Then, looking at Mrs. Delano, he said:  “If I had only known the poor fellow was a slave, I might, perhaps, have done something to rescue him.  But the Abolitionists are doing what can be done.  They procured a writ of habeas corpus, and went on board ‘The King Cotton’; but they could neither find the slaves nor obtain any information from the captain.  They are keeping watch on all vessels bound South, in which Mr. Goldwin and I are assisting them.  There are at least twenty spies out on the wharves.”

“I heartily wish you as much success as I have had in that kind of business,” replied Mrs. Delano with a smile.

“O, I do hope they’ll be rescued,” exclaimed Flora.  “How shameful it is to have such laws, while we keep singing, in the face of the world, about ‘the land of the free, and the home of the brave.’  I don’t mean to sing that again; for it’s false.”

“There’ll come an end to this some time or other, as surely as God reigns in the heavens,” rejoined Blumenthal.

* * * * *

Two days passed, and the unremitting efforts of Mr. Percival and Mr. Jackson proved unavailing to obtain any clew to the fugitives.  After an anxious consultation with Samuel E. Sewall, the wisest and kindest legal adviser in such cases, they reluctantly came to the conclusion that nothing more could be done without further information.  As a last resort, Mr. Percival suggested a personal appeal to Mr. Bell.

“Rather a forlorn hope that,” replied Francis Jackson.  “He has named his ship for the king that rules over us all, trampling on freedom of petition, freedom of debate, and even on freedom of locomotion.”

“We will try,” said Mr. Percival.  “It is barely possible we may obtain some light on the subject.”

Early in the evening they accordingly waited upon the merchant at his residence.  When the servant informed him that two gentlemen wished to see him on business, he laid aside his meerschaum and the Courier, and said, “Show them in.”

Captain Kane had informed him that the Abolitionists were “trying to get up a row”; but he had not anticipated that they would call upon him, and it was an unpleasant surprise when he saw who his visitors were.  He bowed stiffly, and waited in silence for them to explain their business.

“We have called,” said Mr. Percival, “to make some inquiries concerning two fugitives from slavery, who, it is said, were found on board your ship, ‘The King Cotton.’”

“I know nothing about it,” replied Mr. Bell.  “My captains understand the laws of the ports they sail from; and it is their business to see that those laws are respected.”

“But,” urged Mr. Percival “that a man is claimed as a slave by no means proves that he is a slave.  The law presumes that every man has a right to personal liberty, until it is proved otherwise; and in order to secure a fair trial of the question, the writ of habeas corpus has been provided.”