to evade the advancing foe, they all marched into the river, the water being shallow, and with the vessel for a breastwork hiding them from the shore, there they remained for an hour and a half.  They were thoroughly soaked if nothing more.  However, about ten o’clock a small oyster boat came to their relief, and all were soon placed aboard the schooner, which was loaded with corn, etc.  All, with the exception of the large woman above referred to, and one other female, were required to enter a hole apparently leading through the bottom of the boat, but in reality only a department which had been expressly constructed for the Underground Rail Road business, at the expense of the captain, and in accordance with his own plan.

The entrance was not sufficiently large to admit Mrs. Walker, so she with another female who was thought “too fat” to endure the close confinement, was secreted behind some corn back of the cabin, a place so secluded that none save well-experienced searchers would be likely to find it.  In this way the Captain put out to sea.  After some fifteen hours he deemed it safe to bring his passengers up on deck where they could inhale pure air which was greatly needed, as they had been next-door to suffocation and death.  The change of air had such an effect on one of the passengers (Scott) that, in his excitement, he refused to conform to the orders required; for prudential reasons the Captain, threatened to throw him over-board.  Whereupon Scott lowered his tone.  Before reaching the lock the Captain supposing that they might be in danger from contact with boats, men, etc., again called upon them “to go into their hole” under the deck.  Not even the big woman was excused now.  She pleaded that she could not get through, her fellow-sufferers said that she must be got through urging the matter on the ground that they would have great danger to face.  The big woman again tried to effect an entrance, but in vain.  Said one of the more resolute sisters “she must take off her clothes then, it will never do to have her staying up on deck to betray all the rest;” thus this resolute stand being unanimous, the poor woman had to comply, and except a single garment she was as destitute of raiment as was Mother Eve before she induced Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden.  With the help of passengers below, she was squeezed through, but not without bruising and breaking the skin considerably where the rub was severest.  All were now beneath the deck, the well-fitting oil-cloth was put over the hole covering the cabin-floor snugly, and a heavy table was set over the hole.  They are within sight of the lock, but no human beings are visible about the schooner save the Captain, the mate and a small boy, the son of the Captain.  At the lock not unexpectedly three officers came on board of the boat and stopped her.  The Captain was told that they had received a telegraphic dispatch from Norfolk to the effect