would be useless; so that I submitted myself to my fate and went to bed, where I spent a restless and miserable night. But as I heard no more of their talk,my fears must have been groundless, and I of course became more calm and easy in my mind. To increase my alarm, the gentleman who was my employer, asked me one day if I was not a soldier; to which I made very strange and replied disdainfully, no! From these circumstances I was powerfully convinced it would not do for me to stay much longer in that place. Therefore, I resolved to leave as soon as convenient. However, I delayed a few days longer, until on Wednesday, as I was busily engaged in the woods chopping, one of the hired men came upon the full run towards me,saying in French," Thomas,you must come home,there is a gentleman wants to see you.' I answered, with great excitement of feeling who is it wants to see me? He replied again, "a gentleman; who it is I can't tell." I was so alarmed at this information that I turned pale,and could hardly bear my own weight. The man seeing I was agitated, said, "it is the Doctor;" but not understanding him, I thought he said the turnkey. This misunderstanding tended to increase my fears, till he repeated, more intelligibly and with deeper emphasis "it is the Doctor who came here with you." Upon this my countenance lighted up, my heart leaped with inward joy, and gratitude, and my fears banished, and with pleasure I went to meet my old friend at the place he had assigned, for he would not come on shore to the house, but spoke from the boat for fear, if I had been detected, it would lead to his apprehension. No one can know the happiness I felt on this occasion. It was like that which I felt on my escape from prison; I viewed the arrival of my friend as an interferance of Divine Providence, that would eventuate in my final deliv erance. We both felt gratified at seeing each other, after six weeks absence, and having made the usual inquiries about our health, &c. proceeded to state to each other, what we had experienced. The Doctor said he had followed down the St. Lawrence, about one hundred miles, and while practicing at one place, he was recognized as a run-away from prison, by an individual who gave him suspicion of his intention to apprehend him by his close inquiries. To pacify him, the Doctor said he promised to visit him in the morning; but instead of which,he hired a man to bring him up the river in a boat that night. He said that during his absence, he had been to Quebec to purchase a fresh stock of medicine, and that while engaged in trading, the jailor's wife came into the store, but as it was in the evening, by hiding his face and going out immediately, he escaped observation. In calling at one of his old friends, he learnt that there was a mighty uproar in the city on the day we escaped, and that a large portion of the citizens went out to look at the window where we got out. The next morning, in company with the Doc tor, I left the employ of my master, and sailed to the Island of Orleans, where he was immediately called for to attend a sick lady, and where he intended to stay for some time. It was his wish also, that I should stay with him. To do this I positively refused, as I was determined to get to the United States as speedily as possible. Finding he could not prevail upon me to stay, the next morning he engaged two men to carry me across the St. Lawrence, to St. Thomas, a distance of about eight miles. The hour arrived for our departure, and the faithful Doctor, with his eyes filled with tears, pressed my lips with the kiss of true friendship; wished me peace and abundant prosperity through my life; which blessing I returned in the most heartfelt manner, and thanked him for his ever memorable kindness. The scene now became the most solemn and interesting. We were now about to part forever, in this world; our eyes gave vent to floods of tears, as we held and prest each other by the hand, as if unwilling to let go our hold, and bid farewell. At last he commended me to the mercy and Providence of God, when we took our farewell leave of each other with affected hearts and weeping eyes. Never shall I forget that hour that gave additional proof of his sincerity and friendship. His was a friendship that was genuine, and indeed has rarely its parallel. Friendship! mysterious cement of the soul, |