We were soon upon the Illinois shore, and, leaping from the boat, turned it adrift, and the last I saw of it it was going down the river at good speed. We took the main road to Alton, and passed through just at daylight, when we made for the woods, where we remained during the day. Our reason for going into the woods was, that we expected that Mr. Mansfield (the man who owned my mother) would start in pursuit of her as soon as he discovered that she was missing. He also knew that I had been in the city looking for a new master, and we thought probably he would go out to my master’s to see if he could find my mother, and in so doing, Dr. Young might be led to suspect that I had gone to Canada to find a purchaser. We remained in the woods during the day, and as soon as darkness overshadowed the earth, we started again on our gloomy way, having no guide but the _north star_. We continued to travel by night, and secrete ourselves in the woods by day; and every night, before emerging from our hiding-place, we would anxiously look for our friend and leader--the _north star_. And in the language of Pierpont we might have exclaimed, “Star of the North! while blazing day Pours round me its full tide of light, And hides thy pale but faithful ray, I, too, lie hid, and long for night. For night;--I dare not walk at noon, Nor dare I trust the faithless moon, Nor faithless man, whose burning lust For gold hath riveted my chain; No other leader can I trust But thee, of even the starry train; For, all the host around thee burning, Like faithless man, keep turning, turning. In the dark top of southern pines I nestled, when the driver’s horn Called to the field, in lengthening lines, My fellows, at the break of morn. And there I lay, till thy sweet face Looked in upon my ‘hiding place,’ Star of the North! Thy light, that no poor slave deceiveth, Shall set me free.” I CHAPTER VIII. As we travelled towards a land of liberty, my heart would at times leap for joy. At other times, being, as I was, almost constantly on my feet, I felt as though I could travel no further. But when I thought of slavery, with its democratic whips--its republican chains--its evangelical blood-hounds, and its religious slave-holders--when I thought of all this paraphernalia of American democracy and religion behind me, and the prospect of liberty before me, I was encouraged to press forward, my heart was strengthened, and I forgot that I was tired or hungry.