I sit quiet on 'tump when I hear someting splashing in swamp, and
all of a sudden a big hound sprang on me, and fix him teeth in my
shoulder. I had no arms, for in de hurry I had not time to catch
dem up. De beast he growl and bite, and hold on like death. I saw
dere only one ting to do. I tumble forward into de swamp wid de
dog underneath me, and dere I lay, wid my mouf sometimes above de
water sometimes below, till de dog was drowned.
"Den I start for de next station. I was hit in de hip, and it took
me tree days to crawl dat twenty-five miles. On de tird ebening I
knock at de door ob de house, and when it was open I tumble down
in faint inside. It war a long time before I come to myself, two
weeks dey tell me, and den I tink I dream, for sitting by de side
of de bed war dat woman Sally. Till she spoke, me couldn't believe
dat it war true, but she told me dat it war her, sure enuf, and
dat I war to ask no questions but to go off to sleep.
"Next day she told me all about it. She had stopped a year at
Philadelphy. Den she heard ob de underground railway, and was tole
dat a clergyman, who war just going down south to work a station,
wanted a black nurse for his children, who would help in de work.
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