he to it that he observed two men in
front of it looking at him. It was too late to turn back. The kidnappers
were behind him--strange men before him. Those in the rear he knew to be
enemies, while he had no idea of what principles were the farmers. The
latter also saw the white men coming, and called to the fugitive to come
that way. The broad-brimmed hats that the farmers wore told the slave
that they were Quakers.

Jerome had seen some of these people passing up and down the river, when
employed on a steamer between Natchez and New Orleans, and had
heard that they disliked slavery. He, therefore, hastened toward the
drab-coated men, who, on his approach, opened the barn-door, and told
him to "run in."

When Jerome entered the barn, the two farmers closed the door, remaining
outside themselves, to confront the slave-catchers, who now came up and
demanded admission, feeling that they had their prey secure.

"The can't enter my premises," said one of the Friends, in rather a
musical voice.

The negro-catchers urged their claim to the slave, and intimated that,
unless they were allowed to secure him, they would force their way in.
By this time, several other Quakers had gathered around the barn-door.
Unfortunately for the kidnappers, and most fortunately for the
fugitive, the Friends had just been holding a quarterly meeting in the
neighborhood, and a number of them had not yet returned to their homes.
After some talk, the men in drab promised to admit the hunters, provided
they procured an officer and a search-warrant from a justice of the
peace. One of the slave-catchers was left to see that the fugitive did
not get away, while the others went in pursuit of an officer. In the
mean time, the owner of the barn sent for a hammer and nails, and began
nailing up the barn-door.

After an hour in search of the man of the law, they returned with an
officer and a warrant. The Quaker demanded to see the paper, and, after
looking at it for some time, called to his son to go into the house for
his glasses. It was a long time before Au