My heart sprang into my throat when I heard two men read this advertisement.  I knew, at once, what it all meant, remembering how often I had heard Boss read such articles from the papers and from the handbills that were distributed through the city.  The captain asked me if I could dance.  It seemed he felt sorry for me, for he said:  “That’s a bright boy to be a slave.”  Then turning to me he said:  “Come, give us a dance.”  I was young and nimble, so I danced a few of the old southern clog dances, and sang one or two songs, like this: 

    “Come along, Sam, the fifer’s son,
    Aint you mighty glad your day’s work’s done?”

After I finished singing and dancing, the captain took up a collection for me and got about two dollars.  This cheered me a good deal.  I knew that I would need money if I should ever succeed in getting on.

On the following evening, when we reached West Franklin, Indiana, while the passengers were at tea, another boat pushed into port right after ours.  Immediately a gentleman passenger came to me hurriedly, and whispered to me to go down stairs, jump out on the bow of the other boat, and go ashore.  I was alarmed, but obeyed, for I felt that he was a friend to slaves.  I went out as quietly as I could, and was not missed until I had gotten on shore.  Then I heard the alarm given that the boy was gone—­that the runaway was gone.  But I sped on, and did not stop until I had run through the village, and had come to a road that led right into the country.  I took this road and went on until I had gone four or five miles, when I came to a farm house.  Before reaching it, however, I met two men on horseback, on their way to the village.  They passed on without specially noticing me, and I kept on my way until reaching the farmhouse.  I was so hungry, I went in and asked for food.  While I was eating, the men whom I had met rode up.  They had been to the village, and, learning that a runaway slave was wanted, and remembering meeting me, they returned in hot haste, in hope of finding me and securing the reward.  They hallooed to the people in the house, an old woman and her daughter, whom they seemed to know, saying:  “There is a runaway nigger out, who stole off a boat this evening.”  The old lady said, “Come,” becoming frightened at once.  When they came in they began to question me.  I trembled all over but answered them.  They said:  “You are the fellow we want, who ran off the boat.”  I was too scared to deny it; so I owned I was on the boat, and stole off.  They did not tarry long, but, taking me with them, they went, about a mile and a half, to their house.  They planned and talked all the way, and one said:  “We are good for $75.00 for him any way.”  The next morning they took me into the village.  They soon found out that the engineer, by order of the captain, had stayed over to search for me.  A lawsuit followed, and I was taken before the magistrate before the engineer could get possession of me.