EPISODES 281 



conveyed in a light Jersey wagon a distance of a hundred 

 miles, the period of our departure to be determined by 

 the rising of the moon. Fair Cynthia, with her shorn 

 beams, peeped over the forest about two hours before 

 dawn, and our conductor, provided with a long twig of 

 hickory, took his station in the fore-part of the wagon. 

 Off we went at a round trot, dancing in the cart like peas 

 in a sieve. The road, which was just wide enough to allow 

 us to pass, was full of deep ruts, and covered here and 

 there with trunks and stumps, over all which we were 

 hurried. Our conductor, Mr. Flint, the landlord of the 

 tavern, boasting of his perfect knowledge of the country, 

 undertook to drive us by a short cut, and we willingly 

 confided ourselves to his management. So we jogged 

 along, now and then deviating to double the fallen timber. 

 Day commenced with promise of fine weather, but several 

 nights of white frost having occurred, a change was ex- 

 pected. To our sorrow, the change took place long 

 before we got to the road again. The rain fell in torrents ; 

 the thunder bellowed ; ■ the lightning blazed. It was now 

 evening, but the storm had brought perfect night, black 

 and dismal. Our cart had no cover. Cold and wet, we 

 sat silent and melancholy, with no better expectation than 

 that of passing the night under the little shelter the cart 

 could afford us. 



To stop was considered worse than to proceed. So we 

 gave the reins to the horses, with some faint hope that they 

 would drag us out of our forlorn state. Of a sudden the 

 steeds altered their course, and soo'n after we perceived 

 the glimmer of a faint light in the distance, and almost at 

 the same moment heard the barking of dogs. Our horses 

 stopped by a high fence and fell a-neighing, while I 

 hallooed at such a rate that an answer was speedily 

 obtained. The next moment a flaming pine torch crossed 

 the gloom, and advanced to the spot where we stood. 

 The negro boy who bore it, without waiting to question 



