“Mas’r, shall we shoot ’em, if can’t cotch ’em?” said Sambo, to whom his master brought out a rifle.

“You may fire on Cass, if you like; it’s time she was gone to the devil, where she belongs; but the gal, not,” said Legree.  “And now, boys, be spry and smart.  Five dollars for him that gets ’em; and a glass of spirits to every one of you, anyhow.”

The whole band, with the glare of blazing torches, and whoop, and shout, and savage yell, of man and beast, proceeded down to the swamp, followed, at some distance, by every servant in the house.  The establishment was, of a consequence, wholly deserted, when Cassy and Emmeline glided into it the back way.  The whooping and shouts of their pursuers were still filling the air; and, looking from the sitting-room windows, Cassy and Emmeline could see the troop, with their flambeaux, just dispersing themselves along the edge of the swamp.

“See there!” said Emmeline, pointing to Cassy; “the hunt is begun!  Look how those lights dance about!  Hark! the dogs!  Don’t you hear?  If we were only there, our chances wouldn’t be worth a picayune.  O, for pity’s sake, do let’s hide ourselves.  Quick!”

“There’s no occasion for hurry,” said Cassy, coolly; “they are all out after the hunt,—­that’s the amusement of the evening!  We’ll go up stairs, by and by.  Meanwhile,” said she, deliberately taking a key from the pocket of a coat that Legree had thrown down in his hurry, “meanwhile I shall take something to pay our passage.”

She unlocked the desk, took from it a roll of bills, which she counted over rapidly.

“O, don’t let’s do that!” said Emmeline.

“Don’t!” said Cassy; “why not?  Would you have us starve in the swamps, or have that that will pay our way to the free states.  Money will do anything, girl.”  And, as she spoke, she put the money in her bosom.

“It would be stealing,” said Emmeline, in a distressed whisper.

“Stealing!” said Cassy, with a scornful laugh.  “They who steal body and soul needn’t talk to us.  Every one of these bills is stolen,—­stolen from poor, starving, sweating creatures, who must go to the devil at last, for his profit.  Let him talk about stealing!  But come, we may as well go up garret; I’ve got a stock of candles there, and some books to pass away the time.  You may be pretty sure they won’t come there to inquire after us.  If they do, I’ll play ghost for them.”

When Emmeline reached the garret, she found an immense box, in which some heavy pieces of furniture had once been brought, turned on its side, so that the opening faced the wall, or rather the eaves.  Cassy lit a small lamp, and creeping round under the eaves, they established themselves in it.  It was spread with a couple of small mattresses and some pillows; a box near by was plentifully stored with candles, provisions, and all the clothing necessary to their journey, which Cassy had arranged into bundles of an astonishingly small compass.