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Show 170 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. you to clc Io·wcr gate. Put your hands in your pock ... ets, and \valle ricketty, like de ailors." I pcrforn1ecl to her atisfaction ... At the gate I found Peter, a young colored 1nan, wa1tlng for 1nc. ~ had known hi1n for years. lie had. been an apprentice to n1y father, and had always borne a good character. I was not afraid to trust to hin1. Betty bade me a hurried good by, and we walked off. " Take courage, Linda," said 1ny friend Peter. "I've got a dagger, and no n1an shall take you fro1n me, unless he passes over n1y dead body." It was a long tin1c since I had taken a walk out of doors, and the fro h air revived. 1nc. It was also pleasant to hoar a lnunan voice speaking to me above a whisper. I pa cd several people "\vho1n I kne\v, but they diu not rccoo·nizc n1c in my <lisguisc. I prayed internally that, for Peter's sake, as well as n1y O\Vn, nothing might occur to bring out his dagger. \V e walked on till we can1c to the wharf. ~fy aunt Nancy's hu band \vas a seafaring 1nan, and it had been uce1ncd necessary to let hi1n into our secret. lie took n1e into his boat, rowed out to a vessel not far distant, and hoisted me on board. W c three "\vcrc tho only occupants of tho vessel. I now ventured to ask what they proposed to do with mo. They saiJ I ·was to remain on board till ncar dawn, and then they ·would hide 1110 in ~naky S·wa1up, till n1y uncle Phillip had prepared a place of conccahncnt for 1nc. If the vessel hacl been bound north, it would have been of no avail to 1nc, for it would certainly have been searched. About four o'clock, we were again seated in tho boat, and rowed three miles to the swan1p. l\Iy fear of snakes had heon New Perils. increased by the venomous bite I had received, and I dreaded to enter this hiding-place. But I was in no situation to choose, and I gratefully accepted the host that 1ny poor, persecuted friend.· coulcl do for 1ne. Peter landed. fir t, and \Viih a large knife cut a path through ban1boos and briers of all descriptions. lie can1c Lack , took JUC in his anus, and carried. 1110 to a scat made atnong the b~unhoos. Before we roachcc.l it, we wore coYcrcd ·with lnuHlrc<l · of JllOS<JUitos. ln an hour s titnc th y ha<l o poisoned 1ny fltJ:-;h that 1 \ras a pitiful ·ight io behold. .A· tho ljght incrca.·cd, 1 . aw snake after snake cra"'ling ronnJ. u ·. I hacl been accuston1cu to the sigh t of .·nakcs all1ny life, but these wore larger than any I had OYCr 'COIL rro thi . day I shudder vvhcn I rcn1C1nbcr that 1norning. A. evening approached, the nu1nbcr of ·nakes incr eased .-o nnteh that we \Yore continually ohlig:ed to thrash then1 wiLh sticks to keep thcn1 fron1 crawling o-rer us. The banlboos were o hio·h ancl so thick that iL was in1po. · ·il>lc b to soc beyond a very short distance. J n.-t before it bocmnc dark \VC procured a sent nearer to tho entrance of the wa1np, being fearful of lo~ in g our \ray hack to the boat. lt \Vas not long before \Ve heard tho pac1dlc of oar , anu the lO\V \\ ... hif't1e, \Vh1eh h acl been agreed upon a a ·ignal. \V e n1n<lc haste to enter the boat, ancl were ro\reu back to the YC. ·s l. I pas d a wrcLehcd night; for tho heat of the S\\rn,nl p, the 1no:-;<p.1itos, and. the constant terror of ~nakes, had lH'O u n·h t on a hunting foYer. I had jn~t dropped a~l cc p, when they can~c and tolu 1nc it \nt ~ ii n1e Lo go back to that lwrncl swamp. 1 coulu ~ca reely f'llnlnwn courage to ri ·e. But even tho ·c lar(re Ycnon1ou · ·nakcs were le ·s droad-b ' |